To ask why you didn't have an epidural?

[sachabloom]

Currently 17 weeks and up until today has made the decision I wasn't getting an epidural, until someone asked me why I wasn't and to be honest I was a bit stumped! I guess my main reason is the fear of a bad back after... but I don't even know if that's a myth or truth?!

I haven't had a pain relief discussion with my midwife and as this is my first child, I'll be honest I'm quite in the dark.

Just curious really to hear of people's experiences as most people I've spoke to say no to epidural but I've never really asked why.

FWIW, absolutely no judgements from me, I think we're all fabulous however we do it.

I had a bad experience with an epidural with my first birth. It only partially worked so I was left immobile but still in pain - the worst of both worlds.
Prior to being hooked up to the syntocin drip I was in control of the pain and active. I ended up in theatre with a spinal block and ventouse delivery.

Second time around I had a wonderful water birth with no pain relief. A much more positive experience.

Every birth is different. Go with an open mind but arm yourself with knowledge of pros and cons. (As you are obviously doing) All the best.

Because I hate needles went through my first labour with no pain relief then the placenta got stuck so had to get a spinal 😩

I think it's great to have a plan and to make your preferences known

It's also good to know that things can change, you don't know how you'll cope etc and try and just keep an open mind

I did ante natal yoga and thought I could breathe the baby out. I started having contractions 3 / 4 min apart...and stayed like that for days. I couldn't cope not with the pain itself but the duration of the pain (think like a bad cramp...not life altering pain but feels like you can't cope when it's happening and now imagine that just doesn't stop for days...)

There are pros and cons of epidural. Con's are you can't eat so lose energy, there is higher risk of interventions such as forceps and therefore higher risk of c section, higher risk of tearing, very very small risk of back pain after and paralysis, small risk of awful headache.

Pro is it relieves pain! And can make the whole experience much more pleasant. I had one after 3 days of constant pain and fell fast asleep and managed to get some rest and have enough energy again for the pushing stage. I could actually still feel cotations and some pain, I wasn't numb.

Sorry I know this isn't what you asked but think it's easier to make a decision if you have all the facts

I wanted to be able to walk about. I felt it would make me feel trapped.

Because I didn't need one. I found the pain manageable and had short labours. I was reluctant before labour too, but not totally closed off.

My labour was so fast that there wouldn’t have been time even if I had wanted one.

It wasn’t painful enough to ask for one. Not that I’m superwoman, it just didn’t cross my mind to ask at the time

I had one with my first baby and I felt it inhibited the labour - I didn’t really have any instinct to push, I just did it when they told me to. I did end up with a ventouse delivery.

With my second child I had a water birth with gas and air and the pain was very manageable.

No time and it never crossed my mind.

I knew I didn't want one as I was in MLU but to be honest ds came so quick I didn't have any pain relief. Not sure whether I didn't ask or they didn't offer are appropriate answers.

You don't need to decide in advance.
Just go in with an open mind.
I didn't like the thought of it, I'm not good with needles and I was concerned about the potential for back pain and headaches afterwards. It does increase the likelihood of intervention too. But I didn't rule it out, if I felt I needed one to cope I was prepared to risk it.
In the end I was coping fine without so I didn't have one. I listened to a hynobirthing CD every night for a couple of months before, I managed to get the pool (both times) which was fantastic and had the gas and air which really worked for me and luckily my labours were fairly quick.
Just approach things with your mind open and see how you feel when you are there.

Didn't have time to 😂 got to the hospital 9cm dilated after they thought I'd maybe be 2cm... gas and air though was magical. I remember nothing of the birth which was what I always wanted.

I also didn't like the idea of the needle. I'm not a fan of needles but I did say to the MW that it would depend on the day how I felt and if I couldn't cope with the pain. Turns out I could cope... with gas and air.

Had a spinal after the birth so I could get stitches though. Gas and air didn't help me then...

My attitude to pain relief (and intervention in general) in childbirth is that it's a bit like adding shit to food - it's easier to add more than it is to undo adding toouch. So started out with nothing and added what I needed until it felt right. In my case, that meant that I didn't use any pain relief at all for DC1 because it really didn't hurt enough to need any - the pain want bad enough to purify the possibility of nausea when I was offered gas and air. With DC2, it hurt a lot more, but going into a birth pool was enough. Labours vary so much that it probably makes more sense to think along the lines of "if it feels like X then I will see if Y helps' rather than "I want Y and only Y".

I didn’t have a “plan”. I had some musings.

Lots of reasons:

didn't want drugs
didn't want numb legs
didn't want an increased risk of c-section
preferred an active labour
wanted to use a birthing pool
a bit squeamish about someone puncturing my spinal chord

but I think the reasons for choosing one are also valid.

First birth I had one... definitely slows things down but I was exhausted and in a lot of work pain so served its purpose. Second birth I didn't have one and didn't want one but saying that had things taken as long as the first I may have changed my mind! I would just go with the flow... see how u feel on the day!

This is going to sound weird, but I wanted to "feel" my baby come out. Also, there is something intoxicating about the moment when the pain stops after the last push an dyiu get handed your baby. Magical.

In the end, all my three labours were too fast to consider even gas and air so an epidural was never an option anyway.

For me it was that I was denied it, I never really found out why. I went into it hoping to manage without as I didn't want to increase the risk of an instrumental delivery but gave in after a while! They said no and I ended up with ventouse anyway 🤦‍♀️

Why would you need an answer? What a strange question to ask. I don't think anyone actually wants one!

I wanted one but there wasn’t anyone available to give it me, up until I needed forceps then I got one. Each to their own but I think they are fantastic, the pain was instantly better and the needle didn’t hurt me. It’s not the end of the world if you do need an instrumental delivery, for me my recovery was very quick. Whatever happens will happen, just do whatever you need at the time, good luck!

No epidural with first baby who was an induction with pessaries and syntocin, managed with some oramoph and gas and air. I didn’t really want anything that would increase the risk of intervention and the midwife at our parenting classes had been pretty negative about them. I did ask during labour for more pain relief and even asked for an epidural at one point but I was already 9cm dilated so no time to have one by that point. Managed to deliver naturally. Second time round ended up having an unplanned c section with a spinal anaesthetic of course.

I wanted one, planned to have one. Dc had other ideas and arrived too fast. Birth plans are a nice idea but that is all they are.

I didn’t want to effectively be paralysed and stuck to a bed for 24 hours.

I didn’t want to increase the risk of instruments and tears.

I hated the idea of a needle in my spine.

As it happened, I got a third degree tear anyway so couldn’t really do very much. I was in hospital five days. Next time I’d just take the sodding epidural!

I didn't intend to have one with my first baby, but in the end it went on so long that I decided I needed it. Unfortunately it meant that I couldn't feel to push & I ended up with a forceps delivery. Surprise, surprise.

With DC two & three I simply didn't need an epidural. Labour was much quicker & I coped with the pain better. I couldn't have had one with DC3 anyway as he was born at home.

I planned to have one with all 3 of mine but the first 2 ended up being quick labours so didn’t get a chance to. With dc3 I ended up having an emcs and totally and utterly hated sitting there in that moment waiting for it so if we ever had any more children that has completely made my mind up for me to try without again

I didn't have one, didn't need one. I also wanted to be in control as far as possible and assuming nothing went wrong.

See how you go when you are in labour, not all labours last a long time or are terribly painful and you may be one of the lucky ones. As I understand it, an epidural cannot be given when labour is well underway so you all have to make your minds up earlier on - but not in advance.