Who had an epidural and could you have gone on without it?

[JeuxDEnfants]

On the back of news that epodurals are being rationed... I was in last star labour for 4 hours when contractions stalled and I needed oxytocin. Without an epidural... I think I would have experienced torture. I had to beg for one. What do you think? Aibu?

[JeuxDEnfants]

Forgot to mention, I had kiwi/forceps and a great big cut with scissors...

[AmIthatbad]

My epidural with DD made me cry with gratitude. Beforehand, it was so painful I wanted to die

[JeuxDEnfants]

That should say... Epidural and last stage (10cm) labour for 4 hours... He was stuck in birh canal and low on oxygen...

[JeuxDEnfants]

Just wanted to say, if you feel you need an epidural...fight for it :)

[Beamur]

I hadn't planned on having one but was deeply grateful and relieved to be out of pain when the medical staff suggested I have one.

[nicki1978]

I had one n no i cudn't have gone through without. I am an absolute wuss when it comes to pain, lol. When i was on drip being induced not long after contractions kicked in i was breathing gas and air, then was desperate for epidural.

Although, i ended up having an emergency c section (as it turned out DS was trying to come down neck first) xx

[JoshLyman]

I begged for one the minute I got over the delivery room threshold and was told it was 'too soon'. Twenty minutes later I started to push and was told it was 'too late'. I've never quite figured that one out.

It's tricky because I think the pain of childbirth comes as a shock and a lot of people's immediate reaction is to ask for an epidural. It's almost a panicked reaction. But probably, MOST (not all) women could manage without one, they just think they can't and the midwives know this.

[TheSitChewAceChien]

I didn't have one in labour. Was adamant (too scared) despite feeling that death was preferable to the pain I was in.

Then I had to have one afterwards to fix my 3rd degree tear anyway!

I so wish I'd have had one.

[maxcliffordslovechild]

I chose to have one, wasn't in a lot of pain, could have managed without it. It slowed my labour so much that I managed to have a little sleep and was woken by the midwife to tell me to push. if there ever is a next time I think I'll try to go without I feel like I cheated, does that make sense?

[cantspel]

I had an epidural with my first and nothing with my second.

I think i choose to have the epidural only because i had listened to too many horror stories from others and everyone was telling me i would want one.

My non epidural labour was much better than the epidural one. It was quicker, i had more movement and i felt fine to leave hospital 6 hours later even after my tear reopening and a bit of a botch job of stiching.

[gordyslovesheep]

2 out of 3 times and I needed them - looong back to back labours - complicated deliveries (including a section) I managed to get some sleep in the middle which I needed

[lubeybooby]

I had one. I had started off managing the pain and breathing really well, but the bumpy journey to hospital took it all way out of control, and gas and air did nothing except make me vomit.

It was a further 8 hours til I was fully dilated so I think it would have been really traumatic to go on without it, and I didn't want any of the other drugs because they affect the baby.

[JeuxDEnfants]

I would have managed if my contractions hadn't slowed and I hadn't needed oxytocin and if the midwife had given me the correct Dosage so I wasn't in pain for another extra hour being told not to push when I did have the contractions... Sometimes you need an epidural to counter the crap midwifes... To be fair she was an agency one and admitted she had no idea how to swaddled a newborn... I lucked out on that front...she couldn't even use the equipment. At one point the print out wasn't showing baby heartbeat and she didn't notce until another midwife pointed it out :(

[PuppyMonkey]

Had one the first time, begged for one the second but got fobbed off with a story about the only anaesthetist on dutybeing busy with a caesarean. This is the main hospital in a big city. May have been true. Had a feeling it wasn't. Birth was ok in the end anyway, that's the main thing.

[cluelessnchaos]

I had one with dd1 and regretted it, it didn't work, slowed my contractions, lowered her heart rate, left me in pain and out of control, dural tap so i had rocketing sore head fir days and had to lie flat on my back for 4 days when procedure was done. Couldnt lift my baby or go to the loo alone.

Had dd2,ds1 and ds2 with gas and air and being upright/mobile. Wouldn't advise someone else what to do but I would never have one again.

[3monkeys3]

I had one as soon as I got into established labour - ds was back to back and I'd been in early labour (which was very painful due to his position) for 3 days with no sleep. I fell asleep within minutes of it being administered, it was so desperately needed, I think I'd have been too exhausted to manage the rest of it without it. I had a section for fetal distress in the end.

[alcazar]

I begged for and epidural after being strapped to the bed on a synto drip and monitors after being induced. They fobbed me off for 5 hours then said the anesthetist was in theatre. It was torture, I wanted to walk around and keep mobile but couldnt anyway, they might as well have let me have the flipping epidural. To be refused pain relief when I was in agony was traumatic for me, the gas and air made me vomit and there was no other offer. Second birth, no induction and it was bearable even though I had a long latent stage.
In my first labour I coped yes, in that I didnt die but I honestly felt like I was being stabbed when my dd1 was born, I cant compare the labours at all. I think they just though I had a low pain threshold but as shown my dd2's birth I do not. I know my own body and I know how much pain I was in. Two paracetamol? I nearly ripped her head off! Only in childbirth are women forced to labour in agony, you dont get a medal for a drug free birth. £200 for and epidural is a drop in the ocean for the nhs.

[steben]

I did 11 hours into a 28 hour marathon which ended up in a EMCS and I def could not have gone on without it.

[JeuxDEnfants]

I think it completely depends on the situation. It does make pushing less effective and increase chances of episotomy...

[SarahJinx]

I did, after 24 hours. I had a further 12 to go. There was no way on earth I could have coped. I think I lost my mind a bit. Turned out ds was back to back, episiotomy and forceps to haul him out anyway.

[BonnieBumble]

I couldn't have managed without it. I didn't have to beg for it it was the midwife who recommended it. The Anaesthetist arrived to administer it before I had even arrived in the birthing suite!

[NotYouNaanBread]

First time around, I would have had a completely shit time with the 33 hr labour, but 2nd time it was all over in a couple of hours & there was no time for it. Couldn't have had it anyway as the anaesthesiologist (sp?) was at a heart surgery & there was only one kicking around at 6am on a Sunday morning.

[Pandemoniaa]

I had one with ds1 and while it was fairly blissful at the time, I refused an epidural when in labour with ds2 and didn't miss it. He was born with nothing more than a whiff of gas and air. But then I was much more confident and had used pain control techniques which started by refusing to lie flat on a bed!

I especially didn't miss being what I considered to be out of control of my labour and also the aftermath - I still remember being given a nice slippery newborn baby, a tray of tea and instructions to "lie absolutely flat".

Unfortunately, the only reason I needed one first time around was the whacking great dose of pethidine which I was somewhat press-ganged into having and which, had I not thought the staff must know better than me, I would never have accepted. Result was that my labour slowed down drastically so I then ended up with oxytocin and then needed the epidural.

[DigestivesWithPhiladelphia]

I was initially refused pain relief, even gas and air, when I asked for it. The midwife said it was "too early" and I was only allowed paracetamol or a bath.

Exactly 15 minutes later, I could hear a doctor saying "we need to get an epidural organised, I can't get near her". This conversation took place over my head as I was lying curled up in a ball and I was in so much pain, I couldn't have told you what my own name was, never mind had a conversation about pain relief. I had been given gas and air by that time, after I'd kicked away the Dr when she tried to do an internal examination

If they'd rationed the epidurals then I think I would have just done the whole of my 48 hr labour curled up in that ball - but there's not a chance in hell that anyone would have been able to examine or get any sense out me. When u finally had the epidural - four hours later - I was so so grateful to the anaesthetist and I remember thinking that I would just like to marry him. He was also gorgeous

[JeuxDEnfants]

Agree, if I had had any fight left in me, if the midwife believed I was ready to push when I was... I could have done it without. Will try next time but would like to think that if I feel I need one... I will get one...