Anyone had a mobile epidural?

[Lizbiz89]

I'm due to be induced on Thursday with my 3rd and I remember with my 1st who was also induced it was extremely painful. I want to get all my ducks in a row and put down that I'd like an epidural with this labour especially if the pain gets too much. I would ideally like a mobile epidural as it means I will be able to still move about. Has anyone had this and if so what was it like?

I've not had one myself, but a friend had one for her birth recently and loved it, she was so pleased with her birth experience. Good luck with your induction!

Many years ago but I had one. I could walk around, go to the loo, bounce on a ball etc, i just had a bit of a numb bum. It was great. Ended up with a c section but that wasn't due to the epidural. Good luck!

Hi there, I am a registered midwife working on the labour ward. Epidural is a very individual thing, in my experience. The minority of women can mobilise for a few hours once the epidural goes in. The majority can only mobilise around the bed. I can't explain why, our anaesthetists use the same technique and the same epidural medication mix. The most upleasant part of epidural is that it increases the risk of instrumental delivery (forceps or ventouse) as it's difficult to bear down. Both are safe for mother and baby, just not on any woman's birth plan. You can minimise this risk by keeping your epidural block as light as possible (your midwife will help you with that). From experience, 3rd babies usually come much quicker than 1st or 2nd (unless there has been a gap of over 5 years between pregnancies). For example, if for your 1st baby's induction you had your waters broken followed by hormone drip, this time around you are much more likely go into labour just after having your waters broken. So the contractions should feel like natural contractions your experience in your 2nd birth. I hope it helps.

I had one in April, the process was absolutely fine, wasn't uncomfortable for me at all. Only issue was that it wasn't 100% successful and still had some feeling, and when I ended up needing a forceps delivery they couldn't 'top it up' because of this so ended up having a spinal block to.
As I said though, the actual epidural procedure was fine, I also liked that I could top the dose up myself with the button. Wishing you all the luck x

I had one a few years ago. It was fine but I was there for so long (26 hours) and needed so many top ups that, at one point, on my way to the toilet, my legs gave way. I suddenly couldn't feel them. Luckily, my husband was behind me and caught me but getting up was a bugger as I couldn't feel anything and my legs didn't seem to listen to what my brain was telling them! So I was back on the bed for the most important bit.

I did because I was being induced and they had to use the dreaded drip - it didn't work! I thought 'bloody hell if this is only 70% of the pain then 100% must be unbearable' only to find out afterwards that it had fallen out and I did indeed feel it all!

I was actually glad I had in the end 😊

I think I had one? I had an epidural which wore off unless you pressed a button every couple of hours - is that a mobile epidural? So for the first few hours before contractions were too intense (I was induced, long process), I was connected to the wire but I could get up as long as I brought along the bag on wheels - not sure what it's called!! Walked to the loo, sat on the bouncy ball, tried hands and knees position. Then when the pain got worse I just pressed the button more often and didn't feel anything, but I was confined to the bed. I'd recommend that kind of epidural if you have a choice because if you hate the feeling of the epidural it wears off relatively quickly and you regain the use of your legs but if you love it just keep pressing that button!

Thank you for your replies. @Tiredbehyondbelief thank you for your explanation. I'm just extremely nervous about this labour for some reason. Think it's because I had an awful labour when I was induced first time and with my 2nd he came very quickly and painfully so I want to make sure all options are open and there is pain relief available should I need it. I'm also quite anxious in hospital settings so I'm keen to stay as relaxed as possible.

Hi. I am mum of an 18years old and I’m currently doing an Master in Infant Observation. This means that I’m looking for a pregnant couple who would be willing to have me as an observer of their baby for 1h a week for a duration of 2 years. I’m 54 and I work in a primary school as Learning Support. The Master is through the NHS/Tavistock Center. Thank you.

There’s a huge amount of witchcraft involved in epidurals. Most units do low-concentration so-called ‘mobile’ epidurals these days but how mobile women really are with them is pretty variable and not very predictable. As someone who puts in epidurals for a living there’s no chance I’d be trying to walk around the ward with one!

Hi Lizbiz89, I am glad your found my explanation helpful. Have your looked into hypnobirthing? You can download a recording or buy a CD for little money, you don't need to pay for face to face course, not with the 3rd baby anyway. If you are anxious about hospitals it might just work. Alternatively, I noticed some women cope very well with entonox (gas and air) and TENS machine. I really think you chances of going on a drip with a 3rd baby are very slim. If the doctors mention it to you, by all means, choose the epidural. Otherwise, I think you will be fine with either of the above option. I hope it helps.

Futher to the ealier message... If you decide on hypnotherapy option, make sure that you listen to the recording every day for a few weeks prior to being induced.

Thanks @Tiredbehyondbelief I did hypnobirthing with my 2nd and had a spontaneous natural birth with him. Still ruddy hurt in the transition phase though. I'm going to go in with an open mind and let them know that I would like pain relief should I need it so at least they know where my head is at. Thank you for all of your advice. I will definitely be mentioning about keeping the epidural block low so the pushing stage is easier. Tbh this baby is meant to be smaller which is why they want me induced, and my last was 9.3 so I'm hoping he comes out with not too much effort 🤣