epidural

[biglips]

as at my first labour contractions i was in agony as i cant stand pain so was given epidural in the end after having gas & air.

When i have labour pains again with my 2nd baby (in the future), can i ask for epidural earlier to get rid the of contraction pains? if so how early?

[Jodiesmum]

I always thought a couple of days before you go into labour would be ideal

[biglips]

i had an induction though

[WigWamBam]

Just ask for the epidural as soon as you go onto the labour ward.

[biglips]

and i wont be as much in pain? as i believe the induction can bring onthe contractions worse

[WigWamBam]

Induction brings the contractions on quicker than a natural labour, so they feel more painful to start with - you don't get the build-up that you have with a natural labour.

Usually if you're induced and on the ward, you can't have pain-relief other than paracetamol, but as soon as you move onto the labour ward, ask for the epidural. It might take a little time before you get it, but if you know you want one then ask for it as soon as you can.

My midwife on the maternity ward told me to ask for an epidural the minute I got down there - I didn't, but I wish I had done now! There's no point in putting up with pain that you know you don't want to put up with.

[coppertop]

First time around I had G&A and pethidine before being offered an epidural. Second time around I just asked for an epidural and I got it. I had an induction both times.

The only problem I had was that the ward was very busy and understaffed. There was only one MW looking after 4 women who were all at various stages of induction. This meant that I had to wait for a delivery room to be free before I could go and have an epidural. The good news was that I was given an epidural within minutes of getting to the delivery room. Bliss!

[biglips]

thanks WWB as i know for next time

[biglips]

could they say no to me or it up to me to ask for epidural at any time?

[WigWamBam]

As far as I know they can't say no if you ask for one - it's up to you to ask for it though.

Do be aware that it can take a little while before you get it though (I don't want to alarm you but it was 4 hours after I asked for it that I got mine because they were busy) so the sooner you ask for it, the better.

[biglips]

ok thanks everyone

[kid]

I thought they wouldn't give an epidural until you are in established labour (3cms dilated) but I guess if were being induced it wouldn't matter as they know the contractions won't stop.

I had an epidural when I had DD. I was induced and had been having contractions for 15 hours before I asked for the epidural. I wasn't going to have one as I am terrified of needles but by that time I didn't care! It took about 40 minutes from when I asked for the epidural for it to work.

[gigglinggoblin]

i had a water birth last time and it was amazing. not as good as an epidural for pain relief but i found it much better than gas and air. so if you are waiting a while for the epidural or to go down to the delivery suite you could ask for a bath to make the pain more bearable (you can have gas and air at the same time)

[JoolsToo]

it was donkeys years ago but for baby 2 & 3 I had it in my notes - 'epidural as soon as she sets foot in the hospital'

seriously though I had them straight away

[Noggermum]

Hi Biglips, I had similar experience with DD1 - was in agony after being induced and was begging for an epidural which finally was inserted at 7cms - magic. I was dreading giving birth again and my birth plan consisted off "epidural at 1cm please!"

In the end, my experience was very different second time around. I wasn't induced for starters and natural labour was nowhere near as bad. At one stage, I wasn't progressing and had to have a syntocinon drip to speed things up and the MW recommended an epidural as she said once the drip was in place, it would be like rocket fuel and the pain would hit me like a ton of bricks. I gladly accepted the offer of an epidural, as i assumed that I would have one at some stage anyway, BUT, because i wasn't really in much pain when they sited it, I couldn't tell them whether it was working, as there was no pain to mask. it was very odd, the MW asking me whether the pain had gone, when there wasn't exactly a lot of pain to start with, and to be truthful it felt a bit pointless really - the epidural didn;t offer me relief as I didn't need any relief at that stage!

It didn't work, as it happens, and i could feel all the contractions as they came thick and fast from the drip. They were about the re-site when I hit 10cms (after only about 20 mins) so there was no point, so in the end i effectively gave birth with no pain relief - and it was OK, it hurt of course but not unbearably and I actually felt in control the whole way through really enjoyed the whole experience. if i go on to have number three, i may even try at home with no option of the epidural.

I guess this is a long winded way of saying having an early epidural may be a good option for you, or it may not, you might not in fact need one at all as all labours really are different and the best birth plan is no birth plan!

Good luck!