Yesterday, I read a post all about how we should stop telling women not to have epidurals. The writer followed with a rant clearly based on personal experience, and clearly lacking in evidence and understanding, even going so far as to claim that epidurals are perfectly safe. Then, of course, all the super defensive comments about who had an epidural, who didn't, and all the gory details of their personal experiences, and the judgements...oh, the judgements! Everybody knows what everybody else should do! Well, guess what? Everybody else is not you, and can make their own choices!
(ETA: The writer of the abovementioned article is not a birthing or medical professional.)
These articles are becoming commonplace, whether the topic be epidurals, caesareans, breastfeeding, bottlefeeding etc etc - all they do is add fuel to the "mummy wars" that are so prevalent these days. They are designed only to gather pageviews, and certainly not to provide unbiased, accurate information. Not to mention the ridiculous headlines designed to suck you in.
As a midwife, I advocate for normal birth. But as a midwife, I also advocate for women's choice, and facilitate that choice by providing information on the risks and benefits of the available choices. I would be negligent if I did not offer all the information. Epidurals do indeed have risks, as do any other interventions, no matter how benign they may seem. Thankfully, most of the time everyone is fine, but women do need to know that they aren't "perfectly safe." It is not our place to be telling women what they should or should not choose for their own birthing experience. We can make recommendations, we can share our knowledge, but we cannot influence or decide for her.
If you want an epidural, ask for one. If you don't want one, don't ask for one. If you are determined one way or the other but change your mind during labour, that's okay! But please, avoid the clickbait. These inflammatory articles don't help anyone. They just perpetuate the fear and control of women that infiltrates modern medical childbirth. Talk to your care provider, they will help you decide what's right for you, not some random article on the internet.
