I do attend a fair amount of normal births. My routine delivery orders do not include IVs, bedrest, or continuous monitoring, and epidurals are not routine here (although they are common -- we have to call an anesthesiologist in from home at night to get an epidural.) However, I find that many of my patients really push for pain meds. I am the doc patients tend to seek out if they want an unmedicated birth here, but I also have a lot of patients who tell me they see no point in having pain if they can avoid it. No amount of describing side effects and potential complications changes their minds. They are often the same folks who start supplementing after the second feed (I try to always be present for the first, shortly after birth and can usually head off the supplementing) no matter what I tell them about potential complications of that! Just like treating breastfeeding as the norm, when prenatal patients ask me about pain relief, I always start by describing all the non-drug pain relief methods we are equipped to offer (position changes, walking, heat, massage, shower -- and soon tubs when our remodel is complete) and then tell them what pharmacologic methods are available and what their risks are. I had a mom expecting her second the other day tell me that there is no way she can give birth without an epidural. We have lost the culture of normal birthing in the US almost more than we have lost the culture of normal breastfeeding. My own 4 were all normal births, although 3 were born in hospital settings. No IVs, no pain meds, no continuous monitoring, free to choose any position for labor or birth, baby instantly to my arms and always with me. It can be done. Jennifer Tieman Family Physician Mom to 4, including nursling Caroline Rose born 5/31/03 *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html