Induced with no epidural?

[Twickerhun]

I was recently induced. I had my waters artificially broken and was on a drip for 4 hours. I asked the midwives what my pain relief options were and they all said gas and air or cocodamol. I said I’d heard that it was ‘normal’ to have an epidural when in the drip and I’d like one, and they all replied I wouldn’t need one, shouldn’t want one, would be fine without.
I delivered without an epidural in just over 6 hours after starting the drip and just with gas and air. but I’m confused about why I wasn’t offered an epidural having asked for one.
Any ideas?

Apologies for the multiple threads. The system told me they had timed out!

It's certainly not a given that induction and epidural go hand in hand.

I was induced with my daughter and had gas /air.

Maybe they believed you would deliver quickly and there wouldn't really be time (but you should have been told that) or that anaesthetists were held up in an emergency / theatre (again you should ideally be told),

I would approach your community midwife and ask for the contacts for where you gave birth to arrange a de brief. Where you can talk through your experience and they am shed some light on any questions you have about why things happened how they did.

I found with my first it provided an element of closure on what was a stressful and out of control situation for me.

I expect they saw that you were coping with the pain. Or did you feel that you really needed the epidural but were refused?

With DD2 I had my labour augmented with the drip (I was already in labour but they wanted her out fast). I didn't have anything at all.

I was induced with oxytocin drip and used a tens machine for pain relief. There was no mention of an epidural until I told the midwife I wanted one, however I was 9cm by that point so just had to get on with it. There is no rule that induction = automatic epidural. I do know women who have been advised it would be best to have one if they're having the drip, but it's not a universal view, and seems a bit OTT in my view. Why give something like an epidural when it may well not be needed?

But if, as PP mentioned, you felt you needed an epidural and were refused one then that isn't right. I think midwives will tend to try and help women manage without if possible, but they shouldn't refuse if you insist on it. Did you have anything about pain relief preferences in your birth plan?