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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Anyone else have an epidural that didn't work?

38 replies

bottleblonde · 02/02/2007 19:57

During the birth of my ds I had an epidural, hoping for some much wanted pain relief. However it only caused a slight numbness in my back. I had two 'top ups' but this didn't make any difference. I could still feel all the contractions and felt everything when I was being stitched up again. I had complete feeling in my legs and surprised the doctor by jumping off the bed to go to the loo minutes after giving birth. I asked my GP who said she thought it was probably the aneasthist that was at fault as epidurals were pretty reliable.
Would like some information for next time around (if and when that happens)

OP posts:

taffy101 · 02/02/2007 22:17

I was warned that an epidural might not work properly on me due to scar tissue from surgery in past might block flow of anaesthetic. Thankfully I didn't need one but must be terrible to have one and it not work

Califrau · 02/02/2007 22:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Pinkchampagne · 02/02/2007 22:24

I had a perfect epidural when giving birth to DS1 & hoped for the same again when having DS2, but it didn't happen!
I had an epidural & it made no difference at all. The doctor kept saying "Give it time", but it just didn't happen!
I felt every little (well not so little!) bit of pain while givin birth to him.
It was not like my first positive experience at all!

mollymawk · 02/02/2007 22:32

I had the same as Califrau - mine worked for a while then wore off on one side. Bizarrely, when the anaesthetist came to top it up he told me to lie on my side afterwards to try to help it "trickle" over to the non-working side. Didn't work though...

wannaBeWhateverIWannaBe · 02/02/2007 22:35

a neighbour of mine had an epidural that didn't work on one side, and she ended up having a section and felt them cutting into her.

gigglinggoblin · 02/02/2007 22:37

i had one with ds2 quite late on and it didnt make any difference at all. had a water birth with ds3, was much more effective pain relief!

Bamzooki · 02/02/2007 22:45

I had an epidural with ds, which was bliss for about 45 mins and then wore off despite several top-ups. Was left with all the pain and unable to move around as legs were useless. . In retrospect the anaesthetist did have to have several attempts to get it right so I guess he never really did!

puffling · 02/02/2007 22:52

My first epidural didn't work on the right side. I got a 'window of pain.' They did it again and it worked slightly better, but I ended up with a numb leg and had to wear special socks for 5 days in order not to get a blood clot.

redtent · 02/02/2007 22:56

First pregnancy-
My first one didn't work properly at all- was fitted just before shift change. The next anesth. came and took his time even between my wailing contractions and got in the perfect epidural. They were very worried about the failiure of the first one initially esp as I had issues going to the loo for 24 hours.... however it all worked out ok.

Didn't have one last time and hope not too next time

Original poster

bottleblonde · 03/02/2007 09:50

Good to hear its not just me. Very interesting to hear that Pinkchampagne had a perfect one first time around and then no pain relief the second time (must have been a nasty shock at the time).
Thanks all for the info

OP posts:

ssd · 03/02/2007 09:54

I had an epidural that only worked down one side with ds1

then the epidural with ds2 stopped my bladder working and I couldn't pee for 13 weeks, had too use catheters

I'm not having anymore.

totaleclipse · 03/02/2007 09:55

I had an epidural while in labour with dts, It was topped up twice before it worked, dt1 was born vaginally but dt2 had to be delivered by c section, however half way through the C Section my epidural wore off very suddenly, it was agonising and I had to be given a general aneasthetic.

FannyAnn · 03/02/2007 15:35

When I had my DD in 2002, the anaesthetist made 3 attempts at an epidural but each time despite his assurances that "it should be working now" another contraction came rolling on, worse than the last! He gave up in the end explaining that epidurals "simply don't work for some women" and I was left to struggle through with G&A!

Strangely enough, my dad recently had a knee replacement & was meant to have an epidural for that...but it wouldn't work and he had to have a GA, hmmmm...?

tiredemma · 03/02/2007 15:39

I had an epidural during labour with DS2 which only worked down the right hand side of my body, so I kind of had a slightly odd, uncomfortable birth.

BettySpaghetti · 03/02/2007 15:43

A friend of mine had an epidural that didn't work. Apparently the midwives were a little when she got off the bed and walked to the loo!

Lullabyloo · 03/02/2007 15:44

yes i had exactly the same experience as Fannyanne-they topped it up to the max but it had absolutely no affect at all.

Gemmitygem · 04/02/2007 15:52

interesting: I had same thing, anaesthetist had to have a second go at putting it in, then it only worked on one side, and had effing agony on the left side. however, it was a mobile one so could feel legs etc, and thank God it numbed the old fanjo completely so I couldn't feel the birth itself (but still, somehow, managed to push him out without tearing)...

would maybe go for epi again and definitely a mobile one, depending on how quick the labour was (I'd been going for 3 days when requested one)...

VeniVidiVickiQV · 04/02/2007 16:02

With my first I asked for an epidural. First off it didnt work. They topped it up. Still didnt work (they were getting me rolling from side to side etc).

Gave me another top up and it only numbed my left side. Its a most bizarre sensation to feel contractions only down one side!

They then topped it up again and it worked. By that time I'd had so many top ups that it took over 24 hours to wear off fully. i couldnt feel A THING. AT ALL. Didnt even know when to push or when I had a contraction. Its probably why I tore so badly (as well as having episiotomy and ventouse delivery).

With my second, i decided not to have an epidural. I felt it hindered my first labour. Contractions were excruciating, but, I didnt really notice once I finally started pushing.

Weegle · 04/02/2007 19:40

Mine worked well for the first 15 hours but then I started feeling the contractions again (not quite the same, they were just in an already sore joint in my pelvis). I thought it was a top up problem but it wasn't so I went through a c-section able to feel it slightly but not in the freaky way that sounds, just that I was aware of this back pain. Afterwards I regained mobility on my left side very quickly whereas the right side stayed numb for ages. Very weird.

Original poster

bottleblonde · 05/02/2007 09:35

I feel that my epidural, despite not working did hinder my labour, which stopped at 9 cm dilated (had a hormone drip to crank it up again). All in all I think I just had too much intervention, pain relief and otherwise. Next time I'm going to try and cope without one. Thanks for sharing all

OP posts:

FioFio · 05/02/2007 09:37

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

worleythewisp · 06/02/2007 21:28

my first worked a treat, i had eclampsia so had to have one to help lower my blood pressure, had one with ds2 which failed. ( i was told that 2 out of 100 fail) typical, i had pre-eclampsia that time but it didnt help to lower my bp as it didnt work!!
it was bloody painfull. 3 hr labour from being put on induction I/V to ds2 being out.

thirtysomething · 06/02/2007 21:37

my first one had to be re-inserted loads of times (up to 6 attempts I think) by a grumpy, sarcastic anaesthetist who blamed my weight for the difficulty in inserting it (found out afterwards that I was swollen with pre-eclampsia so that was why it was sos difficult to insert!) so ended up with lots of different batches of the fluid going around my body - didn't kick in till the pushing stage when I had so much epidural in I literally felt quite paralysed. Took a good 24 hours to wear off completely and made going to the loo a nightmare. With second birth epidural worked first time and was much better as it numbed the agonising pain (dd was back-to-back and I also had forceps) but I was at least aware of the sensations.

BarbieLovesKen · 06/02/2007 22:18

I had an epidural with dd but it didnt work, the doctor told me at the time, that the reason for this was "its like panadol, it will work for some and not for others" ??????????????????????????

bunny3 · 07/02/2007 15:10

fab epidural with ds and a failed one 4 years later with dd. The anaethetisit blamed the length of my epidural space (!!???) and gave up after 40 minutes. Labour was, luckily, very fast after that, I couldnt have coped with a long and painful labour. About to go through it a third time and praying for a decent epidural.

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