Last minute switch to epidural? Epi-no knocked confidence

[annapom85]

I’m 38 weeks + 5 days and throughout my pregnancy I’d been committed to a natural birth on the ML birthing unit. However, I’ve been getting increasingly anxious about birth and I’m thinking about scrapping my birth plan and requesting an epidural. Has anyone else done this? I feel stressed that I’m changing plans so late in the day.

The main reason for my change of heart is my difficulties with the epi-no which I’m really struggling with. I figure If I can’t ‘birth’ a balloon without significant pain, how will I birth a baby! It’s stressed me out beyond belief and I’m still not where near the 10cm it suggests!

This may not be helpful but I think you need to go in with as open mind as possible.
I’m glad I went in open minded because it didn’t go how I would have liked it to, but it was still fine.
You can plan every single detail but it’s just not something that always goes how you expect it to.
I think it’s good to be somewhere, where you have options.

I've never heard of the Epi-No so I just googled. What the actual fuck have I just read? 😐 You really don't need to practice giving birth to a balloon.

That aside, it's not late in the day to be changing your mind about pain relief. You don't need to have decided before you go in to give birth, you can make decisions throughout labour. I'd suggest having a list of coping mechanisms/pain relief options and when one isn't sufficient any more you move on to the next one.

I strongly suggest binning off the epi-no for starters, that is a bizarre contraption.

You can always go in to the midwife led unit and change your plans if you feel you need more pain relief as things progress. I did have an epidural (and it was awesome) although I hadn’t really planned one, but it was an easier decision for me because I was already on the hospital ward due to being induced for GD so hooked up to drops and stuff anyway.

I had an epi-no, what a waste of money that was. It takes zero account of all the other stuff going on in your body, not least the contractions (!) which all feels completely different to pushing a balloon out of your food.

It's an amazing experience, even when it doesn't go to plan. Would a water birth on a ward be an option/compromise? Then the epidural is a possibility too?

*foof.

Keep your epi-no away from your food.
And your foof actually in hindsight.

Honestly I’m all for birth plans but I think when it comes to pain relief (and especially if you’ve never experienced labour before) it’s good to go in with an open mind. Read up on your options and risks/benefits to help inform your choices, but remember that you’ll know for sure when you’re experiencing it. I was actually very set on an epidural but to my surprise I absolutely loved gas and air and felt no need for anything- however I’ve had friends who felt very sick from it and did nothing for them.

I’ve heard very positive things about hypno-birthing and some swear it makes it easier to get through labour so I’d look into that (but again have an open mind that you still may decide on an epidural)

Agree with pp's, go in with an open mind. You can't plan for labour because you can't know what it's like until you're there. It's ok to change plans if they aren't working.

It’s really good that you are opening your thoughts to various options as the ideas in a birth plan can’t always match real life experience so being flexible and able to listen to your body in order to request what’s needed for you is really important. Make sure that your midwife is aware at an early stage that you may wish to request an epidural and have someone to advocate and push for this for you during labour if this is what you want.

I had one dc with epidural and one with minimal pain relief (a bit of gas and air late on). Both births went well but if I was doing it again I’d probably also be going down the epidural route. No particular method of giving birth should be given precedence over another - it should all be about choice yet it can also be a time when we feel burdened by the weight of the opinion of others. However, it’s entirely personal and situation dependant. Please give yourself permission to ask for whatever you need. Congratulations and all best wishes to you. 💐

I had it in my birth notes that I did NOT want an epidural under ANY circumstances. Then I had meconium in my waters, had to be induced on the drip, natural water birth out the window from the start.
I lasted 4 hours with no pain relief then begged for an epidural at only 6cm dilated. My husband was terrified, knowing I was so against it but it was VERY necessary. I went from unable to cope to lying blissfully on the bed, chatting away to the midwife within minutes. It was so good I wanted one for DC2 but he had other ideas and was too quick
So you absolutely can change your mind at the very last minute, don’t worry!

I just googled the EPI-No. WTAF. You can't use that as an indicator of whether you can give birth naturally successfully or not. When labour starts your body will release all sorts of hormones to help you.

I would focus on finding ways to stay comfortable in early labour so you can rest and cope with the pain as well as possible.

I’ve had four births, epidural, drug free, epidural, gas’n’air. I would say the epidurals were best for me. That’s what I’d opt for but I’m me and you are you...do what will make you feel happy. The baby is SO much more than the birth.

Be open minded. My birth plan said I preferred not to have an epidural but if i did, to not have a full dose so i could feel enough to push. That was the birth I had and i was so grateful for the epidural.

I think birth plans are helpful for stating preferences but in reality every birth is different and there are limits as to what can be planned.

Very best wishes

Is water immersion an option? I found that wonderful pain relief, along with gas and air. I think keep an open mind as others have said and have a "ladder" of options that you can climb if you feel like you are no longer coping. TENS machine was good for the early stages for me also. Also a warm shower on the back.

However, if you do want to cut your chances of having an episiotomy (presumably that's why you've got the epi-no?)then the best thing would be to try to cope without the epidural.

Also (if you haven't) read up about the stages of labour and emotions as at the point where you start saying "I can't do it" you can be in transition and it's almost over.

I used an epi no and both times got to only 8cm at a push at the point that the baby came. Still gave birth without any tears or need for episiotomy, so I think it definitely helped. The same applies to every single friend I have who's used it. The purpose of the epi no is to show you what pushing might feel like, and to stretch your vaginal opening (like perineum massage). I definitely dealt with childbirth a lot better having 'experienced' the baby coming out part in advance. Let's not disparage the epi no; it really is a great device and midwives in my area are very supportive of it. However, it's meant to build confidence, not destroy it, so if it's causing you upset then perhaps give yourself a break from it until you feel more relaxed about it? Also I remember the instructions being very vague and open to interpretation, so it was hard to tell if I was 'doing it right' - that threw me a bit to start with, but then I figured any sort of stretching was helpful.

All the best you will be fab!

Dont let something like that dishearten you - I'm sure it is completely different to when you go into labour and your body naturally takes over.

Go in open minded, then you cant be dissapointed.

I spent my whole pregnancy adamant I was having an epidural. Ended up spending 36 hours in labour at home and when I got to the hospital there was no time for any pain relief as he was on his way & out in 20 mins. Completely different from the scenario of what I had in my head. And I survived to tell the tale with no pain relief where as before hand I was terrified.

I didn't try the epi-no before I gave birth so can't comment on that but echo what previous posters have said - there is no need to make a firm birth plan and stick to it, go in with an open mind and make the decision as and when you need to on the day. As I had a quick labour the decision was actually taken out of my hands and all I could have was gas and air but that was enough.

For me, the actual giving birth or crowning part (which I guess is what the epi-no) is trying to emulate, was not painful. More of a burning feeling quickly followed by massive relief when they are out. I had a second degree tear and ended up with a few stitches but honestly I did think feel it as it happened or even the stitching up after. The contractions were more painful but again I found them doable, although given I had a quick labour and birth, I knew there was an end in sight and I kept focusing on that.

I personally found that by going into the hospital knowing about the options and then making the decisions as I needed to rather than having a set plan and saying I'm 100% sticking to it, was the best way for me. You can do this 🙌

Thank you everyone for your kind and positive comments, really helpful! The epi-no is not for me and it’s going to be finding it’s way into a bin!

Haha this made me laugh! Great tip!

"I figure If I can’t ‘birth’ a balloon without significant pain, how will I birth a baby!"

Because the two things are completely incomparable!

Have you done any reading about childbirth or an online antenatal course? It is very helpful to have a basic understanding of the biology of childbirth. In late pregnancy your body is already preparing to birth; relaxin hormones make your ligaments looser for example; then when you actually go into labour there are more hormones, including oxytocin which can help calm you down and can reduce pain.
You can read more about this at www.nct.org.uk/labour-birth/your-guide-labour/hormones-labour-oxytocin-and-others-how-they-work

If you haven't done an antenatal course, check out the Positive Birth Company's online course, they are often recommended on here.

Is the MLU stand-alone or attached to a hospital?

PS I have one DC already (vaginal birth) and pregnant with DC2, considered trying an epi-no but then decided it looks like a torture device and I'm better off sticking to perineal massage!

Hang on you're balloon dilating your vagina? Surely that's an infection risk for you and the baby?

I'm impressed by the fortitude of anyone who can get very far with the Epi-no! It does have an evidence base for avoiding tearing I believe, but as pp have mentioned it bears NO relation to the actual process of a baby crowning, so from a mental preparation standpoint it's a terrible idea. There are pain-reducing hormones on board in labour that reduce pain, and you have none of those with a sodding rubber ball between your legs. I had an epidural with my first but no epidural with my second and I was terrified of crowning. However as it was happening I clearly thought to myself, this feeling is insane but it's not nearly as bad as I expected! Go in with an open mind but this doesn't mean you can't birth your baby drug-free if you want.

But that's not the point they give you an epidural for. They in fact try to let it wear off a bit for the pushing part. The pain in labour that they give an epidural for is the muscle/cervical pain in earlier labour...

OP, have you tried hypnobirthing? I'm currently 34 weeks and really looking forward to my labour and the birth of our boy. My husband and I have done 3 out of 4 hypnobirthing sessions now with the hypnobirthing teacher (private 1-2-1) and it's just been amazing! Highly recommend - whether in person or online. Take care xx