09/03/2026
“There’s no medal for giving birth drug-free.”
People often say this to women who want an unmedicated birth and it implies they are doing it to prove something or to place themselves on some sort of pedestal.
But the truth is, most women attempting a drug free birth have simply spent time learning about birth physiology — how hormones like oxytocin and endorphins support labour, help the body cope with pain, and help birth progress naturally.
Research shows that epidurals can change labour dynamics. They’re associated with a longer second stage of labour and higher rates of instrumental birth (forceps or vacuum), which occurs about twice as often with epidurals compared to births without them.
That doesn’t make epidurals “bad.”
They can be an incredibly helpful tool — especially when labour becomes long, exhausting, or medically complicated. Labour is intense, and no one deserves judgement for choosing pain relief, but please don’t assume someone that is attempting to do it without it, is because she’s looking for some sort of praise.
And honestly?
Anyone who grows and births a human — however it happens — deserves a bloody medal. 🥇
