mum's who've had epidurals - would you have another one?????

[liznay]

I'm having my first baby in 12 weeks or so and having watched around 100 births now on Discovery H&H i'm convinced that I'm going to have an epidural.

Why is every (wo)man and his dog trying to talk me out of it though? I don't understand why someone would want to be in that much pain when you can choose not to?
I know there are risks attached to having an epidural but some people have said I won't be able to push the baby out.
I was under the illusion that women have given birth whilst in a coma, so why wouldn't the contractions ease the baby down the birth canal?

If you've had an epidural or if you had both a natural birth and an epidural to compare the two - would you have another one?

I agree with what you're saying, fabsmum, and I agree that maternity services should be improved. However, here in the Netherlands where 30% of births are at home and it is well nigh impossible to get the epidural (thus a very strong culture of natural childbirth and not being drugged up, unlike for example France where everyone has the epidural), they don't have such fantastic breastfeeding rates, and their perinatal mortality is higher, though overall infant mortality is the EU average. I'm looking into this a lot because of impending birth here.. In the Netherlands there is a very strong midwife tradition and if you have a normal pregnancy you will never see a doctor, and can give birth at home under most circumstance that wouldn't be 'allowed' in the UK, e.g. VBAC. However, this tradition is maintained by basically scaring women and providing false information about epidurals, and just not providing them to women in labour, especially outside office hours. To me this is really a breech of human rights, to deny adequate pain relief in the case of serious pain, however 'natural' the cause.

Of course the ideal would be fantastic maternity care where you have 1 on 1 care to help you through, then fewer epidurals would be needed, I'm sure. But also the choice and the latest technology, e.g. mobile epidurals should play a role. All I am advocating for is choice and also the fundamental principle that it is your right to get adequate pain relief, and not some ethos about the pain being good for you just because the process is natural..

sorry, I meant 'breach' of rights, obviously got baby positions on my mind!

DD is 5 mths. I was induced and had an epidural. I was going to have one anyway.

There is NO WAY I would ever have a baby WITHOUT AN EPIDURAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was AMAZING. Once I had it, I felt nothing.

I had a forceps delivery because dd's heart rate was dropping. I don't know if I would have needed one or not. However, I was happy to have forceps and an episiostomy (sp) as I only had to push a couple of times and out she popped.

I had some discomfort for a few days afterwards but then was fine.

I don't get why anyone would put themselves through all that pain.

People should have the choice whether to have an epidural or not.

I can't bear it when people harp on about natural births and no drugs as being the only way forward.

Natural birth, to me, equates with natural tooth extraction.

Haven't read all replies, sorry.

Weigh it up. Epidural reduces the pain you feel significantly. The reason most women who decide not to have one don't is because of the 'cascade of intervention' it can so often lead to - long pushing stage, eipisotomy/ventouse/forceps, c-setcion because of foetal distress cause dby too long a pushing stage etc.

I don't think many women really harp on about natural birth because they want to feel superior or 'hard'...or because they are weirdy hippies who thrive on pain! I think many have often had an unhappy, medically managed birth experience that they don't wish to repeat.

I had an epidural as soon as they would let me, about 5/6cm I think.

It was wonderful, and because I had it early in the labour it had worn off considerably by the time I came to push.
I could still feel contractions which helped me to deliver, and I was also able to get up and walk around immediately after dd was born.

Although it didn't completely block the pain, it reduced it dramatically, and it made my labour a pleasurable and joyful experience.

I had no tears, cuts or stitches with my 7lb10oz dd [bucket fanjo emoticon], and I think this was in part due to being able to feel when to push.

Would absolutely do it again, if I ever manage to bite the bullet and have a second child.

I had an epidural after I'd been labouring for 30+ hours (very long and painful latent stage) with just my TENS and G&A. I really needed to rest as I was exhausted at that point and I thought the epidural would help me do that. It worked like that for several of my friends.

However, unfortunately I had a bad reaction to it - kept wearing off quickly on my left side, so I needed regular top ups, but each top up sent my bp crashing and made me shivery and delirious. Plus it slowed everything down so I eventually needed syntocinon to speed things up. So the next 10-12 hours were pretty miserable.

The one good thing though is that it didn't affect delivery - they let it wear off (and to be honest I had had enough of the bp crashing stuff so was willing to try and cope with the pain again!) and I was able to deliver DS naturally in 50 mins. I was on my back though and it was very uncomfortable.

I don't mean to scare you, but I did just want to point out that an epidural isn't always the complete pain relief that you think it can be. I thought it would be, and was more worried about a cascade of intervention, but I did have a miserable time while on the epidural and it slowed down my labour so I was suffering for longer IYSWIM. Also, my recovery was slower as I was so unbelievably numb in my back and buttocks for several days afterwards.

Still hindsight is a wonderful thing - it was the right decision at the time, it just went badly. I will be less likely to have one next time, but if needs must... The only advice I can give is that you need to weigh up the pros and cons of an epidural and perhaps see how you get on before you have one. You may find that labour isn't as bad as you've seen on Discovery

No, it failed! and I told them it had failed! and they didn't believe me and it was a cesearan. It was only after I was screaming in agony that they believed me and put me out.

No, no, no, no, no and no.

oh yes.

tv magazine

lush

But I have to say, it has to be down to your own personal choice and preference. I had one that went wrong, and left me in agony for weeks after the birth. Thats why I am so vehemently opposed them. A dear friend of mine loves them. It's diffrent strokes for different folks.

Its a pretty damn good way to releive pain - but having done it both ways with drugs and without, if I ever did it again - it's be as near as drug free as I could have it

"People should have the choice whether to have an epidural or not. "

Well - usually they do have a choice.

And I don't think anyone here is arguing that they shouldn't.

"I can't bear it when people harp on about natural births and no drugs as being the only way forward."

But people don't say that natural birth is the only way to do it.

Do you think - given that nobody here is saying that natural birth is the only way to do it - that perhaps what you actually object to is people airing their very reasonable concerns about the affect of major interventions like epidurals on the normal physiology of labour, and on babies?

Why would it bother you people saying this?

"I don't get why anyone would put themselves through all that pain"

With respect - you obviously haven't read this thread very carefully, because those of us who chose not to have epidurals explained our reasons. I did without it to reduce the risk of injury to me and to my baby and because I value breastfeeding and don't want to put that at increased risk either.

"Natural birth, to me, equates with natural tooth extraction"

It's a bad sad how many people use this analogy - as though normal birth is pathological and as though there is only one person's health at stake instead of two.

Even Dr Sears (American natural childbirth and breastfeeding guru) thinks that there is such a thing as a good epidural, if the mother is in extreme pain or is exhausted.

I would have had one again if natural childbirth hadn't worked out (my babies just don't seem to want to descend), but I'm glad that I didn't need one this time around as the recovery was faster. Horses for courses.

I think you need to keep an open mind about what is best. I had an mobile epidural after being in labour for 28 hours and it was the best decision. The whole labour was 33 hours long.

I was able to feel the contractions, but it took off the pain and I didn't need any interventions like ventuse or forceps. This was quite impressive considering that my son was born with hand coming out first. I had a second degree tear because of the awful presentation.

I had one with DS and didn't like having to be catheterized, not knowing when to push, having to be hauled back up the bed when I slid down because I couldn't move my legs, and having a shower after he was born when I still didn't have all the feeling back and felt like I was going to fall over.

I didn't have one when DD was born, which I much preferred.

However, that's just my personal opinion. Some people swear by them, they work out well for them, and if you want one don't be swayed by others.

Hi, I had an epidural in my first labour and it was absolutely the best decision I could have made - it was a long labour and I was knackered. It enabled me to rest and prepare for pushing. Don't feel bad about having one if you do go down that road. With my second baby I had a home birth and no pain relief which was also great as it was a shorter labour. I don't feel that the home birth was the "better" birth - an epidural can be absolutely the right thing to do depending on your situation.

I had an epidural. I eneded up needing to have a lot of intervention, but that may well have happened anyway, as a result of being overweight. And next time (hopefully there will be a next time!) I plan to have an epidural again. But I want the gas and air first! Great stuff!

MrsTittleMouse I've been looking for you. Congratulations on your dd!

Gem Would you include elective c/s in the rights of 'choice'?

MrsTittleMouse - I'm Starlight!!

moonlight: yes, I would.

If men had to do it, the epidural would be the done thing! Had one despite my natural birth plans - was the best thing after 30 hours of labour.

Thank you Starlight!

I had my final counselling session this week (a debrief of the delivery). The counsellor asked me if an intervention-free delivery had restored my faith in childbirth. I think that she secretly wants me to have another baby (she used to work in maternity services)! But actually, the fact that the delivery was long and very difficult and the fact that DD2 didn't want to descend, despite being my second and positioned well, has completely convinced me that my body just isn't designed for childbirth. We came so close to being transferred again.

So we're just counting ourselves very lucky that we have two healthy daughters and concentrating on making sure that I heal well.

I had an epidural as I needed to have a drip and I knew that the drip would make the contractions more painful. However, I didn't know that the epidural would mean that I couldn't move around. I felt an urge to get on all fours but couldn't because of the epidural.

Plus, when they put it in it kinked, so it only worked on one side! I found gas and air worked well for the pain that I could feel so am hoping to make do with that this time.