Epidural didn't work!

[MamaLaMoo]

Gave birth to DD2 on Tuesday after induction for medical reasons at 38 weeks, actually only needed ARM as already 3cm dilated.

I have contractions 2-3 minutes apart right from the start of labour, did with both births which built to continuous runs of 4-5 contractions one on top of the other - suffice to say it hurts. First birth I was on syntocinon drip and assumed this pattern of contractions was due to the drip but no, apparently my body does this all by itself. At 6cm and after 3 hours of increasing intensity I asked for an epidural, partly because 9 hours of massive contractions with first birth left me rather traumatised. They topped it up twice over the next 2 hours and I was still able to feel pretty much everything. Left me with one very numb leg for 12 hours but little pain relief.

I was shouting at the midwife telling her epidurals were all a big con, other people I know have slept while under the influence of one! Am I just very unlucky? Why didn't it work?

I have had similar not identicle sorry though. My spinal never worked for my EMCS it numbed my legs which were still numb for sometime after but it never numbed my torso so I felt the cut. I was swiftly knocked out but woke up in terrible pain around the scar.
Anyway my point is what you want. I made an appointment with an anethatist who spent over 45 minutes with me going through the process and what it involves etc. Might be worth you considering doing this as I found it very very helpful indeed.

My epidural failed with dc1. Transpires I am hyper-mobile which makes it really hard to site accurately. I had a relatively inexperienced anaesthetist and she got more and more panicked the more and screamed and shouted! With dc2 I spent most of the time waiting for the epidural reitterating about the failed first one so the midwives were very aware. I got a senior anaesthetist who, at 10cm dilated, gave me a spinal so I could then sit still and have the epidural sited correctly - bliss and pain free ( but then I ended up in theatre anyway with a vcontuse!)

Thanks for your replies.

Nunnie I didn't realise you could have a debrief with anaesthetist, I may consider that but not for a while, I couldn't face going through the birth with someone so soon, maybe in a few months. I did try to get a debrief organised regarding fist birth in prep for the second as I was so scared of going on the drip again but community midwife has been long term sick and my notes got left in her in tray for weeks before anyone picked up on it, the Friday before the induction :(

addictedtofrazzles I am hypermobile too, had issues with PGP this time round due to that, hmmm, interesting. I have a very bendy spine, can lean back almost 90 degrees when standing up, maybe that was the problem. I'm glad to hear it did work second time round, although if you were 10cm when it was done wasn't that too late on to be any help?

i had an epidural with ds1 and it didn't work at all. luckily for me they got him back and he did another one, which did work.

i have no idea why it sometimes doesn't work though, maybe the injection is just in slightly the wrong place or something? no idea

congratulations btw :)

I had two epidurals with DD and neither of them worked. My toes went lovely and numb, but that was it.

I then requested a spinal and they refused saying it would slow things down and as i was so close anyway, there was no point.

THREE hours of agony later, dd was born.

And the irony was, i got my spinal in the end as i had a 3rd degree tear and needed stitching up in theatre.

oh dee! you must've been cursing them at that point!

Oh yes!!

Meant to say though, when i had DS3 20 months later, i had an epidural, and it worked and it was bloody lovely!

Turns out that the anethatist with dd was trying to put it in scar tissue...

thisisyesterday thank you :o she is lovely big bundle with lots of dark hair like me at birth, asleep on my lap. DD1 is blond, no idea where she came from

ahh bless!
we also had a blond (darker now though at 6) first-born despite both being dark ourselves! the next 2 are both spitting images of me

enjoy her :)

Poor you !

With DD1 my epidural only worked down one side of my body . They resited it 3 times and the consultant anathstatist (sp) tried as well , to no avail .
I ended up with an emcs and a spinal block .

Then with DD2 the epidural worked a treat and I had been very anxious and sceptical about it .

Glad you have a lovely new DD.

I know it's not something you want to do now, but the option of a debrief with the anethatist is always there, I went when I fell pregnant again.

For what it is worth, it was purely about the spinal block she discussed reasons why it might have failed and drew diagrams, checked my back to see if there were any issues that may have prevented it working. She also went through my options with me for my next (this labour) and what they can do etc. Was all very helpful indeed and something I think you would benefit from when you feel ready.

Enjoy your lovely DD.

O/T kind off but both mine were born blonde with bright blue eyes, no idea where that came from, then they both went strawberry blonde and I know where that came from.
My sister was born with a thick head of jet black hair, I on the other hand was born with strawberry blonde hair. My sister is 4ft 11 and I am 5ft 8, if it wasn't for me being the spit of my father and my sister being the spit of my mother there may well have been questiones asked ;)

nunnie I did not know that kind of thing could happen in c/s...

Nunnie and Beemybaby No wonder the anaesthetist spent time debriefing - there have been a number of clinical negligence claims for failure to ensure proper anaesthesia for caesareans!