Epidural stories please?

[Jennifer13]

My experience is somewhat different as I had a c/s due to placenta praevia, so didn't have a lot of choice on the epidural/spinal thing.

It is one of my main drivers for a vbac next time around. The spinal caused me more misery than the c/s itself.

I HATED the catheter. I ended up with several UTIs in the months following and I've never had one before the catheter.

I had to have 3 needles - the first didn't go properly, the second worked but didn't block all sensation and the third was put in higher and worked perfectly. And for the record, I didn't have a dodgy anaesthetist, he was mortified about my later issues and my ob said this was the first time in a decade of working with him he'd had a patient with any of my problems. (So it's probably my dodgy back!).

I wasn't able to have my DD overnight (my c/s was at 8pm after lengthy delays and she went to the nursery once my DP went home) and although she was brought to me as soon as she was awake it wasn't the same.

I got the dreaded spinal fluid leak that was referred to as a risk in antenatal classes but was massively under-described! It didn't occur until 2 days later. It was the most intense and horrible pain. I couldn't lift my head above the horizontal without feeling like it was going to explode, the painkillers they gave me made me throw up (try sitting up to throw up and then having an exploding head) and I couldn't bf my DD properly so had the only attachment trouble we ever experienced because of this. I couldn't even hold her properly until it was fixed.

I had to have an epidural again for the anaesthetist to do the blood patch and fix the spinal fluid leak. It worked (within minutes) but it meant having to go through the whole needle in the back thing again! And I had to lie flat for an hour before in the delivery suite before I could go back to my DD in maternity (altho I did get to watch TV on my own and they had Foxtel at least!).

I am a walking example of why NOT to have an epidural!!! Bring on my drug-free VBAC (but not just yet)!