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 asked for one in my first labour with a syntocin drip but I didn't get it in the end. Just the way things worked out. And actually it was fine. The other two labours I knew I could do it on gas and air. Also, by that time I'd read about the risks of an operative delivery so I wouldn't have wanted one anyway.

I chose no pain relief because I'm a control freak, I didn't want any needles near my back nor anything that would compromise my ability to think - during the birth of my first dd they did persuade me that pethedine would help - it didn't made things worse, so for dd2 had nothing and it was fine, rocking on a ball was all I needed.

i didn’t feel like i needed one at any point. but also, i wanted to avoid because you’re more likely to beer instrumental delivery although i ended up with ventouse anyway!

Truthfully, a part of me wanted to birth as naturally as possible.
But mainly because I has been given a pessary for induction and I didn’t want to be on a drip -so I needed things to go fast and epidurals can slow things down.
I was also terrified of an instrumental delivery and didn’t want to increase my chances. I did take some petjedime though. I was struggling a lot and a little injection in the thigh seemed easier than an epidural and o thought the baby would be ok with it.

I did say for the 6monyhs after that I would definitely take an epidural next time (hopefully there will be one) and spare myself that needless pain.
But my memory of the pain is fading and I can see myself trying to get through it without an epidural next time too.

I have had 2 natural gas and air births.

I agreed to an epidural with ds2 and it was a hideous delivery. Ventouse, forceps, Matt long recovery.

I had to have another with ds4 as it was an emergency cs and I was so worried about the epidural.

Don’t decide now, play it by ear whilst in labour.

I wasn't allowed one (I had an infection/sepsis).
I had one previously and was glad I did as ended up with an EMCS and it saved time.

I didn’t want a needle going anywhere near my spine. My sister was flat on her back for 2 weeks after her epidural as they punctured something and the blood patch didn’t work, it nearly wrecked breastfeeding for her and my nephew. Not to mention the fear that it would never get better.

Plus I managed with just gas and air anyway.

I had one with dc1 after 16hours on the induced drip and hardly any dilation. I should have had it sooner so the midwife could just crank the drip meds to max. It is horrendously painful and an unnatural birth anyway so epidural was bliss. Recovery time is a day or so longer.
Dc2 was born too quickly (5hr labour) for any pain relief and progressed naturally. Was infinitely less painful.
I would not rule out having any treatment and assess as labour occurs.
Gather all the evidence yourself so you know what to ask for and when.
Epidural useful if intervention is needed.
I also fully breastfed both my dc and epidural use doesn't appear to have affected ds1 any differently to Ds2.

I had migraines for the first 3 months of pregnancy so I was scared of the epidural headache you can get and also in case it went wrong so I didn't know want it at all.

But I had an emergency c sect so I did and it was fine :)

Didn't fancy a needle in my back.

I had a lumbar puncture as a child and I’ve been phobic since.
I would also be worried about the risk of instrumental delivery.

Because everyone around me was telling me I was fine.

I WISH I had told them to sod off and let me decide.

Only had gas and air and a very long painful labour.

I also wanted a calm drug free water hypno birth and I had and induction and emergency c sect 😂

I dont want my fanjo cut open nor to lose the ability to control when I shit because a scissor happy midwife wants the birth to go quicker

Didn't get to hospital on time dd was born in the ambulance

Sounded worse than childbirth.

My friend had 4 babies.
3 with hardly any pain relief and the 4th with an epidural and now wonders why she didn't do the Epidural all along!

I wanted to avoid an instrumental delivery and an epidural increases the risk.

I was pretty sure I wanted to be mobile and move - as it transpired, I just wanted to stand or pace, before I got in the pool, so absolutely right for me.

I didn’t think I’d like the loss of sensation with an epidural. I thought it would make me feel less in control.

I was pretty sure I wanted a water birth and an epidural would rule that out.

Actually, as much as my preference was to avoid an epidural, I was open to having one if, once I was in the throes of labour, I was struggling to cope. When it came to it, I was able to manage the pain fine with gas and air in the pool. As it turned out, I wasn’t in the pool very long - the end of my labour all happened very quickly - and I wouldn’t have had time for an epidural even if I’d been screaming for one.

Two DCs, induced with both and went into labour very quickly. I had waves of contractions with no break between, there was no time for an epidural. Reflecting on the births, one advantage of an epidural (apart from pain relief!) is that I imagine it calms everything down and you get to actually experience the birth iykwim? With both of mine it was all very quick and frantic and I felt totally out of control.

I hadn’t planned to have one. I’m really needle phobic to the point I fainted every time they took blood with Ds1 . By baby no 2 I’d got over it a bit!!

I ended up with one with every single birth.

Ds1 I got to 3cm and stopped so they broke my waters and after that I vomited with every contraction, to the point there was nothing left and my eyes were streaming and covered in blood vessels, I was completely out of it. MW just said it was likely to be a long time yet and you can’t go on like this. (Completely sensible advice!) It was fine, rather civilised in fact, afterwards we sat there doing the times crossword!

DS2 I was seriously ill when I went into labour with him, they found out later I already had sepsis at that point. I ended up with sweep, waters broken and then drip so had the epidural. I was given a mobile one and it was great. I was very ill and I just couldn’t cope with more stress and strain and was already pretty restricted with IV antibiotics and (I think) paracetamol.

Ds3 I was induced by drip again due to reduced movement and they weren’t happy with his heart rate. Tried sweep, pessary, breaking waters followed by drip. We decided to get the epidural pre drip. By that point I knew I wasn’t getting the MLU birthing pool birth I wanted, and I just wanted to get him out safely and quickly. I was worried that if the induced contractions were 0-60 immediately and overwhelming it was easier to have the epidural in first. He got stuck and was nearly a crash section. They didn’t do an instrumental delivery.

With each one I’d said I’d rather go without, particularly for my first. But certainly by two and three I knew it wasn’t the end of the world and just to roll with it.

I had a friend who had really taken hypobirthing etc to heart and really struggled that she had ‘been weak’ and asked for an epidural. She felt she had failed- all complete bollocks of course but certainly something to bear in mind. Try not to get to het up with setting expectations for yourself.

I didn't want one.
I ended up having it done. And it helped so much. I pushed DD out in less than an hour, no interventions needed.

My hospital didn't do them. I didn't need it anyway. The pain was fierce but manageable. I'd had an emergency section with my first and I think it had an impact on breastfeeding.

Idea of needle in my back was too freaky.
Didn't want to be immobilised, extra interventions.
Read a horror story or 2 about them failing but C-section proceeding anyway.

Epidurals sound like wonderful bliss when nothing goes wrong.

The first time I did bit almost missed my chance as there was no aneithsitist available for hours to give me one. Got it just as I could feel ds1 head about to come out. Second time I didn't have time as the hospital though I was over reacting when I phone them and begrudgingly told me I better come in then, i was 9cms when I walked through the doors so basically hopped on a bed and pushed him out.

The pain of child birth will end (at some point) but the epidural could leave you with complications for the rest of your life