Epidural experiences please?

[mumworkstudywine]

I'm due my second baby at the end of the year. With my first, I went meds free and regretted it as I felt completely out of control. I would ideally like an epidural this time but I'm scared that I'll need a catheter. Please share your epidural experiences, good and bad!

I was in hospital 79 hours before I gave birth. Ended up getting an epidural. TBH it's all very hazy as I was shattered, but in the end baby was getting distressed so I was taken to surgery to have forceps, signed c-section agreement if forceps didn't work but fortunately it did. So in that sense as I'd had an epidural already I was ready to go when baby became distressed.

Afraid my experience is not great - I ended up getting one when I had to be induced after labour did not progress once my waters broke - I had not had any sleep for over 40 hours and was knackered , after hours and hours of strong contractions managed by some gas and air , I was told my dc had turned sideways, was in distress and I needed forceps or EMCS if that didn’t work. The epidural itself did not hurt, the hardest part was staying still whilst they put it in during horrendous contractions.
I ended up feeling very spaced out afterwards and I was shaking badly for about 2 hours , I hated not being able to move but the worse part was I developed a large pressure sore on one of my bum cheeks which meant I couldn’t sit down or sit up in bed to bf my baby, had to learn to bf lying down on my side. I still can’t believe I got a sore but that’s another story.... I am forever thankful that my dc was delivered safely and is thriving but it was not a good experience for me . Although I needed the epidural for forceps ( The thought of no pain relief whilst having forceps makes me squirm) I would not choose to have one again.

I had two, both fab. Only regret is I didn't have it earlier. Second time I was still pretty mobile.