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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

Has anyone regretted having an epidural?

50 replies

TheWoot · 14/08/2014 19:29

I will try and keep this brief. I had my dd in 2011. The labour was pretty short, my waters started leaking on my due date and I was told to go into hospital the next morning to be monitored.
On my way in the next day contractions started. I was given 2 paracetamol at 8cm and went to the delivery suite. My plans to stay mobile and bounce on a ball went out the window as I was in too much pain. I requested pain relief to be told it was too late. I never got the urge to push and when I did push I literally felt like it was bone pushing on bone, not stretching like I imagined.
My daughter ended up being a ventouse delivery.
I felt traumatised about the pain I was in and for months after the birth I would cry thinking about it.
I am due to have baby #2 next week and I'm scared that it will be as painful and traumatic. My partner is not particularly keen on me having an epidural and has researched stories of them not working or causing problems later on.
What I would like to know is, did any of you have an epidural and regret it? Because when I watch One Born Every Minute they seem to be having a lovely childbirth experience after having an epidural!
That wasn't very brief, sorry!

OP posts:

dannyboyle · 14/08/2014 20:24

Had two, no problems with either and would do it again definitely. Second was one I controlled with a button, started to let down towards the very end and was up and walking within 15 minutes. Epidurals rock!

Buttercup27 · 14/08/2014 20:26

Yes and no. first labour 52 hours just gas and air plus ventouse delivery. Second labour 11 hours bit back to back. Had epidural it deadened from hips up so I could feel baby turning in my pelvis. It was horrible. That was 9 months ago and I now get a weird back pain when I bend from where the epidural was. I only regret it because it didn't work. I could put up with the ache/pain now if it had taken away the pain at the time.
Would I do it again ... yes. I was in so much pain I I would do the same again and hope it works.

PenguinsHatchedAnEgg · 14/08/2014 20:26

Your partner doesn't get a say or to be 'not keen' you know.

I don't regret mine exactly. it was the right decision at the time. But it was horrid and I swore not to have one again.

Eggsaregoodforyou · 14/08/2014 20:30

Not sure how I would have been in any fit state to give birth if I hadn't had mine. Had been in established labour, regular contractions for 24 hours, then on syntocinin ( the pain of which still astounds me to this day). Eventually unable to communicate with anyone as all efforts going to surviving the.

The epidural was like an oasis in a desert, the anaesthetist will remain an incredibly handsome and wondrous man in my minds eye to this day!!

DS born with no assistance/ episiotomy

I was up and in Bath on top of world within an hour ( much to midwives fright!!)

Long , hard but ultimately lovely happy birth thanks to the epidural.

feetlikeahobbit · 14/08/2014 20:32

I don't regret it, but I do feel like I cheated. Saying that I had a lovely relaxed birth, and managed a 2hr sleep before being woken up to push.

My labour was also about 10hrs start to birth.

plinth · 14/08/2014 20:46

There's nothing noble about pain

SweetPea3 · 14/08/2014 21:33

It was amazing! Bounced on the ball and gossiped with midwife and then baby popped out. Highly recommend!

Lagoonablue · 14/08/2014 21:44

Ok nothing noble about pain, certainly but there are downsides to Epidurals. Raises risk of further intervention certainly. I preferred no epidural as felt more in control.

NightLark · 14/08/2014 21:46

My first birth, I was sinking in and out of consciousness from the pain - the epidural put a stop to that, let me rest and re-group. It did end up as an assisted birth (ventouse and episiotomy) but that was OK.

Yes, my second and third births were better - I didn't NEED the pain relief - but when I needed it I was bloody grateful that it was an option.

You can't generalise from one of your own experiences to the next, never mind from someone elses experience.

Maz1981 · 15/08/2014 04:20

I had a fantastic experience with #1 not even so much as a cramp, Epidural rocks ... Hopefully I'll get it this week again,with #2 !!

Original poster

TheWoot · 15/08/2014 07:48

Thank you everyone for replying. I suppose I was hoping everyone was going to say how wonderful it was, but there are more negative experiences on here than I imagined there would be.
I have decided to not make any definite decisions, I'll request a water birth, aim to use gas and air, but if it all gets too much that's it I'm having an epidural. I'm very interested in the walking versions a few of you have mentioned. I wonder if that is available everywhere, as I have never heard about it.
Thanks again ladies x

OP posts:

purplemurple1 · 15/08/2014 07:59

I think how you have worded the title explains the high number of negative responses.

I'm another who had a Mobil epi, walked around during Labour and gave both stood up without intravention. I was 4-5 cm when I got it and not in excessive pain but didn't feel any need to be. I think it is common for the woman to control the dosage nowadays - prob worth asking how it works at your hospital while you are thinking about it.

PenguinsHatchedAnEgg · 15/08/2014 09:00

Certainly five years ago my hospital didn't have mobile epidurals. Worth checking.

cluelessnchaos · 15/08/2014 09:09

I think your decision is very sensible. Don't rule it in completely and don't rule it out. I was only 19 when I had dd1 and stubbornly ignored any possible complications as I thought it wouldn't affect me. The post natal ward every woman who had had an epidural had suffered complications of some sort.

PacificDogwood · 15/08/2014 19:07

Yes, keep an open mind, get all the information you can and then see how things go on the day.
Planning a water birth or at least labouring in water is likely a good idea.

Good luck when the time comes

grocklebox · 15/08/2014 19:13

I really regretted it, had one with my first and refused for all the others. Was bloody awful. Water pool and entonox all the way.

Victoria2002 · 15/08/2014 23:11

Yes I regret it, in fact regretted it as soon as it really "worked". BUT I had a lot if epidural as it wasn't working then needed to be re-sited and there was a lot if fussing about and trying different things so once it worked I couldn't move and couldn't feel a thing. Sounds great to have no pain but during the pushing I felt totally hopeless, a mate if mine described it by saying "I felt I was just going red/holding my breath while making no movement at all below the neck". Ended in ventouse & episiotomy, which would likely have been avoided without epidural. HOWEVER it's gotta be your choice, and I think a properly timed "walking epidural" would have been a different experience.

londonkiwi · 17/08/2014 17:53

I had one for my first birth and don't regret it at all. I got to 5cm dilated then stopped dilating further despite regular strong contractions for 8ish hours. So they then started a syntocin drip to make the contractions even stronger and at that point I had an epidural. It was "mobile" so that I could move a bit and they let it wear off enough that I could move positions while pushing (and the pain was there for pushing) but for me it didn't lead to a "cascade of interventions".

BTW OP I think your plan to keep your options open is a good one - I would stay open to it if/when you get to the point where you need it (which you may not, after a 24 hr first labour my second was 5 hours and DD was born 10 mins after we got to the hospital!)

AnotherStitchInTime · 17/08/2014 17:58

No, but then I had mine for an ELCS. The fact that they could top it up meant that I got to stay awake to see ds after the birth and had great pain relief for two days afterwards in HDU. I have had two spinal anaesthetics too for my 2 EMCS's, all I remember is being bloody grateful as I couldn't feel the contractions anymore!

Hatetidyingthehouse · 20/08/2014 19:50

No. Brilliant

Shakshuka · 24/08/2014 19:30

I've had three births. One was a failed epidural, one with no pain meds and one with a working epidural (induction). With the induction, I'd only gone from 3cm to 5cm from 6am to 3.30pm when I asked for the epidural. Having it fitted is horrible but when it worked it was amazing. I didn't get full pain relief (althou good enough that i could cope) but the reason for it was that less than an hour later I was fully dilated and 4 pushes and baby was born. So for me, it didn't prolong labour. I was also worried about not being able to feel to push but I actually found the pushing easier with the epidural. I could feel a lot of pressure during the contractions but didn't have to push into the pain like with the other births so I wasn't holding back with pushing.

That said, the failed epidural birth was the worst. The pain came back within a few minutes and was very concentrated in specific areas at first before it wore off altogether. It was horrible and having it fitted was horrible as well. The worst of both worlds! I did regret having it - only because it didn't work - which was why I didn't do it in my second birth.

I think you should keep an open mind. First births tend to be harder than subsequent births, you may be fine without an epidural. But having now experienced a working epidural, I can see why people love them!

Flisspaps · 24/08/2014 19:38

Yes.

extraneous · 24/08/2014 20:59

Bear in mind that chances are your second birth will be much easier (though crowning still hurts...) no guarantees though.
Don't see what your partner's opinion has to do with anything, frankly....

Khaleesi1985 · 24/08/2014 21:23

I regretted not having one! I could - almost - have written your post. Wanted to have an epidural, but was prepared to have an active, pain-relief free labour which went out the window given how much pain I was in. The anaesthesiologists were too busy so I ended up writing on a bed, in back labour, and screaming for six hours. I ended up feeling really traumatised for the birth and had a hard time bonding with my baby.

angeltattoo · 25/08/2014 14:23

I think people will generally post about bad rather than good experiences.

My epidural was great, no complications, no regrets whatsoever.

DH was briefed beforehand that if I asked for one to back me up and not let the midwife fob me off. There was no need in the end, midwife was fab.

My DH's job was to support me in labour. Your DH isn't the one in pain, hd needs to support your choices. If you have the option open to you, it's nice to know it's there and you might well manage without. If you think it's not an option because of what your DH wants, that may have a big psychological or physiological impact. You need to talk beforehand so he can backup your choices in labour and you can feel as prepared as possible. X

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