Did you know that there are trophies like the one pictured above in hospitals all across the United States just waiting to be handed to mothers who deliver WITHOUT an epidural (or any pain medication)?
Not really. I kid.
But it feels like there should be when I observe the behavior of some moms in my "mommy forums" across the Internet. Terms and phrases like, "I caved," "unfortunately," "so sad," "weak," and "shamefully" used in conjunction with getting an epidural during labor and delivery make me angry.
Why is getting an epidural so taboo? Does it make a woman stronger or better because she didn't get one?
It sounds so petty, but the conversation is real. But who cares? Bringing a life into the world is a beautiful miracle, no matter how it's done or what assistance you get while doing so.
There are so many women who are so disappointed in themselves when they get an epidural and didn't plan to get one. I can understand being disappointed because that wasn't your original birth plan, but being disappointed because you feel that getting an epidural made you feel you were a weak woman is insane.
Every woman has a different pain tolerance level. We should be proud that we went through nine months of sharing our body with a tiny human despite all of the changes they put us through (emotional roller coasters, heartburn, swollen feet, rib punches, I'm sure you can add more here).
My point is simple: A woman is no weaker than the next because she gets pain relief during labor. So let's get off of our high horses and stop putting people down because their delivery process was different than ours.
I say that a huge "CONGRATS" is in order whether pain meds were received or not! What say you?
