• more about #epidurals more comments →
    TroubleonWheels: Days away from having baby #5, and having had 1 natural, 1 induced, 1 24+ hr labor, and one w/every complication known, I have nothing good to say abo... more »
    Neopatra: This male midwife needs to experience the pain of a swift kick to the nads. It will bring him much needed enlightenment. more »
    KentuckyBabe: It feels really strange that on this site... something as empowering as natural childbirth isn't revered. It's not manditory and no on is a pussy for... more »
    hamustar: I wonder if that midwife (dude??) takes aspirin when he gets a headache or tums when he gets indigestion? Do you think he gets anesthesia when he has... more »
    mbot says Spock yeah!: Guys, guys, guys, relax! I've seen LOTS of births on TV. Here's how it goes: The woman is screaming and crazy-eyed all the way to the hospital. On... more »
    solidbrassfasteners: Yes, women need to be prepared for motherhood through several hours of searing pain. Because the preceding 9 months didn't prepare them at all. Childb... more »
    The Lone Scout: For what it's worth, I've heard a female pre-natal instructor give nearly the same advice, saying that the pain of labor is an important part of a wom... more »
    queenieinmanhattan: Well, obviously we shouldn't extend the reach of modern medicine to childbirth, or use preventive care during labor to head off complications. That's... more »
    quiquimarie: I was having a discussion the other day with my soon to be midwife female friend about why on earth men want to be ob/gyns or in this case a midwife. ... more »
    SergioJibsheet: As an L&D nurse who works with both MDs and midwives, I feel like they're both right and both wrong. Are modern women "less stoical"? Sure, because ... more »
    foolish-rain: Interesting. I was just thinking that men need to be kneed in the groin to prepare them for the pain of urinating with an enlarged prostate later in l... more »
    le monde is rond: Dr. Walsh, look. Are you still mad about that apple thing? I thought we worked through that. It really didn't seem like a big deal at the time! Sheesh... more »
    GorillaB: Two of my friends had C sections and they hated it. The babies heads were to big for their pelvises. They told me they were in pain for weeks after th... more »
    NorvinStoat: I'm planning a natural birth next month, but "needing pain" is not at all the reason I'm choosing not to have an epidural. Birth experiences are imp... more »
    rofling_medusa: I read a few months ago that the pain of childbirth was merely nature's way of warning that the act was potentially dangerous and to seek help. Sounds... more »
  • #painintheas

    Male Midwife: Women Need Childbirth Pain To "Prepare" for Demands Of Motherhood

    Professor and midwife Dr. Denis Walsh says moms-to-be get too many epidurals these days, depriving them of the important character-building effects of agony. More »
  • #knockedup

    Swedish Study Says: Just Get The Epidural

    Science guy says: "Our conclusion is that natural childbirth preparation with psychoprophylaxis does not reduce the need for epidural analgesia or improve the birth experience, when compared with the standard form of antenatal education." Translation: watch the labor scene in any rom-com! More »
  • #inkwell

    Have You Heard The Rumor About Tramp Stamps?