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?

Moonlight

I couldn't move around as I had severe SPD so I wasn't able to get into positions to get him to move. It wasn't the epidural stopping me move. I was stuck, propped up, laying on my back (as I was for the last 2 months of pregnancy - might be why he was back to back). Really don't believe the epidural was at fault, but more a combination of things.

Hoping I don't get the SPD as severely this time, tho prepared for it now and doing pelvic floor exercises like you wouldn't believe!

HELL NO!

Needles being poked into your spinal column. Yuk. Hated every minute of it. DH said as it went in that must have hurt as I cried out in pain. I think I upset the aneasthetist as I said my god I can not believe people chose to have this done to them. She seemed quite affronted and said people don't really choose them they are just necessary for some people. This was an emergency section though so may not be as bad if an elective.

Wouldn't dream of one for a VB especially a none mobile one. Important to be able to move in my opinion.

I can compare as i had no pain relief for my first labour and then gas and air and epidural for my second.
I was dead against epidural both times as keen on natural birth etc. Thought i should be able to manage the pain as lots of women worldwide don't have access to epidural and manage just fine. .
Was induced for blood pressure both times so not exactly a natural birth either time.
The first time pains came on gradually and i could manage them using relaxation etc. the second time i was tireder, more stressed and pains came on very suddenly. i lost it and felt very panicky. Tried to get it together but even asking for the epidural made me feel better. I had it only 30 mins before DD was born in the end but i don't regret it. I calmed down and i could work out what was going on in the room around me. Bizarrely i didn't want to have epidural as thought it would reduce feelings of control but with it i did regain control. Perhaps because it had only just gone it i could still feel to push and my second stage was only 6 mins. I could move again very soon afterwards and the stitching up was so much less painful(tore worse the first time despite no epidural).
A friend of mine who had a very prolonged labour told me that when she begged them to 'make it stop' they gave her an epidural. This is the rule of thumb i'd use if i was in labour again. i'd set out to go without, but i wouldn't be proud.If it's painful, even very painful, but you are managing then fine. If you are descending into a sea of panic all the time even between contractions and feel that you have lost it (the 'make it stop' phase for longer than you can deal with and you're still not very dilated), then go for epidural.

I had an epidural the first time round and am now overdue with the 2nd baby. Still very happy to go for the epidural - as I found it extremely helpful when it comes to pain relieve. Yes it slowed things down but without a pain - I would choose it anytime and am intending to this time round too
hope it helps you to decide.
Why not help yourself if you can, hey

Nearly every one that i have met that had an epidural has had to have instrumental help to deliver and therefore lots of stitches, far more than they would have had to have if they hadnt had the epidural. It lengthens labour and prevents you from being able to push as hard as your body naturally would when going through it 'the old fashioned way'.
. It isnt always safe for the baby, in fact my husband has a 'lazy eye' because the forceps damaged it while he was being delivered.

In some european countries they absolutely refuse to give an epidural unless its for a c section. It is deemed that a womans body is designed to give birth and can do so more effectively without pain relief (and has been doing for thousands of years !) There have been babies permanently damaged, disfigured and even killed by instruments that were only needed because the mother had had an epidural.

That's not true for my friends at all. Of all the people I know who had an epidural(and there are quite a few), I am the only one who had an assisted delivery.

I think the best advice is to try to and stay open minded and do what feels right in labour. Don't feel pressured, work with what your body is telling you. Don't have any expectations of what it'll be like, what you'll be like, or how your body will cope, just listen to your body.

x

Thanks for the comments. I think we need to avoid over generalising though. Yes, a side effect of epidurals is that labour can be lengthened but not in ALL cases and some women can push without any problem.
I have met quite a few women who delivered without using any instruments, so not sure why you have only come across this Dooky.

Also I think we need to be aware that in some European countries they routinely give epidurals! so we need to take each labour on a case by case basis and not scare all women off having something that MAY be of benefit to them.

My original question was really to mum's that have had an epidural to see whether they would have another one and I've taken on board quite a few positive and negative comments re: Epidurals in this process which I've really appreciated.

just an aside: with the mobile epi (didn't take all the pain away though), I could push fine, but couldn't feel I was pushing. no pain when baby came out, which was great.. No forceps or whatever and no perineal damage. For me, the epidural just saved my sanity after 36 hours labour...

I had an epidural after more than 24 hours b2b labour, and SIX hours after asking for one - busy night at the hospital. Having already been in labour so long it was a completely blessed relief and I was almost euphoric with the magic of going from absolute agony every couple of minutes to feeling nothing and most importantly at that stage to being able to sleep.

The baby wasn't born for another 10 hours, maybe due to the epi but I didn't mind as I got to sleep. In the end, a consultant came in and balked at how long I'd been in labour. He asked the mw to start prepping me for theatre, left the room and I pushed ds out while he was gone.....maybe due to numbness I tore pretty badly but I was so grateful for the epi that I'd have no hesitation recommending one to other 1st timers

Definately recommend one but it's one of those things that you won't know how good they are until you're there!

DD birth was an awful drawn out affair with just gas and air. Asked for an epidural but they said I was too close for it to work - 6 hours later with a lot of fuss she was born. An epidural would have made those last 6 hours much better and I would have been in a much better position to listen to the MW/consultant when they were telling me to do things/like push. BTW I could feel to push, but didn't have a clue what I was doing so still didn't push properly, I ended up with a load of stitches.

DS1 was induced I had the epidural sited before the contractions started, had the drugs added after 2 contractions. Had a relaxing day, watching tv, joking with dh and reading mags. By the time he was born 8 hours later I was calm and able to listen to instructions. The epi had been allowed to wear off slightly so could tell when I had a contraction and he came out with 3 pushes. Was the best birth experience ever. The MW came in half way through Johnathan Ross and said it was time to push, I asked if she could come back after it had finished (she did!).

DS2 - was born too quickly for an epi - I burst into tears when I found out! The only benefit I could see for not having an epi is that you can leave hospital after 4 hours where if you have one they like you to stay in for 8!

Don't be scare to ask for one and if you do one one don't leave it for too long! Good luck with the birth.

Wow - I can go on!

Hey there - haven't read all the posts but here's my tuppenorth ...

Had an epidural with DS after about 20 hours of labour. It worked for me. Had a mobile one so could move around and even go to the loo; contractions continued strongly; gave birth kneeling up until the very end when I was on my back but that was my choice as I found it easier to push that way; could still feel contractions and knew when to push. DS was big (10lb 7 ) but I barely tore and only needed a single stitch; I'm pretty sure this was at least in part down to the epidural because I felt calm and could go with what the midwives said (push, wait, breathe etc). And I was up and about again within the hour.

So ... hadn't planned to have one, realise there are many attendant risks and I was, I think, lucky, but it really did work for me and in answer to your question I'd certainly have one again. Good luck!

Haven't read the whole thread, but just wanted to say I had a real birth phobia and was always going to have epidural ASAP (without this reassurance I probably wouldn't have got pg at all - know a few people who've had nightmare births and insisted on telling me every terrifying detail ).

I went 13 days over, had to be induced and had the epi before the drip went in.

I'd been upset at the prospect, but the result was a fabulous, calm, chilled-out birth. I didn't need stitches, was able to bf straightaway and was up and about within hours.

It would be a nightmare for someone who really wanted a natural birth, but for me it was perfect and I would choose it again without hesitation. Good luck

I had an EL CS and a very skilled anaesthetist perform the epidural. He numbed all from boobs down to just above the knees. I could wriggle my toes throughout the OP. I was up and walking the next morning though feeling in my legs returned 2h after OP.

It was a weird feeling when it set to work though. Like an electric current running down my spine...brrr. I'll probably opt for a general the next time round as it was all a bit too much for me.

A friend of mine had it down relatively early on and it really helped her before she had to push.

Would def. say epi above spinal. Bit more complicated to administer but less risks for the mum than with spinal.

Haven't read all the posts but just wanted to say that after being in latent labour for 2 1/2 days and having had no sleep there was absolutely no way I could have coped with the eventual forceps delivery I had without an epidural. Before I went into labour I was adament that I didn't want one AT ALL, and I wanted a water birth with nothing stronger than gas and air. But the baby had other ideas and was awkward and took her sweet time! I think you just have to go into things with an open mind, and play it by ear, especially if it is your first as you will never know how you will be able to cope with the pain until that moment arrives!

I had an epidural with my first because the midwife kept going 'do you want an epidrual, do you want an epidrual, do you want an epidrual', even though I was coping until finally I gave in. Turns out that by the time they got it in I was ready to push and so couldn't feel anything to push, so it was very frustrating and I ended up with a ventouse delivery. I know that this is controversial but some people say if you've had an epidural the baby is very sleepy and this was certainly the case with DD1; cue midwives shouting 'wakey wakey' at her to try to get her to wake up and feed, trouble getting feeding establiseh etc. I'm not saying this was necessarily because of the epidural but it was my experience. With DD2 I wanted to have a natural birth and chose to go to the birth centre for other reasons also - more one-to-one care and (in my hospital anyway) you get your own room etc etc. Anyway the pain was atrocious, but I did it and the baby latched on straightaway and feeding went swimmingly (but I already knew how to breastfeed so this needs to be taken into account) I definitely felt that I had a more alert baby, but really in a sample of two babies you can't compare! It's worth bearing in mind, and I think my experience shows this, that you don't want an epidural for the pushing stage because you need to be able to feel the baby to push it out. Lots of people do really well on G&A I just couldn't bear having it over my face, but I wish that someone had encouraged me to give it more of a go! I had no stitches either time.

I was induced and labour kicked in very fast and at force 10!! I panicked, had an epidural and it all became much more manageable. It was like turning the volume switch down on the pain - I could still feel the contractions but they were ok. What I didn't know was that the anaesthetist had punctured my spinal membrane which left me with an 'epidural headache' the next day. I was in hospital for nearly two weeks in agonising pain if I tried to stand up, with a newborn to look after! But that is another story! I was unlucky but still feel that epidural was the right decision and it made my labour controllable and (well, almost!) enjoyable.

Meant to add that I didn't need any instrumental help to deliver and only had a few stitches. Another friend of mine also had an epidural with no instruments involved at all and no stitches either. So it's not always a given that that has to happen.

i had an epidural with ds1 due to being induced after i had meconium in my waters. he was back to back and it gave me great relief. i could still feel the contractions so knew when to push, only had a minor tear.

ds2 i planned to be a water birth but again was back to back and i decided to go to hospital to see whathappened, and have the opurtunity to have one if needed. i did have one as at 6cm all i wanted to do was push.

it worked for me!

I had epidural with dc1. Very long labour and i found it a huge help and had no problems during or after. I had no regrets.

dc2 came very quickly so was no time for any pain relief at all. The pushing part totally shocked me if i'm honest and i had lots of dreams about it for many weeks. If i'm honest, had it been possible i probably would have had an epidural again.

However, looking back having done both, i
have to say that i am so pleased that i have experienced a natural birth.

ps I had pretty bad headaches too after the epidural, which the midwives out down to tiredness, but I am not convinced...

pps re the comment above about pushing properly - no-one told me until the middle of the second stage of my second labour that the muscles you need to use are the ones you use to push out a poo, or to quote my midwife 'imagine you're doing a big shite' (sorry if TMI), but this was really helpful! Then I pushed properly, so, yes, it is like pooing a watermelon.

I had a long labour where I took various pain relief - G&A, Meptid x2, Birthing pool, TENS machine and finally an epidural. It started off ok, then only worked down 1 side, and then corrected itself and was utter bliss. Yes I had to stay on the bed but there was no 'legs akimbo' or anything like that and I could still feel and move them. When it came to push I could feel the pressure and I could just about feel when I needed to push, although obviously I never got the actual sensations etc. I have a history of bad back pain but there was no aggravation. My labour was not slowed, contractions remained very strong and LO was not distressed. The only complication I had was that my bladder was not drained by catheter early enough so I had to stay in hospital for observations for a couple of days to make sure it was functioning properly.

On the whole, I think that when you reach your breaking point you will take an epidural irrespective of whether you previously wanted one or not. You will know when you can't go on. I had been having very strong contractions for 24hrs and had been in the MLU for 8hrs when I finally cracked, the MW had just told me I was 6cm and was half way!!

I truly believe that if my labour had been a nice 7hr labour then an epidural wouldn't have been on the cards, but you have to go with the flow, being a martyr is all well and good but how many people do you really think you are going to impress?

Yes pain is only temporary, but I tell you this, if you've got to the point where an epidural is looking like a good idea it doesn't farking feel like it's only temporary!!

Oh, I didn't need forceps etc, in fact I was pushing for less than 30mins altho I did still end up with a 2nd degree tear.

I am still behind the idea of having the epidural. It is indeed a bless! Ok, you may need some assistance but then again you may not as lots of other mums mentioned. I have had ventouse and my lovely baby was just fine and so was I. You can always say no to assistance - so if anyone is worried about forceps - just say you don't want them. They won't use them unless you agree. Oh dear - yes I can too go on
Go ahead and have the epidural! I am going to have it too - if time allows me - being induced for 2nd time on Monday as am now overdue with my 2nd baby.
Lots of luck!

I had pethidine and epidural with my first birht and it was fab, very calm and I felt completely in control at all times. Second birth the mw didn't want to give me anything (not even G&A!) though there was plenty of time etc and I was shocked and panicky by the pushing stage and hated the whole experience, esp. tearing and the stitching afterwards, which was nearly as bad as the birth itself.

Third birth coming up - undecided as yet, would probably opt for an epidural again as it's so much less exhausting than the constant pain. It really is up to the individual however and how quick and straightforward your labour is.

BTW, with my first birth I did loads of perineum massage, OFT, prenatal yoga etc and still had an episiotomy. All the women in my family seem to tear and/or have epsiotomies, the MWs say it's just our shape