WOMENS-HEALTH Messages for February, 1998: Suggestions for getting over bad memories?

Suggestions for getting over bad memories?

From: Angela (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Sun, 22 Feb 1998 20:42:19 -0600 (CST)

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Reply: Harvey S. Marchbein, M.D.: "Re: Suggestions for getting over bad memories?"

I had an extremely unpleasant experience with my first labor, and although the outcome was eventually good, I remember it with some horror. I have some questions about how to avoid that in future.

First the history:

When my daughter was born, my labor didn't progress like the doctor wanted to see, so I was put on pitocin in increasingly high dosages. >From there...the whole experience became a bad dream I can't seem to
forget. From about 5 pm until 3 am, I more or less existed in a haze of pain. The pitocin seemed to make the contractions come more frequently (and more painfully?) but they weren't effective contractions and I was not progressing well. Stadol merely made me hallucinate somebody else's pain. Eventually I begged for an epidural, something I had wanted to avoid. (After that I didn't mind things much, since I had no pain - not the three hours of pushing to no effect, nor the suctioning attempt, which didn't work either - before we finally decided Cesarean was the best choice. My daughter is lovely and healthy, and I've healed entirely without mishap.)

Now the question: Next time (assuming there *is* a next time), what sorts of things might I discuss with my doctor? The very thought of going through that kind of pain to no effect again ...! Or, if the next baby's head-measurement is as big as this one's, is it reasonable for me to just say, "let's do this the easy way?"

--
--angela

Next message: Kelly Shanahan, MD: "Re: infertility"
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Reply: Harvey S. Marchbein, M.D.: "Re: Suggestions for getting over bad memories?"

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