Thoughts on epidural?

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Pregnant with my first.. my ideal birth is water birth with only gas and air. (I know I'll need to come out of the pool if I decide to have one)

Is it totally unrealistic to think I won't need an epidural? I'm not completely against the idea but would love to just be able to get through on gas and air! What's everybody's experiences with epidurals?

I had a water birth with gas and air.

Look up positive birth company on YouTube, their digital pack helped me massively.

Also ask your midwife about the pros and risks of epidurals.

Good luck

2 horrific induction, both times the epidural was the most amazing thing ever. After 12 hours of agonising back to back baby contractions and only getting to 2cm it was like heaven. If I was stupid enough to have another baby I'd go for an epidural much sooner!

My second birth was just gas and air, but the first needed to go to theatre. You never know what will happen, it's nice to have a plan but also know it might not go to that plan. Good luck

I would just keep an open mind :) Go in the water or cope with gas and air for as long as you can, but if you need to you can step up through the "rungs" of pain relief, so if you aren't coping with just g & a you could perhaps try pethidine or remifentanil if your hospital offers it.

I had a very long first labour and got an epidural in the end, but they shouldn't really have bothered as I was actually in transition and about to push - it was a blessed relief for the short period of time I had it though!

However in my second labour, the worst part was getting the epidural, which I had insisted I would need, when actually i didn't and wished i hadn't got it as it didn't work but did numb my legs! This time I am aiming to avoid an epidural altogether just for convenience really, but certainly won't rule it out.

So like all pain relief options, unfortunately you won't be able to be sure any will be ideal for you as they effect people differently. Definitely would just go in with an open mind and try hypnobirthing and visualisation if you are hoping for minimal pain relief. Good luck :)

I had an epidural with my first as the pain got too much.
It was wonderful. I could still feel the contractions after so knew when to push. I was glad I did as they didn't discover until the last minute the cord was wrapped around her neck and had to pull her out, which I think would have been unbearable without pain relief.

The only problem is once you've had one then you're stuck on the bed and can't really move around. I was very active until then.

You should see how you get on. Labour is very unpredictable.

I wanted a water birth. I ended up with complications as my waters went prematurely, and after several days in labour had an epidural. It was hands down one of the best decisions I made. I really didn’t want one, but it was the right thing. It allowed me a couple of hours rest, and the doctor said afterwards that had I not had the epidural (and break from pain and rest), I was almost certainly heading for shock and would have ended with a c section as I couldn’t have pushed effectively. As it was I got away with an assisted delivery. Don’t close your mind to an epidural. Do what is right for you. No birth is ‘better’ than another, and the important thing is you and baby are safe.

Totally depends.
I had an extremely long induction (5 days) and was nil by mouth 24 hours prior to the start of the drip. I had zero energy after 7 hours on the drip.
Not the birth I wanted but it doesn’t matter.

If you have to have an induction get an epidural! Also get yourself a tens machine, you can hire them online. Bloody brilliant things, I had an awful labour with useless midwives. Not sure what I would of done without my tens machine.

If you need it, you need it. If you don't then you don't. Take it as it comes and do what feels right for you.

Amazing!
I too was induced with horrible back to back labour pains! It was such a relief to have the epidural!
I think it's good to have an idea of how you'd like your birth, but expect things could change as they sometimes do.
In my opinion epidural was fantastic and I'd have one again. Remember nobody gets an award for the least pain relief, if you need it, absolutely have it. No shame at all.

You don't have to have an epidural, I had 4 babies first one with gas and air, next two with gas and air but water births. My 4th was an induction and I had gas and air and Pethadine. But it's good that it's there as an option. If I'd have needed one I'd have had one though. Just don't rule anything out.

Epidurals get a lot of bad press, but until the time comes you can't really say. I didn't like the idea of having one done but after a long labour and not dilating, they actually said that it often helps people dilate quicker as it allows their body to relax.

Still didn't happen for me and ended up in an emergency section, so I ended up even more glad that I went for it!

My only regret was I didn't take the opportunity when I was pain free to try and shut my eyes for some rest! (The midwifes were too lovely and we chatted for hours instead!)

Didn't work at all at first, but speak up if that's the case and they can manipulate it to get it right.

Also - I wanted a water birth, but when I got in water it actually made the pain worse for me because it made the pain inbetween contractions stay! Just go with an open mind. Good luck!

My hospital didn’t offer epidurals so i had no choice on that 😬 but it was fine anyway! I don’t feel like I was hard done by.

I had an epidural that went horribly wrong- the pain relief was immense but the needle went in too far, meaning it was a spinal instead. The post dural 'headache' it created afterwards rendered me completely immobile for over a week afterwards- I literally couldn't turn my neck to look at my baby for a week, had to stay catheterised and be fed food and drink by my husband. It also ruined my chances of being able to breastfeed. Yes epidurals are amazing for many women but the risks are real and in my opinion obviously not worth it.

It's also worth noting that I felt the full pain of contractions and pushing during my (induced) labour as there were no anaesthetists available to come and top it up in the last stages- and I could cope with the pain without it (just!)

It's going to depend on how long the birth is and the baby's position. I know a lot of women who had births under 12 hours who didn't need epidurals.

Have you had gas and air before? I hated every second of it it made me violently sick and there was no time for any other pain relief. I would of loved an epidural!

No way of knowing. I wish I’d had one with my first labour, as I ended up with an episiotomy and forceps on just gas and air. Ouch. But my second was gas, air and water birth. If you are going in with an open mind, that’ll stand you in the best stead.

It's not unrealistic to think you won't need one, but do keep an open mind about having one just in case. You just don't know how you'll feel when it happens. I did it with gas and air, the pool and pethadine at one point, but you don't get a certificate at the end for not having had an epidural, and I'd definitely consider one next time.

I guess you will see once your labour starts.

Some women can cope better and have a different level of pain, others don't.

With my first I started with the idea of as natural as possible, but went into the maternity unit to give birth just in case I needed any help. Ended up with long and painful labour and although contractions regularly every 2-3 minutes, no progress from 5 centimetres for few hours. Had epidural and in 30 minutes I was ready to push.

From then I knew I need epidural. My third labour was super quick with epidural.

Epidurals are amazing. Would you have your chest ripped open without anaesthetic? Or your toe amputated? Of course not! So if your vagina rips open it's only natural and humane to have pain relief.

Is it totally unrealistic to think I won't need an epidural?

Plenty of people do without. So no, not really. I didn’t have one - and I went to give birth at a midwife led birthing center who didn’t offer them. If I’d planned to give birth in a hospital (birthing center was much closer, that’s why I didn’t) then I probably would have been open minded about it. I don’t see why you would back yourself in a corner and say you outright don’t think you’ll need one - if you do you do, if you don’t you don’t. You can have a preference obviously (although you might not even like being in the water when it comes to it, and some can’t stand gas and air either). Unless you need to make a decision based on where you’re having your baby like I did, you don’t need to make a choice about that beforehand. I always recommend being open minded - what will be will be, especially with your first. Having a rigid plan just adds unnecessary pressure.

Is there a local natural birthing support group? I had both of my labours with water and massage as my pain relief. Gas and air was available but I was just too curious as to how bad it would be without. I found it was really only the last few minutes that were truly "painful" (and hardly at all with my second) though some women do have pain free labours. If you want to try without pain relief, then have trust in and listen to your body. I'd also highly recommend a water birth if possible as the relief from the water was top notch. I believed using pharmaceutical pain relief could make me less aware of my body and more likely to need other interventions. Hope you can find some support, if no groups locally you could try a facebook natural birth or positive birth group.

With my first i had a water birth with no pain relief, 8hrs in labour..
With my second i didnt have a water birth but still no pain relief and a 3hr labour.
Im now due on 21st dec with baby #3. Im not against an epidural, if i had a looongg agonising birth i would totally ask for one. You know whats best for you at the time x

I had great water births with just gas, air and paracetamol with both DDs. However I was always open to an epidural if I needed one (tbh though the thought of something going into my spine scares the crap out of me 😂). Like others have said you need to take it as it comes, everyone's labour is different and if you need one then have it, why suffer if you're in horrendous pain?
The best piece of advice my friend gave to me was 'don't lose it' - she said her first labour started to go badly after she just lost control and freaked out. I've always tried to keep this in mind when labouring and it seems to have served me well (may obviously just be utter coincidence!)

The worst thing you can do is over plan how you want your birth to go. I’m afraid it is beyond your control. It’s good to know your options and of course you can have a preference (for whatever reason) but don’t fixate on it.

I was like you and wanted a water birth with gas and air (I actually have no idea why I wanted this now I think About it). I ended up with a back to back baby and an induction and asked for an epidural which was the best decision I ever made. It was amazing. Why anyone would not opt for strong pain relief while going through childbirth I will never know.