how effective are epidurals

[trish12]

Hi all, hope u dont mind me gate crashing for a while, just popped over from ante-natal clubs. I have a question for all those who have had an epidural, Im due in 4wks and having not had the best experience first time round, i am absolutley cacking myself to say the least. I have decided to op for an epidural this time as i want total pain relief!! but my query is, does it stop the burning sensation you get when the head crowns? I remember that so vividly, and it was, for me, the worst part of labour!! and that was ten years ago, sad eh, ,lol.
please give me some pointers!!

good advice lulumama. My view (having had 2 natural VBs and one CS)is that epidurals are fine if you accept that you are going to have a very different birth - a medicalised one. If you dont want a very medicalised experience, there are a lot of pain relief options on the spectrum. They wont take the pain away completely like an epi, but they can take the edge off the pain without taking away the feeling.

During DD's birth I used all of the below:

TENS
Acupuncture
Gas & Air
Epidural
General Anesthetic

Can anyone beat that? Please do let me know.

TENS actually provided some distraction although...not quite enough...the acupuncture (which was supposed to speed up the birth) actually relaxed me so much I think it slowed it down. It was GREAT GREAT pain relief though, and, provided I could get comfortable it wouldn't slow me down again, would recommend and use again. Gas & Air - beyond fab in my view. That combined with acupuncture could do the trick for me next time.

Had to have the epidural because I ended up in the hospital on syntocinon. Hellish. I'm sure they do work, but boy you'd better hope the doctor knows whta he's doing. This one was positoined wrong and froze my legs completely but I felt the bite of every contraction and was sitting tehre with gas and air trying to compensate. The doctor FINALLY came to reposition it - bang, baby in distress and we're rushing to the theater. Next stop GA.

In principle I wouldn't mind trying one again, having said that. But I did feel like a patient rather than in control of hte situation.

OMG, so many messages !! thanx all, i think after reading thru everything my minds made up, im having an epi thats for sure !

I know the stinging only lasts for a couple of minutes, but its like a real phobia i have. im just a softie really when it comes to pain in the nether regions!!lol

The mobile one sounds good, would like to be up and about, you know gravity and all that. not sure if all hospitals do mobile ones tho, im sure mine dosent, will check on that one.

Whats a spinal block anyway, is that something with a similar effect? God theres so much pain relief, jack it, maybe i just have them all, better not tell the doc i love him tho, my fella wont be best pleased!!! lol

I'd already had pethadin before the epidural, so I didn't feel the neddley bit. Have a bit of gas and air - it'll be a help.

I don't remember feeling the needle bit. Was just using gas and air. You never know though, you might be able to cope without an epi. With a bit of luck your labour might be a short one! I'd had a long latent phase and had had enough so I went for the epidural. I think a spinal block is put into a different space in the spine. I think they use them often for cs. The anaesthetist who did my epidural was a woman, she might have got a bit worried if I'd told her I loved her, lol! Good luck anyway! Hope it all goes well for you

Don't get your heart too set on it, as it is your second baby it might be too quick and although I hate to be the voice of doom they work really well for some people but not all that well for others. Chances are it will work for you but you won't know until you try. In my experience (as a midwife) I find that people who have them late in labour (ie second stage) get less relief than those who have them earlier and some even seem to get no relief at all. There will only be one anaesthetist at most times, even in a large hospital so if someone is having a cs you will have a wait. Sorry to be so depressing about it, but it is important that you have a plan b incase it is not available or does not work. Hope it goes well.

i loved my epidural!

i felt nothing.

my baby was face up and had her hand up by her head, so despite fully dilating and pushing for an hour and a half, she wasn't coming out and i needed forceps.

BUT, with my second, i went way fast and because i hadn't felt what it was like to be close to delivering, we only went to hospital when my MIL insisted, and it's a good thing, because i was 9cm dilated upon arrival.

too late for any pain relief by G&A, which made me sick.

baby was delivered about 20 mins. after i arrived.

Ditto Medismummy! I had a spinal block, as they were about to do an emergecy C-section, but the baby was so close to being born they used Ventouse. WHen the needle went in my back and the pain went, I have never been so happy in my life! To go from agony to no pain was marvellous and I instantly wanted to marry the anaesthetist!
I started shaking and got very cold, which is post-shock symptoms I think. But I was ecstatically happy not to feel pain. When in the stirrups, I remember thinking "Whose legs are they up there?" It took a good five seconds for me to realise they were MY legs! I couldn't feel a thing.
Sheer bliss.
I'm not sure if epidural is the same as spinal block, but they are similar. I'd DEFINITELY recommend it!

I remember my birth plan , bold letters NO EPIDURAL. Few hours in, as soon as they told me I had to stay on the bed I was like "ok then!" I am so so glad I had it, it felt like it took a while to work but was only about 15 mins. The only thing was it didn't numb my bum which was total agony, but I had 2 injections which worked in the end. As soon as I had it, I vowed I would ahve one everytime, but now I feel I should put myself through a drug free birth just to not feel like a cop out! But, the epidural was absoloute heaven.

Thats like something my brother once said when his son was born "NO SON OF MINE IS HAVING A DUMMY!", lol , OMG if only it were that simple

How far down does the epi numb you, can you feel your legs or is it just your tummy area?