I have questions. I hope you don't mind answering, but in order to grasp some of what's actually going on around me when people talk about their birth experiences nowadays, I hope you can indulge me and answer a few.
From what I hear, birth can pretty much be pain-free with an epidural. Is that true?
The epidural isn't given until Mom is how many cm?
I've heard that the epidural is turned off at a certain point. When do they turn it off? Why? Does it affect contractions or the baby or both?
What if delivery takes awhile--like hours? Does Mom have to push for hours without any pain control?
Are there any other options available for pain control besides an epidural or does Mom just have to go through it?
Thanks for answering. You don't know how many times I've wanted to interrupt coworkers with these questions, but I really don't want to spoil their stories.