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Childbirth

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

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Original poster

Following on from the no disrespect and best of intention thread, did you ever feel undermined for having for an epidural?

115 replies

TheCurseOfTheMhummy · 05/10/2007 14:53

I had an epidural on both my dd 21 and ds 6. I had no qualms about having it on either of them but remember someone remarking after dd that I must have sailed through my labour. Apart from the fact that I wasn't given it until an hour before I gave birth, so didn't really have the full benefit of it, I'm just wondering is it actually thought by some that because you opt for an epidural that you don't feel pain?

OP posts:

cluelessnchaos · 06/10/2007 20:40

I hated my epidural cos it all went wrong but thats not what I wanted to say, when I was preg with dd2 a MW told me "dont worry maybe youll be able to do it properly this time"

Eddas · 06/10/2007 20:49

have only read op, but had an epidural with dd and quite honestly have never been in such agony. It was great at first. Then it wore off, just down one leg, hurt like hell, them telling me they couldn't do anything else didn't help. Also not helped by the fact that this was after hours of on/off labour it felt terrible. The pushing is harder too as you just don't know that you should be doing it and have to be told. With ds I only had gas and air and I have to say that the pain was intense(to say the least) but I knew instantly that he was just about there and was ready to push. Also alot better afterwards too.

Having had one i would advise people not too unless they really need it as it is better without and was so much nicer afterwards with no numbness or catheter. BUT i did need mine with dd as it was such a long process, i needed to get some sleep!! But i blame that on being induced. Wouldn't do that again either.

Sorry, I do waffle

xXxamyxXx · 06/10/2007 20:49

i had contractions every four minutes from the start and was very glad of epidural which i only got half an hour before birth so definatly not a pain free labour some people think if your not squatting drugfree in the garden giving birth your doing it wrong!

sKerryMum · 06/10/2007 20:54

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ebenezer · 06/10/2007 21:07

i think the idea of 'competitive birthing' is weird and unhelpful. Surely as long as a woman feels that she has choices and is able to have a say in what happens, that's the important thing. A lot of people on this thread have commented that epidurals are given a bad press, but tbh I think some women genuinely want them and are prepared to accept that statistically there is a greater risk of intervention. Equally, I think women who choose a natural birth or a low level of pain relief, should be 'allowed' to feel pleased and proud of their choice. I had dc 1 in a midwife led unit on gas and air - it was a long labour as first ones often are, and very painful but I felt hugely empowered afterwards - specially after a 2 hour second stage - actually pushing the baby out and feeling everything because by that stage i wasnt even allowed g and a!! In contrast, dc 2 was a c-section with epidural, so pain free and much 'easier' than first birth. This wasnt what i'd planned, but was necessary for medical reasons, so obviously that was the way it had to be.

WizardofWilkdom · 06/10/2007 21:14

Eddas - glad I'm not the only one with the weird leg contractions. WTF was that about??!?!?!

WizardofWilkdom · 06/10/2007 21:15

Also, on the negative side I felt REALLY ropey the next day: headache, hot and cold sweats which I am not sure if was a result of sleep deprivation (hadn't slept properly for 3 days) or the epidural.

Eddas · 06/10/2007 21:21

not sure but it bloody hurt I know that much I felt odd for about a week after having dd, not sure if it was, as you say, 3 days with little sleep, epidural or having my first baby TBH it was all one big shock! Not helped at all by being induced

skerrymum, my contractions were fairly intense too, but the mw said that the machine was saying they weren't that bad one went on for what felt like ten minutes continuously. But I think that was when i went from about 4cm to fuly dilated! mw1 went off to lunch saying she'd be back in plenty of time, came back after an hour to just about catch the birth as I was starting to want to push, mw2 was the one saying the machine wasn't picking up the intensity No shit sherlock, was i just making up my pain

Sorry waffling again

expatinscotland · 06/10/2007 21:22

Fuck no!

I got to hospital too late to have any dope when I had DD2.

I felt cheated.

gegs73 · 07/10/2007 09:52

LOL expat

ladylush · 07/10/2007 13:21

the only drawback for me was the temporary paralysis. Couldn't walk for a few hours after. Consequently they wouldn't let me go home Completely impractical I know, but I'd have rather crawled up the stairs than stayed in that awful ward for the night.

shreddies · 07/10/2007 13:27

Absolutely not. Went into hospital with my clary sage and massage oils. Came out with a 10'9" baby after two days of back to back labour, epidural, forceps and a third degree tear. It wasn't what I had imagined but still the most exciting experience of my life. Why would I feel undermined?

tigger15 · 07/10/2007 16:23

Not undermined and once it was in it was bliss but I do still wonder if I'd managed to hold out through horrific pain then maybe I wouldn't have had a cs. I was induced and begged for one at what turned out to be ONLY 2 cms after 8 hrs. A lovely pointless thought to keep me awake at night.

Tangas · 09/10/2007 12:16

I went in to hospital sure i would not go for the epidural. First baby, was copeing really well with the contractions at first, Breathing through them. Waters needed to be broken as had reached 7cm, OH MY GOD had never felt so much pain in my life. I was wanting to push then & couldn't help but baredown. MW screming at me not to push. so she aked if she could give me and epidural to stop the eurdge to push. I was gutted but needed it otherwise i would of done serious damage! So didn't want it to be like that but what can you do...
Epidural made labor stop, baby turned, pushing for 2hrs, vontous failed, Through the sun roof!! But all worth it!!

leo1978 · 09/10/2007 16:12

When I was pregnant I felt there was a lot of negative language around epidurals and it wasn't until my best friend had her first child and had an epidural and we talked about it, that I even thought about it in a postive way.

I had one with my ds. It was the most amazing thing in the world at the time. I went from a screaming maniac to calmly saying to the midwife, 'I'm sorry, you must think I'm really rude. I haven;t asked you anything about yourself'!!!!! Loved the drugs in a BIG way.

Would not hesitate to have another one if pain was unmanagable and looked like it was going to stay that way for some time.

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