I just...I have to talk about this and I'm sorry if anyone's insulted...A woman I know recently had a baby. When she got to the hospital, it was too late to get an epidural, so they gave her a spinal - right when she was about to start pushing. Okay, so if you made it through the contractions, and transition, WHY would you need drugs to PUSH? Why would they give them to her? Is her doctor a complete moron?

She pushed for three hours and ended up with a "stuck" baby and a forceps delivery. HELLO, maybe the baby was "stuck" because you were lying flat on your back and couldn't feel what you were doing. Jeezalu.

Pushing was my favorite part of the whole experience, because I finally felt like something I was doing was actually making a difference. If you already made it through the "worst" of it (and I put worst in quotes b/c I don't believe in referring to any part of the birthing experience with negative language), then why numb yourself for the one part that you actually have some measure of control over??

Sheesh.