I will soon give birth at St George Private Hospital (Kogarah). My first child was born in Europe (Belgium), with epidural. In Belgium an epidural during labour is very common. When you ask for one and there are no serious contra-indications, you get it. But how does this work in Australia? I've got the impression that an epidural during labour isn't very common here. Can you ask for one yourself, or is it really just a deciscion of the midwife/OB when they think it is appropriate?
I'm a bit reluctant to try pethidine during labour because I know that it makes me feel really nauseas and sick, and that is not very helpful during labour. And what I read about gas as pain relief is that it doesn't take away the pain, but just changes the way you experience the pain. And also that it can make you feel sick and that people can react very strange on it (in behaviour).
My experience with an epidural was very positive (after a lot of hours of labour that didn't progress good and a baby that started to get in trouble). But can you just ask for it when you feel you can't cope anymore, or doesn't it work that way? Just like with the previous birth, I really want to try to do it without pain relief, but I also want to know what the usual procedure is when you cant't cope and want pain relief.
Ok. Yes you can have an epidural. first the midwife/doc is likley to check you to see how you are progressing first. It is your choice weather to have an epidural. That being said, wouldnt you like to try other ways of relaxation and pain management? Yes pethadine makes u feel drunk and nausous and gas.. well that just makes u high.
Think about it tho.. Some places in the world now give birth to babies in the middle of a rainforrest with no drugs.. no nothing really. Our bodies are designed to give birth and your body wont put you through anything it doesnt think u cant handle.
you'll have no problem getting an epidural at St George Pvt. You may or may not be examined before you have one. After you have one, you'll be continuously monitored, the midwife will insert a catheter into your bladder, you'll have a drip, and you will be restricted to being on the bed. This can slow the labour considerably, so the midwives may need to add syntocinon to the drip to make the contractions stronger, longer and mroe frequent. This can, in some cases cause your baby to be distressed. Depending where you're up to in your labour, this will lead to a caesarean, forceps, a vacuum, or an episiotomy.
So, that's epidurals. They don't do waking or low-dose epidurals there.
The other options are - using water (bath) in your labour, Calmbirth, learning relaxation techniques, gas, position changes, massage, reflexology, hot packs, and probably many others. These are all risk-free.
I just wanted to add, that I used gas and air in my labour with DS, and it very much did take the pain away. I was hesitant to use it as I could possible imaging that it would do anything for me, and had only read people saying it made them throw up - I didnt BTW.
I had gas for about 30-40 minutes Id say, and in that time I went from 4cm dilated to 10cm and ready to push.
Prior to that I used water (bath) and that made a huge difference as well.
You will get an epidural if you ask. I think in some cases if you are that close to delivering anyway they don't do it. I have the gas - not for the gas itself - but if you get the mouthpeice instead of the mask, it gives you something to bite down on, which I found extremely helpful. Its pretty much impossible to breathe the gas properly at the peak of an active contraction anyway, so I gave up on it half way through #1.
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