First off, I need to practice relaxing my body more quickly. I practiced quite a bit last time. It was at least twice a day. I was good at methodically relaxing from head to foot, but it was slow going. When I was in labor it took way too long for me to get to relaxing the part of my body where contractions were happening. So now I'll practice relaxing quickly.
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My optimism about my visualization is not without precedent. About ten years ago I participated in a research study for pain medication following wisdom tooth removal. I chose that was because it was free to get the teeth out and they paid me $350 for participating. Not bad. There were three or fours different medications I may have received or I could have gotten the placebo. I'll never know. What I do know is that while I was being observed my mouth started to hurt like a beast. I was allowed to ask for rescue medication, but I had to actually say those words to the nurse. Did I? No. Why? It was partly because I was worried that I would be invalidating the results. At the time I was in a college class where we studied the results of medical trials, so my judgement was clouded. I had also just been under anesthesia, another judgement clouder. The other reason (the real one) that I didn't take the rescue medication was because I worried that I wouldn't be paid if I took it. If $350 of payment is enough to keep me from taking rescue medication after wisdom tooth surgery than maybe not having to pay $1500 will be motivation enough to keep from getting an epidural. We'll see if I decide it's worth it. But I'm not promising anything.
1 comment:
i love how you think. pretty sure a set of new furniture (we've only ever had hand-me-downs via family, friends, or DI) would be motivation for me to deliver naturally as well. in fact, brilliant idea. i'm running by the hubs to see if we can do that for the next baby. wooo! maybe i'll finally get me some new couches! oh, or maybe a BIG BED! :) thanks for the idea! and good luck!
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