Entertainment
Epidurals. To some, the mere mention of this word brings back horrifying flashbacks of a needle longer than humanly thought possible. For others, that lovely anesthesia opened the rainbow gates to unicorn heaven where everything is nice and tingly. Receiving an epidural is a common practice during childbirth. So common that there many celebrities who had epidurals while giving birth to their little bundles of joy.
Yes, in another shocking moment of "they're just like us," famous moms are no different than non-famous moms when it comes to labor and delivery. And there are a number who have gone through the physical and emotional roller coaster of receiving an epidural.
Since the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently noted that 32.2 percent of women in the U.S. have cesarean deliveries, it's probably safe to assume that a fair share of celebs have had C-sections, too. And unless a pregnant woman is somehow living in medieval times or a live-action version of Saw, chances are very high that an expectant mother is going to get an epidural if she's about to get a tiny human taken out of her via C-section. So which celebs have gotten epidurals, too? Check out the famous moms below.
1
Megan Fox
Some women feel hesitant to admit that they wanted something to help take the edge off the pain, but others aren't so shy. In an interview with People, Megan Fox said, "I was screaming for an epidural—it was level orange pain alert." I can only assume that on her color scale, orange must be pretty high.
2
Camila Alves
Not everyone's preferred birthing method goes to plan, and sometimes that's due to an emergency. Matthew McConaughey told The Huffington Post that his wife, Camila Alves, " ended up having an epidural because the umbilical cord was being compressed, and the doctor said, 'C-section.'" Thankfully both mom and baby were happy and healthy when all was said and done.
3
Kate Hudson
As plenty of mothers will tell you, sometimes you just have to tap out after an extremely long labor. According to The Orlando Sentinel, Kate Hudson said, "'let's just have a C-section,' so I got drugged up." At a certain point, you just have to do what's right for you if nature is taking her sweet time.
4
Britney Spears
Everyone has a different level of pain tolerance and some would rather skip finding out what their's is at all. According to MTV, on the topic of pain and childbirth, Britney Spears said, "I'm like, 'epidural, please," noting that she didn't want to go through the pain. There's absolutely no shame in wanting to have a comfortable birthing experience as possible.
5
Angelina Jolie
Labor and delivery looks different in every country and, as one star found out, an epidural can be a true luxury. According to MSN, when recalling her birth experience with Shiloh in Namibia, Angelina Jolie said, "there was only one anesthesiologist in town who had to come in for that — you have to plan it." And how did the epidural make Jolie feel about giving birth? "I didn't find it a painful experience. I had a C-section and I found it fascinating," Jolie recalled.
6
Kate Winslet
Originally, Kate Winslet felt a sense of failure or shame about her birthing experience, but she eventually shared her story in an effort to diminish the stigma. According to Babble, Winslet said, "I had to have an epidural because I was so tired after 14 hours [of labor]." Though it wasn't what she planned, she ended up seeing the silver linging. "I was so completely traumatized by the fact that I hadn’t given birth vaginally, " Winslet said, "but, it was really triumphant."
7
Kristen Bell
On a recent episode of Ellen, Kristen Bell said she "really enjoyed" her epidural. Never one to disappoint with her humorous take on life, she wasn't afraid to admit that having an epidural was the best choice for her.
8
Linda Cardellini
Childbirth can be a scary experience even when things are going perfectly well, but it can be especially overwhelming when complications arise. According to MSN, Linda Cardellini I had to have an emergency C-section, which required an epidural. Despite the various health issues which led to the cesarean delivery of her daughter, Cardellini said there's "no complaining about any of it."
9
Holly Madison
Remember those rainbow gates that open up unicorn heaven? One celeb definitely had a divinely wonderful delivery. "I had an epidural," Holly Madison said, according to In Touch. "The delivery was easy — I was actually laughing as I was pushing." Proving that her life is truly fabulous, the article noted that Madison named her daughter Rainbow Aurora.
