Talk to me about epidurals

[Al991]

I’m due to have an induction for first baby and I feel it’s likely I’ll end up on the drip. From everything I’ve read/heard this is absolutely horrendous pain wise and I’m worried I won’t be able to cope. Most have advised me to get an epidural.

Before I needed the induction I was planning I was planning a nice calm water birth with gas & air!!! (Probably a pipe dream i know) so definitely no epidural on the cards.

can some people share their experiences of having an epidural, what it felt like and how it impacted pushing etc?

I could get up and walk around (obviously within a limited space since you are attached) and it didn't affect pushing. It wasn't a nice calm water birth with gas and air I'm afraid but we did both get out happy and healthy x

I had one and it was a bloody relief!!

I was induced though not with the drip. My baby was back to back and gas and air was making no difference, it was agony.

it took them 2 attempts over about 3 hours to get it in correctly, I was screaming basically the whole time (back to back meant my pain was constant, not just during contractions). The second it went in it was fabulous. I managed to doze for an hour before I started pushing!

I let it wear off a bit before starting to push so I could feel the contractions but not the pain. Unfortunately my baby got stuck and they had to top it right back up for an assisted delivery.

from what I’ve heard of the drip, you want that epidural in before the drip! I’m pregnant again and will be requesting an epidural asap this time.

I was induced and in the build up felt similar to u - convinced I'd need the drip, scared etc.

It couldn't have been more different! All I needed to be induced was the gel so no drip needed. When it got dark outside they dimmed the lights in the room so the room had a relaxing vibe and I had all the music I wanted, all I had was a bit of gas and air towards the end. 20 mins of pushing and I gave birth to my baby who weighed over 9 pounds!

I'm obviously not saying this WILL be you but it's a possibility and the drip is not a certainty (unless there is info I don't know about your situation). Good luck, induction doesn't always equal negative.

It was amazing, the biggest relief I've ever had in my life. I was induced with the drip and the pain was too much for me. My labour was really long and drawn out so I'm glad I asked for the epidural early. Didn't impact pushing at all. I felt pressure but no pain.

I was induced but they refused to give me an epidural for many hours. I was told to keep up with the gas and air for as long as possible. My labour was 36 hours long according to the maternity notes, and the epidural was only given in about the last 10 hours. It only worked for a few hours, allowing me to sleep, but then it wore off and there was nothing more the anaesthetist could do after checking it and topping up.

While epidurals work for the vast, vast majority of women do be aware that sometimes they don’t or they wear off.

Hi - I had an epidural post induction, though it was in the states so the procedure may be different here. It was fine. I was still able to feel the pressure to push but didn't feel any pain. It was over 12 hours from induction to birth, and I really think the epidural let me get enough rest so I had energy to push out an 8 lb baby.

Good luck - I'm sure everything will go well however things work out.

I'm afraid you probably will need an epidural if you have the drip induction and it's your first baby.
I did with my first.
Due to have my 3rd and I'm planning a home birth with minimal pain relief however if I end up having to go to hospital and get the drip I would not hesitate to have the epidural. It's more painful than natural labour in most cases, because it kinda forces your body to do something it wasn't going to be doing at that point.. there's less natural build up.
I had just a pessary induction with my second.. did want an epidural towards they end however it was too late and it didn't work baby was too low down and was born in the next few minutes anyway.
I hope I go into labour naturally this time
I can tell you for me it did not take long after the birth with the epidural, to be able to walk again. I wasn't immobile due to it for long and I had been on it for nearly 24hrs getting top ups! But it still qore off quickly and I got movement straight back.

Get one. Insist. Dont let them talk you out of it. Avoid pethadine at all costs.

I was induced at 34 weeks with the drip and had an epidural first. It wasn't that painful- more pressure/like the worst period cramps you can think of. I had a button I could press to top it up myself. Having it put in was fine, although for months after giving birth I had such a stiff back if I got up after sitting down for a while, don't know if it's related to the epidural though. I was talking absolute rubbish in labour too, don't know if this was the epidural or exhaustion/fatigue as I hadn't eaten for days. I only have one child so nothing to compare to!

Just to add that my epidural ran out at some point and the pain came roaring back so fast, thankfully I only had a few minutes wait until it was topped up again but it really underlined to me how wonderful the option of an epidural is. I'm due again in November and will 10000% be planning on an epidural again.

They made 3 attempts at inducing me with gel before deciding to use the drip. I was 12 days overdue. The gel sucked too, I had some reaction to it that made me vomit for 2 days including throughout my entire labour and it gave me horrible false labour pain but no where near as intense as the drip.

I was induced with pessary...had constant contractions for hours. I was desperate for the epidural and it made a huge huge difference for me. Good luck!

My first I started with a homebirth but after 8 hours of mega contractions every 3 mins and unbelievable pain my B/P spiked and I ended up in blue lights to the hospital. I had only dilated a couple of centimetres despite the strong contractions but baby was ok - heart rate fine etc - and it was then that I had an out of body experience, floating above myself during a particularly bad contraction… and clearly remember yelling

GET THAT NEEDLE IN MY BACK!!!

Oh sweet relief i cannot describe! Pain gone, BP back down, rested through another 8 hours of contractions then pushed for 90 mins. All ended with us physically healthy but I was traumatised.

If I could go back and change one thing it would be to get straight to hospital and have an epidural as early as possible!

There are no medals for baring the pain if it gets too much!

I've been induced all 3 times- first two I didn't have epidurals as they were only just coming in- 3rd one I did- my word it was chalk and cheese. Although I did feint on having it put in as I had a very tired anaesthetist that hit the wrong spot.

See how you get on but be open minded about an epidural.
I was induced with my first born - I tried all my hypnobirthing stuff, calm music, the works. But for me, it was bloody painful and I needed pain relief. Don't be a martyr to pain when it gets too much - you won't get a medal.
All the best

I was induced and asked for the epidural before they turned on the drip, however they refused (something to do with it wearing off too soon and then being unable to get it topped up as would need to start pushing). Anyway, the midwife promised to start the drip at a low level and to increase it very slowly (as I was so terrified) and that if it was unbearable at any point I could request the epidural. So I agreed and the drip was actually totally fine, just like period pain to start with and because they increased it gradually I coped really well, to the point that I really wasn't overly bothered about the epidural and it was them who eventually encouraged me to have it before it was too late. Not to say that the epidural wasn't excellent when it came. But I just wanted to share a positive experience of the dreaded drip without epidural; I don't know why they start it on full blast when it's not necessary, just seems a bit sadistic to me. So just make sure you insist they start it on a low level and increase slowly and it's really OK.

I had an epidural 2 weeks ago when my second DD was born, it was honestly the best thing ever. I was induced and on the drip, to be honest I made it to 6cm with much less pain than I would have expected, but I think that may be because it was my second- my first induction 2 years ago was absolute agony for hours and I missed out on the epidural that time.

I was insistent that they give it to me early this time, but as it happened I gave birth an hour after the epidural went in. By that time the contraction pain had just about disappeared, so when it came to pushing I just felt pressure that was really uncomfortable as baby was descending.

Pushing itself was really calm and easy as I wasn't panicked by any pain- the midwife even said she thinks that's why I didn't tear although no way to know if that's true, but I suppose there could be something in it as I felt able to push really slowly and hold back between contractions, which may not have been the case if I'd been able to feel everything.

Best of luck for your induction!

I had one with my second. It was... Ok I guess. I didn't really want one, but I'd lost all control and couldn't cope. Labour was taking a long time, longer than with my first anyway, and progress was slow. I can't speak to pushing, as, other than some false urges at 4cm, I never got to that stage. But that was neither the fault of the epidural nor the induction. I do have ongoing back pain, but it's questionable if the epidural was the cause.

Having it placed was interesting. I was slightly unlucky in that the local anaesthetic didn't fully work, and I could feel the needle. It wasn't painful, but it was very uncomfortable. I just wanted it over with and said they should continue rather than start over. Once it was in position and drugs administered, the contractions steadily decreased in intensity until I could no longer feel them. I could move my legs and reposition freely. I'm reasonably certain I could have walked, but understandably I was asked to stay on the bed.

I will say though, that a drip induction does not necessarily mean you have to have an epidural. With my first, I coped ok on gas + air until 5cm (about 5 hours of labour), then had diamorphine as the epidural was my last resort option. That, alongside gas+air, saw me all the way to the end. My second started out the same way, except I coped better on gas+air for longer (except only 5cm after ~11 hours). If baby had been in position, and labour progressed the way it should have done, I think I would have been ok with just gas+air.

Best of luck with your induction. ❤️

I was induced with the drip, once contractions started they came straight away with little break in between, I have my notes and it says 3-4 contractions every 10 mins for 6 hours until I asked for the epidural as in that time I'd only progressed 1 more cm dilated to 4cm and I was struggling on gas and air. I'd really hoped for a water birth and hypnobirthing too! Because it had been a long time since my waters broke and I was strep B positive (on IV antibiotics) the consultant also suggested c section but I asked for epidural. Had it placed fine and I was still able to move my legs and I fell almost instantly asleep. When I woke up I felt this panic and huge urge to push, my body was just doing it anyway, the midwife checked and said yes 10cm but give it another hour for baby to move down, I left it 20 mins but found myself making these noises (grunts/moos!) I couldn't control and pushing so I woke my DP to push the buzzer and midwife came back in and said I can see her head then started rushing around getting the second midwife and joking saying she doesn't have things ready! Very quick pushing stage which I could feel but was ok and internal stitches for grazes/minor tears which healed really well. I was hoping to move into a better position (on my back but sat upright I was) for delivery but didn't have time but everything turned out fine and from epidural to birth was just under 4 hours so seemed to actually speed things up rather than delay. Best of luck!

I had an epidural on my first. Can't remember a lot as it was such a long labour before I eventually had it.
Afterwards I felt very unwell with a severe headache. I couldn't lift my head without being in agony. The Dr's didn't listen when I was telling them about the pain and I was sent home 72hrs after the birth. I ended up being rushed back in after 24hrs as I was losing spinal fluid. I had to have a spinal blood patch and lay flat for several hours. The headache went almost instantly.
I feel I missed out on those first few days with ds as I couldn't even feed him.
On my second it was a quick labour and I had a spinal. Was absolutely fine afterwards.

I had an induction and oh my goodness I am SO GLAD that I got an epidural. I will get one with my next one too as I actually enjoyed my birth

I don't know what it felt like as I had no feeling of them giving me one or once I had it, so if I could bottle the stuff I would it was great

This was my experience, I had it after going on the drip. Ours had a dial and I kept it at the lowest level. Took it from painful to 'uncomfortable' and I could still push/move a bit on the bed and didn't need a catheter I had been in early labour for days and found both induction and epidural really positive experiences

I was induced with the drip and was told before I'd even asked that there was nooks available to do the epidural that night so I couldn't have one. Just be prepared they aren't always so readily available.

This.

I'm traumatised from 2 inductions with no
epidural. first i couldn't have it for
medical reasons but the second i was fobbed off the entire time. both inductions ended with the drip & the gas & air barely touched the sides.

Last week i was induced with my 3rd and seeing how traumatised i was i had an amazing midwife that put her foot down with the anaesthetist (who kept trying to put me off) that i was having it. it was amazing. i finally got a calm labour just pressure no pain. baby was born so nice & calm too & has been a dream to feed since - i'm convinced the less stressful labour influences them too so don't just do it for u do it for baby. Good luck!

The epidural was literally the BEST THING that happened to me whilst in labour! And that's coming from someone absolutely terrified of needles!

Gave birth end of June and like you I had a water and gas/air birth plan but my labour was very quick (13h overall for first baby) which meant my contraction were long (over a minute each) and spaced only by 2 minutes. Great that baby wanted to come quick but very intense indeed!
When I arrived in hospital (9:30pm) I asked for gas and air straight away and the epidural, finally got the epidural ar 11:30pm as it takes time to install and you're not the only one - BOY was that a game changer. I went from not being able to talk to my DH (apart from telling him we're one and done lol) to chatting with the midwifes and laughing with everyone 😊

DS arrived safe and sound and I didn't feel them stitch me up (2nd degree) so definitely planning to ask for it should we plan a second one! x