should I have an early epidural?

[Springtime26]

Hello.I am due to be induced at 40 Weeks due to having gestatial diabetes, also because of this I will be on a sliding scale (a drip) through my labour. Resulting in me being bed bound through labour.
My Midwife suggestrd I should therefore opt for an early epidural, before induction, so making epidural easier to go in and avoid unnecessary pain.
my fear of an epidural is not been able to move and being catheterised after.
Am I being silly? What would you do?
Many thanks

I was induced at 40 weeks for different medical reasons and had an early epidural.

My consultant advised having an epidural before syntocinon drip was inserted as contractions come on very strongly with no build-up as in natural labour. I am happy I did this as there came a moment where I let the epidural wear off a bit to see what the contractions felt like and they were very strong and very painful. I got a top-up soon after!

I have to say I had the easiest labour. Epidural and drip were put in at around 10 and my baby popped out at about 4. I was never catheterised and had a mobile epidural so I could move around. Compared to my friends who underwent a more 'natural' labour, I had by far the easiest experience.

Maybe I also had a master anesthetist because during the pushing phase, I felt all the contractions before they appeared on the monitor without any pain.

Hope that helps and best of luck.

If you're being induced using Syntocin then yes, I'd recommend an epidural beforehand - it rapidly increases the contractions much more rapidly than in a normal labour & you don't have time to adapt to this

I was induced at 40+12 with DD simply because she was overdue. I'd been on the drip for about an hour before I found it excruciating and wanted an epidural. I was lucky as the anaethatist (sp?) was free there & then & I had the epidural immediately. As he was finishing, the alarm sounded and he dashed off to theatre and, according to the what I overheard the MW saying, no one else had an epidural for another 2 hours as he was tied up in theatre with one emergency CS after another. I would not have wanted to wait 2 hours!
I'm currently 38 weeks with DC2 and if I end up having the drip this time, I am not going to have it until I have an epidural. Being bed bound & catheterised really isn't the end of the world. Once I'd had the epidural, I had a very relaxed labour as I slept intermittently (but for half hour stretches at a time) and, when I wasn't sleeping, I was reading Grazia & whatever other magazines the MW could find for me.

I was induced on a syntocin drip too - slowly ramped up from about 7am until by about 2pm I was really not having fun, so I asked for paracetamol, got morphine (!) which didn't touch the pain at all, then 1/2 hour later had an epidural.

I was giggling with relief (and perhaps from the morphine) once it was in. I was in a big hospital with a 24 hr on call anaesthetist, who was there within 10 minutes once I asked, but I know that that's not the case most places, so I'd consider having it at the beginning just so you know you can get it.

I was induced on syntocin twice, with DD2 and DS. No epidural either time, but i did insist on being mobile. I couldn't move far because of the drip and monitors but i did move! I had G&A to take the edge off. DD2 was born in 6h, DS in just under 4.

Given you don't know how it's going to feel, I would probably have the epidural sited when they start the drip. Then it's fairly easy to get the drug in if you feel you need it.

Another thing to bear in mind is that (in my hospital at least) once you've had an epidural, you have to have 1:1 MW care. If they don't have enough MW, you can't have epidural whether the anaethestist is free or not. Once you have had it, a MW will always be in the room with you even if you're dozing/reading Grazia.

thank you for your help.I have been told once I have an epidural I won't be allowed to get out of bed. I hate the idea of not been able to move and to not have a shower after the birth.I know that sounds pathetic.
But I think having an early epidural might be the sensible thing to do.