Do you always labour on your back with an Epidural?

[CageBird]

DC 3 due today and I'm still wondering about an epidural. Mainly due to being so knackered all the time looking after a 3 & 4 yr old all day and being 9 months pg.

I had difficult but active births with the first 2, which were hugely draining. Am considering the benefits of being able to rest a bit with an Epidural, and build up some strength for pushing, which was 3 hours with both.

My hospital does not do mobile epidurals but do dial it back so you can feel to push, My question to all you ladies who've had them is: did you all labour on your backs, and did you all give birth on your backs?

Yes and Yes.

Down to me forgetting that I didn't have to have the CTG monitor strapped on if I didn't want to, and needing catheterising because of not knowing if I needed to wee.

Although without being able to feel my legs, I'm not sure where else I was planning on going anyway, we did attempt to get me hanging on the back of the bed, but that was for about 30 seconds once the thing had worn off.

Actually, I was in a sitting position, not lying down, but all much of a muchness really.

Were you still happy to have had an Epidural, Fliss?

Yes and yes for me too

yes and yes for me too, was very restful and i got some sleep!

Only because I was induced and not much was happening Cagebird - I hadn't really wanted one until the MW told me it was going to be hours still before DD was born...as it was it was another 12 hours and forceps and theatre for MROP and stitching!

I was mainly on my left hand side, and even started pushing in that position, with poor DH having to hold my leg up. But I was on my back, sitting up, side - switched around a bit actually. Ended up pushing from a slightly reclined sitting position.

In my hospital (Edinburgh Royal Infirmary) they offer mobile epidurals where you are numb from your tummy to the tops of your thighs, and you can move around as much as you like. You can go to the loo and you don't have to have a catheter, you can walk about, and you can give birth in whatever position you like. You can't go in one of the birthing pools though. Find out if your hospital offers mobile epidurals or not.

sorry just properly read your post and see that in fact you can't have a mobile one - ignore me.

Yes adnd yes. I was induced and it was my first. I was hooked up to so many monitors and drips that tbh I had no choice but to stay on the bed, which I think necessitated the epidural in the firs tplce. Veyr difficult birth, dd was posterior and didn't turn so had a hell of a time pushing her out. WIth my second, I stayed upright and mobile and the thought of an epidural didn't even enter my head. He too was posterior but turned in labour. I would try for a natural birth every time following my experiences. After an epidural I really took about a week to recover. After ds's birth I felt fit as a fiddle almost straight away