Epidurals (no debates please)

When i first got preg, and before hand, i was all for an epidural. I figured "why be a hero", but, then, as i progressed, i started to think that it will be alright, i can do it without one, as millons of women do around the world, and for centurys.
Now, maybe because i have reached the 3rd trim, and am perhaps *****ting myself, i have started to think about it again.
I just want to know peoples good V bad experiences. I know some of the facts, have done alot of reading of my book, as well as the topics and threads on here.
So, just experiences please - cause i know everyone is different, and not everyone gets the same side effects.
Thanks :)

i didnt have any problems i had a spinal block first and it didnot work then they did and epidural i had a c section and had no pain at all i coulf feel them poking and proding but no pain at al i can remember my legs felt realy heavy and like giant legs but i had no problems

good luck in what you decide

Hi,

I had an epidural with my 1st because I was seriously exhausted after a looooong labour. I loved it because I got to sleep and regain some strength. I ended up with a c/s due to cephalopelvic disproportion. I had dreadful shakes after from the epidural, and that was my only problem.

For 2nd baby, also c/s (obviously) - I had a spinal - and reacted to the morphine, and had the chucks - but I think it was better overall than the epidural.

For 3rd baby.....ditto......I had a spinal/epidural combo - and was the worst by a long shot!

.....I am acutely aware that you are wanting information, but I don't want to scare you unnecessarily - so please msn me or email if you want the rest.......but be warned that it might be an unnecessary worry.
:(
xx

i had one with the twins and it was the best thing i ever did made the birthing process enjoyable.

MY first two births where natural births, the twins birth they gave me an eppidural to prep me for a c/s got to go vaginal birth with no side effects did get the shakes as it was wareing off but had them with the first two births anyway best thing for me with the epidural was had 6 weeks free from back aches from back problem after the first my birth 14years before.

I didn't have any pain relief with DS. I was determined not to as I have a theory that intervention leads to more intervention. I know its obviously not ALWAYS the case, but all the people i know irl that have had a lot of interventions (inductions, epidurals etc) have ended up having either c-sections or more interventions than they wanted. And i guess those situations scared me away a bit from the pain relief options.

I found i was able to manage the pain. Afterall, it is a natural pain. But i was also lucky to go into labour on my own and have a fairly short labour.

I do believe that epidurals have a place in child birth, but i also think they are sometimes over-used. JMO. There is a book i really want to read called gentle birth gentle mothering by sarah J Buckley. I saw her give a presentation at our branch ABA conference last year and thought she was wonderful. A lot of what she said made a lot of sense to me.

I had an epidural with no 1 and it was the best thing I could've done. I had 5 hours before which was hell, then 7 hours pain free, then half hour of pushing when they turned it off. No side effects whatsoever. I did hear after that it can cause the baby not to sleep after birth and DD1 was SUCH a bad sleeper for 8 months that for no.2 I was determined not to have an epidural.....
No2, the labour was SO short (1 hour 54) so no time for epidural. I didn't want one, but I will be honest and say, if it had gone on ANY longer, I would've been getting one. AND my theory on better sleeping baby....no 2 was WORSE!! So that one is out the window!
So only good experiences here. xoxox

I was keen not to have one with DD as I wanted to remain as active as possible during the birth - I had an open mind and had decided I would have one if I needed it, but wanted to try my best and avoid it if possible.

Unfortunately, DD was induced and although I was having what I thought were painful contractions, I was not dilating much and was having all this pain for no result. After one lot of gel at midnight the night before, then another lot at 7 that morning, then having my waters broken manually at 11 (ouch!) and the drip put in at the same time, by 4pm I was only 4cm. So I decided to have the epidural in the hope that it would kick-start things. I went from swearing to watching the cricket in the space of 15 mins!!!

In the end DD was born by vacuum at 9:07pm. Her birth was difficult, but not because of the epidural - her shoulders got stuck. I had no problems with the site of the injection, or back issues later - the anethetist was very good and I only have positive things to say about it!

As I had to be induced I thought the epidural was heaven sent!!:p

I did have to have a higher dosage which left me needing assistance with moving myself from the hips down but being someone with a low threshold for pain, didn't worry me at all! Plus it was lovely to get some rest!
It was only an error of judgement by the midwife that made DD's delivery difficult as she topped me up before examining me and then discovered that my waters had broken (DD was born 1&1/2 hrs later). So I couldn't feel a thing when it was time to push but I believe that if she had checked me first she would've left the top up.

It did take hours for me to be able to be mobile on my own though (at least 8hrs!) so that and a few little shakes as it started to wear off were my only beefs with the epi. But my beefs aren't anywhere near big enough to worry me as I have already asked for an epi on stand by for labour #2 :)

Good luck with your decision lovely!

thanks all for your replys. A dumb ar$e questions - whats the difference between a spinal block and an epidural?
How long does it take to get your feelings in your legs back?

My epidurals were both pretty good as far as pain relief went.
The first one I had about 12 hours into labour - I had been on the drip and couldn't cope any more and knew I was still a long way off giving birth (it turned out I was still 6 hours away and no way I could have stayed on the drip another six hours without it). Actually I dilated fairly quickly after I had it, I think because my body finally relaxed. It took me 12 hours to get to 6cm before the epi and only about 3 hours to get to 10cm after it. So that was good.
I also had one with my son (another drip induced labour) but it wasn't long after I had it that I ended up with a c/section. It did work well though and no pain once it was in.
I've had no side effects after either of them and never noticed anything with either of my babies either.
Had I not had the drip I would really have liked to have laboured without an epidural, but I just couldn't - it was too painful and too long (I don't want my post to come off that I am a huge fan of epis because I'm not really, but I needed it at the time.)
All the best for your birth! :)

I had an epidural for my first, which was an unplanned c/sec. I hated it...I did not like the feeling of being cold, shaky, and unable to move for hours. Everything went very smoothly and I had no problems during or after. But because I disliked it, when I had my next c/sec (4th baby), I requested a GA. I had to consult with an anaesthetist first. He told me that some women are like me and can't bear the feeling of an epidural--it doesn't matter whether it's the stronger one you have for a c/sec or the lighter "walking" sort. There is really no way to tell in advance how you'll feel!

The other labours were VBACs. I did not have any pain relief at all & found I was able to manage well throughout both. Neither one was an easy labour. My 2nd DS delivered face up and my 3rd had an elbow by his forehead throughout nearly all of labour (once he pulled it away, he was soon born!). I felt well supported for all my births, c/sec and vaginal.

I wouldn't have one unless there was some reason that it would be detrimental to me or the baby if I didn't, or if I was in full labour for over 24 hours.

I had a drug free birth with both of my kids, and the big reason I wouldn't have an epi is because the complications I had in my son's birth would have been way worse if I'd had an epidural. A few doctors I saw afterward said, lucky you didn't have an epi, he would have been in much more danger than what he was.

That is my reason, and it's the right decision for me, not saying anyone else should feel that way. Also it's easy for me to say because I've gone through both an induction and posterior labours without drugs or gas and the pain was as bad as it gets and I know I could do it then. If it was my first now, with all the things now I reckon I would be scared and probably quite open to the idea. I'd also be open to lots of things including caesar because there is a completely different culture now to when I last had babies and there is a lot of scare tactics. I feel sorry for some women having their first now for that reason.

I'ts really normal for you to be feeling scared and apprehensive as you are in third tri, I've been feeling this myself. Last night I had 2 hours of regular strong Bh contrax that were actually painful, and boy it started taking me back to those memories I'd long forgotten about the pain LOL.

One thing I can say though, is the pain is never as bad as you'd expect it to be. I'd had various nurses and medical people later on shocked I got through quite a lengthy induced posterior labour with no drugs (I'd only just turned 19), because you read things on how painful it is and how horrible, and I guess it was pretty painful, but I'd had nothing to compare it to, like a normal labour with pains in the front not the back.

I think going into labour with an open mind (note to self LOL) is the best way to go, rather than having set ideas on that you will have an epi or that you won't, and take it as it comes.

I had a very long labour with DS 1 and after about 11 hours of active labour I felt the need to push but was only 4cm, so I had an epidural.

For Me it was the worst thing I could have done. It slowed my labour down and I was then required to have the drip, and I was limited to being on the bed. When it cam time to push I was exhausted and was unable to push him out, so I had a high forcep delivery, but as in a minute amount of cases, the epidural was not effective in my groin area and I felt every inch of that forcep delivery and stitching up even though I had just had a top up.

For my 2nd I was induced and did the entire labour with just gas and was able to push him out and overall have a much nicer experience.

With this one I am actually tempted to write in my birth plan that I am to have a general if I need an emergency C/S for any reason cause I fear that an epi wouldn't work again.

Goodluck with what you decide!