Epidural and pushing experiences

[Hann376]

Hi

can anyone share their experiences with an epidural and whether this affected pushing and led to episiotomy or forceps/ventouse and bad tears?

I definitely want one as I know will help me stay calm and keep my energy up but I’m terrified of the negative effects. My hospital doesn’t do mobile epidurals and have said I’d need to give birth on my back propped up which obviously doesn’t help with being able to push effectively. I also asked if I can get it to wear off before pushing but they said they wouldn’t advise having it wear off as it’s a shock to your body if you go from zero pain to all the pain!

thanks :)

Hiya, I had an epidural after I found out I was only 3cm dilated after about 12 hours of contractions with an induction :(

I had to lie on my back and push as you've mentioned and I did end up having to have an episiotomy so that doctors could help the baby out with a ventouse. I had minor tearing which required some stitches. It was quite uncomfortable for about a week afterwards but mostly the first couple of days - when I asked a midwife she said it was all quite swollen and I don't know if that's what happens to everyone or if my discomfort was worse because of that. Without the epidural I don't think I could have gone on in labour as long as I did and probably would have ended up with a c section which has a worse recovery period (although everyone who has sections seems to love them so I am not sure how bad the recovery actually is!). I was really scared about tearing beforehand and had said I wanted to avoid an episiotomy at all costs but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. Obviously some people do have worse experiences though so I was quite lucky.

My first I needed an episiotomy to get her out and my pushing technique wasn't great. I don't think that was really the epidural though as one of my problems was I kept lifting my bum in the air so I don't think I was that numb, I distinctly remember the sensation of her coming out as well (but no pain).

My second I was totally numb and pushed him out very effectively in just a few minutes!

My friend gave me her top tip which seemed to work really well: push from your diaphragm, not your bottom. Imagine that you are pushing down a coffee plunger in your insides rather than doing a poo. It felt very effective to push like that.

I got an epidural 3 hours into my labour as I was over the pain😂 it had literally just taken a hold and I got this overwhelming urge to push and the pressure was insane. I pushed her out in two pushes and it was bliss. No pain whatsoever and there was no fighting that pushing urge. If they had known I was probably 9cm dilated when they put it in i don't think they would have gone ahead. She was my second though which is probably why it was faster. Very good experience from me. If you can manage some of the labour without it and stand as much as possible i think that helps x

I had an epidural, as a poster above mentioned after a full day of almost constant contractions on the drip but then I found out I was only 2-3cm dilated.
The back of the bed was propped up and I fell asleep like that for 3 hours
I woke up with feeling strong pressure, rang the buzzer and midwife said I was 10cm but we'll give it another hour for baby to move down
I left it 20 mins but the pressure was massive, I was moo'ing away uncontrollably and pushing and panicking, partner rang the buzzer Nd midwife came back in and said she could see babies head
I'd already moved up the bed a bit and was squatting but midwife asked me to stretch my legs out so she could see, so I was pretty much on my back
20 mins pushing which I could feel the pressure and sore pain from crowning but my body just did it I couldn't fight it, no assisted delivery and only minor internal grazes and tears which I was stitched for as they kept bleeding but I do bleed easily so overall very positive experience

I had an epidural which was apparently quite lightly dosed. I could still feel the contractions but it was reduced to the level of mild period pain. After I had the epidural I lay on my side and had a nap. I was planning to try and stand up and move around after resting, but as it happened I went from 3cm to fully dilated in a couple of hours while I was lying down. The epidural was wearing off as I reached the pushing stage. I definitely felt the urge to push very strongly and I don't think the epidural affected my ability to push at all.

One thing to bear in mind is that in the UK women usually only have an epidural if they are being induced or if they are having a long and difficult labour and really need some relief. These things are correlated with needing further interventions. In countries where most women have an epidural just because it is the most effective form of pain relief, many women have completely straightforward vaginal births. So the fact that it is part of your birth plan is a positive thing because it means you want to choose it for the pain relief, rather than deciding to have it when you've already been in labour for a while because you feel you're not coping.

You might have to be prepared to insist on getting the epidural in a timely manner and not be fobbed off by midwives offering you a bit of gas and air.

@MissScarletInTheBallroom the NHS attitude to epidurals is baffling to me. I've been on the labour ward of a public hospital in Malaysia for quite a while now and have heard the doctors saying things like: "did you want an epidural? Ok, order an epidural" "No need to try and bear the pain, we can get you pain relief". There's no trying to convince women to go without pain killers!