Calling all mums who had long labour and epidural.....

[juniperdewdrop]

how was your baby afterwards? I've just had a friend round and we were discussing bf etc.. and then onto labour. She said her first born (she's mum of 4) was really difficult and cried all the time. It was her only long labour with epidural.
My first child (have 2 ds) was also v long labour with epidural and he was the the same, extrememly hard work. Could this just be first labours though/nothing to do with the labour or is there a link?

[littlemissbossy]

Well I had a long labour and epidural, started Sunday and didn't deliver until Tuesday!! But ds showed no effects TBH, he was a colicky baby but didn't cry all the time IYSWIM

[juniperdewdrop]

cheers LMB. Ours were collicky too, glad your ds wasn't though

[Pidge]

Ditto littlemissbossy - labour started early hours Sunday morning, dd arrived Tuesday evening. I had an epidural on the Tuesday morning. My dd was incredibly sleepy for the first few days and not interested in feeding, and I've often wondered if that was due to the long, long labour. Can't be much fun being a baby in the womb with contractions hitting you every 5-10 minutes for three days!

She wasn't grumpy though - well, not until she perked up at about 3 weeks and started hollering every evening!!

[KateandtheGirls]

First one: Induced, epidural, forceps, 36 weeks, 3 days in Intensive Care, but a fantastically easy baby.

Second one: Spontaneous labour, quick, epidural, perfectly healthy. Not colicky, but more diffcult and could only be calmed by nursing.

[SuzySox]

I had 16 hour labour and epidural, failed vontouse then eventually forceps. dd has always been very laid back and placid child tbh

[maomao]

I had a 38-hour labour, with an epidural at 31 hours. My dd, although challenging at times, seems to be a fairly happy and easy-going. She settled well early on, which I'd attributed to her large size (10 lbs).

[hoxtonchick]

same as suzysox, though my labour was 25 hours. hello maomao

[hoxtonchick]

and a ds, not dd!

[CarrieG]

Labour started first thing Saturday, delivery (epidural & ventouse) Sunday afternoon...ds is a remarkably placid chap!

[littlevixen]

I had a 25 hour labour with an epidural and forceps delivery. DD was really laid back after birth and perked up about a week later, but never a gurny baby. She's 3 now and still laid back!

[Hayls]

I had a 22 hour labour resulting in ventouse and epidural. My dd was terribly colic and unsettled but immediately after some cranial osteopathy she wa a different baby. I've heard similar stories and experiences

[jampots]

My waters broke with dd 9 days before she eventually came out and I had a 62 hour labour with epidural in 55th hour and em c/s. However she was a brilliant baby - really happy and truly was an utter joy from the word go, rarely cried (although did suffer with colic which obviously brought out a crying fit), and slept through as a one off on day 11, followed by 12 hours a night from 6 weeks. And I was told by loads of people that c/s babies are cranky

[juniperdewdrop]

cheers all, glad it was just us then and no connection by the sounds of it

Hayls, I'm also a fan of cranial osteopathy and was ready for it with DS2 but he was ok as a baby, needed it later though.

[babybob1]

i had a 32 hour labour with epidual and my dd is fine does not cry much and is very settled

[Gwenick]

Didn't have a long labour - but with DS2 I had the maximum number of epidural 'top-ups' that were allowed (it didn't work for me) and although DS was rather lethargic when he was born this was down to the ventouse (oops think I said he was forceps else where - I WAS there honest!) delivery and having his head press against my cervix for so long (had 2 bumps on his head poor little might) and he was also slightly jaundiced. We did struggle with BF - but I think that was more down to him than the labour/epidural. He's been a fantastic little baby - very easy.

DS1 was born by CS - no labour (not an 'elective CS' as such but very long story) where I had a spinal block - he was bf for 14 months and had no problems at all - apart from the fact he was the screaming baby from hell LOL

[coppertop]

Ds1 was born after 40 hours of labour and I had an epidural. Ds1 was the non-sleeping baby from hell for the first few months. After that he was a very placid baby. This was due to his autism though rather than the long labour or epidural.

[blueteddy]

Ds1 - 12 hr labour & epidural = Nightmare for the first 3 months, coliky etc, but very laid back from then on & still is at 5!
Ds2 - 5 hour labour with epidural (which didn't work well!) = Very easy baby but a nightmare, into everything toddler!
No forceps with either!

[MistressMary]

Medium labour, back to back, gas and air only,augmented with syntocin, episiotomy,failed ventouse x3,forceps and no epidurial offered.
First labour and needing to talk about it.

[MistressMary]

Slept through all the first week though Aand raised head.

[4kids]

10 hr labour with ds had epidural so glad cos he was two & half weeks early & weighed 8 1/2 lbs

[handlemecarefully]

I had a buggering awful very long dreadful first labour (won't bore you with the details). Anyway, dd was fine - a fairly contented baby. No issues.

[juniperdewdrop]

thanks again for the input it's put my mind at rest tbh as most of you have contented babies.

Have you found anyone to talk to MistressMary? How are you feeling hun?

[MistressMary]

Hello, I read these replies and the amount of people who had epidurials and wish that I was offered one to be honest.
The whole thing has me in tears when I talk about it and am getting my notes back and hopefully a chat with HV and midwives may help to clarify things for me.
The whole day was surreal and I really hadn't come to terms with the events that happened.
Having said that DS is here and was bought into the world safely and all equipment to hand.
So in that respect was lucky.
Don't know whether I am making a mountain of a mole hill really, but I feel I need to sort it out and talk it through if it does any good will have to see? Thanks for asking Juniperdewdrop.

[juniperdewdrop]

Mistress, how old is your baby? Don't think for a minute that you're making a mountain out of a molehill hun. I know from friends that a bad childbirth experience can be more traumatic than a car crash. If it were me I'd post asking if anyone else had a traumatic birth and then you'll realise you're not alone. My first wasn't a picnic by any means but compared to my best mate's it was a walk in the park. She ended up with severe PND (sorry there's a name for it and I can't remember?) I wish she was on MN as she'd be great to talk to. If you want to though, CAT me and I'll put you in touch with her ((((hugs))))