Alternatives to epidural

[Qasidy]

If I don't take an epidural, is there a way to numb the vaginal area through some other medication which doesn't have long term negative effects?
I'm just worried that if I don't get an epidural and end up with tears down there, I don't want to feel the pain of tearing down there and I certainly don't want to be able to feel the pain of them stitching me up, so would like them to at least numb that area but not sure of my options

I think you can have a local for the stitching after? I’m not aware of anything that numbs like that during though! Options if I recall were epidural, gas & air & pethidine. If it helps, I was ok with gas & air.

With both of mine I only had gas and air and suffered 2nd degree tears both times. I didn't feel the tears happen at all. With my first I was taken to surgery post birth due to a retained placenta so needed a spinal which meant I didn't feel them stitch me up. With my second I was given an injection to numb the area before being stitched but it did still hurt, nothing a bit of gas and air didn't solve though

I had stitches with, iirc, a local injection and g&a. Didn’t feel anything.

They will give you local anaesthetic to stitch but the only other pain relief options for labour are paracetamol (I don't know why they even suggest that one), gas and air or pethadine. None of them will numb like the epidural sadly.

I was worried about this with my second as I’d had an epidural with my first (swore blind I’d never have one but it was a life saver after a long labour and I had no lasting effects whatsoever). I had an episiotomy followed by stitches with my second and didn’t feel a thing, not even the local injections. I’m such a wuss with needles but I’d do it all again tomorrow

Thank you everyone for responding, I feel a little more relaxed and informed. I was just thinking if during an unmedicated birth they need to use intervention like forceps, would they numb you with something at that point or do they insert the forceps without numbing?

@Qasidy unfortunately you don't get given anything extra for a forceps delivery. With my DS I had forceps, an episiotomy and a tear with just the gas and air

I had a forceps delivery with a full spinal block, and I'd had an epidural in labour,.

I had a low dose epidural for the birth but then needed a manual retrieval of my retained placenta so they gave me a bigger dose of the epidural medicine to properly numb down there.

They can give a pupendal block which is local anaesthetic to just that region. It's unusual to have forceps without anaesthetic if there is no epidural in place.

If you have stiches and can feel it, always tell them to stop and apply more anesthetic. Don't put up with pain from it.

@Qasidy

Thank you everyone for responding, I feel a little more relaxed and informed. I was just thinking if during an unmedicated birth they need to use intervention like forceps, would they numb you with something at that point or do they insert the forceps without numbing?

Honestly you won't worry about that at the time & you won't really feel it.

That's not to say you won't be in pain - it is labour but it's a different kind of pain to anything else.

You are less likely to need forceps if you don't have an epidural, but yes they would try and do something. Even if you only had gas and air apparently it is a effective as morphine, just extremely short acting.

I had forceps in theatre due to my sons head being sideways. I had to have a full spinal block, this may be different to normal though as I was in theatre not delivery suite for the forceps.

I've previously had a c section around 20 months ago and planning on normal delivery next, will I still be allowed to have an epidural after a VBAC ?