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Original poster

Epidural experiences

32 replies

AngieR87 · 26/02/2024 19:12

I'm due to give birth to baby no. 4 in two weeks. I've never had an epidural before but as its baby no.4 I am well aware of the pain that is going to come. I've got a lot of anxiety about it and am considering an epidural.

Just looking to hear some experiences of other women. Thank you! X

OP posts:
moosloverlover · 26/02/2024 19:15

I loved mine and wish I’d got it earlier (and mine only worked on one side of my body!)

KittytheHare · 26/02/2024 19:17

Had it with all three births, first two times it only worked on one side, but with the third birth it worked fully and was amazing.

TwilightSkies · 26/02/2024 19:20

Amazing! Highly recommend! Why suffer if you don’t have to.

Gabby10 · 26/02/2024 19:34

I loved mine, had it just before I was induced so only felt slightly uncomfortable as DD was back to back but it wasn't horrendous. Helped that you can still move around as well, think I had mine topped up 5/6 times and it was only really with the last one my legs felt a bit weird but I was up walking straight after birth (not by choice they needed my bed!). Go for it! X

gerteddy · 26/02/2024 19:37

Fab! I literally cldnt talk felt like I cld barely breathe and then once I had it I was sat up in bed cldnt feel any pain! Although mine wore off down one side 🤷🏻‍♀️ If that happens to you get them to take it out and do it again I didn't want them to do take it out just try and fix it but it failed. Ended up with emcs anyway but it was amazing when it was fully working.

Caravaggiouch · 26/02/2024 19:37

I was induced and had an epidural after a couple of hours on the drip. They did have to re-site it as didn’t work properly first time but once it kicked in it was wonderful, allowed me to sleep my way to 10cm and made for a really calm and relaxed pushing stage where I just followed the midwives’ advice, pushed DD out in 10 mins and had no tears. Wore off quickly afterwards so I was up on my feet in a few hours, and no lasting effects whatsoever. None of that is guaranteed and there are risks associated with epidurals, but I’d had the negatives so firmly drummed into me that asking for one felt like defeat when in reality it was the best thing I could have chosen.

Bramblecrumble22 · 26/02/2024 19:43

Mine went smoothly, anethatist did a great job dispite me having strong drip induced constractions so being on my side rather than sat up.
Pros - completely pain free, probably trumps all cons.
Able to nap before birth
Cons - needed a catheter that stayed in a bit after birth,
unable to get into a 'foreward and open' position. Harder to know when to push, although by the end I could.

SlowlyLurking · 26/02/2024 20:00

Three births and one epidural - best thing I had. I slept through the majority of labour, woke up and pushed her out in twenty minutes.

DmcinT · 27/02/2024 00:05

I’d a great experience with epidural, would deff recommend. Mine took away all pain but I could still move around, move my legs etc.. I was in lots of position

LorlieS · 27/02/2024 00:11

Horrific personally and only ever the once. I also (naively) did not know I'd have to be hooked up to the monitor needlessly for the rest for my labour and that delayed the progression of labour even further.

Original poster
AngieR87 · 27/02/2024 16:58

LorlieS · 27/02/2024 00:11

Horrific personally and only ever the once. I also (naively) did not know I'd have to be hooked up to the monitor needlessly for the rest for my labour and that delayed the progression of labour even further.

What was your negative experience about it? I'm really keen to hear both sides of the story xx

OP posts:
tulipsunday · 27/02/2024 19:26

Have had two epidurals one only worked on one side but still significantly reduced the pain. Would recommend.

Hopingforbetterluck · 27/02/2024 19:33

I’ve had one very long labour with nothing but gas and air and one with an epidural. I unfortunately had a complication with the epidural and experienced a dural puncture which took a couple of weeks to recover from but even with that I would still choose to have an epidural again if I had another baby.

8DPWoah · 29/02/2024 21:57

Absolutely magic, I got mine put in before they broke my waters (induction), the anaesthetist was delighted to be able to do one on a patient that wasn't yet contracting! I did have episiotomy as well but I might have had that anyway as baby was at a slightly odd angle. Cannula and lack of legs was a bit irritating after the event but they were both resolved within a few hours anyway.

Didn't have time to have one with baby two although didn't necessarily need one anyway. It was certainly a lot calmer with the epidural but in my first birth I was ill with sepsis so didn't want to to move around anyway and the monitoring would have been needed either way, so my experience might have been skewed by that.

TTCJJB · 29/02/2024 22:24

10/10 would recommend. Like the poster above I had mine in alongside my induction, waters were broken, epidural in then the drip. I didn't feel a single contraction or an ounce of pain.

Lindtnotlint · 29/02/2024 22:29

Loved mine :-)

Motherofpearlxoxo · 29/02/2024 22:31

Bloody glorious!!! Loved every minute of Labour/birth after it. Walking again within a few hours. 5 stars, would recommend.

Mayhavingbabyinmay · 29/02/2024 22:35

It was AMAZING, but seems I am the opposite of some of the above - I went completely numb in one leg during the birth haha. My midwife helped hold my leg up GrinBlush.

I waited out 17 hours where I barely progressed from 4 - 6cm and I just could not take it anymore. Finally agreed esp as they wanted to administer pitocin (I think it was) and it was the best decision ever. Lying there and resting, I even slept after not sleeping for 2 days but mind you wasn't very long because I suddenly jumped to 10cm not long after I finally slept

I will caveat that I was terrified to get the epidural because of all the side effects and honestly I could not feel a single thing including the pressure I was supposed to rely on to push... I would defo consider getting it again but those fears around the potential side effects will always be in the back of my mind

Dyra · 29/02/2024 22:43

I've had two drip labours. One without an epidural, and one with.

I wasn't particularly keen on having an epidural owing to a number of factors putting me at risk of needing an assisted birth. I also consider myself to have a reasonably high pain threshold. But as my second was back to back, it made labour very lengthy, and I knew opiates might not cover the rest of labour. It was nice. I could move my legs, and I'm quite confident if I'd been allowed/brave enough I could have walked. It was also handy when the time came to have a C-section. Nothing to do with the epidural, and everything to do with baby's position, which in turn was the reason for needing the epidural in the first place.

Afterwards, I had a painful back for about 18 months. But it stopped when I stopped breastfeeding, along with the hip pain I also had, so might not have been due to the epidural.

If I had another, I would still try to get through labour without, but I would have a lower threshold for having one.

TTCJJB · 29/02/2024 22:45

I'm surprised so many of you could move. Perhaps I was too trigger happy with the button but I was recreating the scene with the grandparents in Charlie and the chocolate factory 😅

Windmill34 · 29/02/2024 23:10

Not a good experience with mine
I was hooked up to a drip first for a few hours until the pains got bad and I couldn’t take anymore! Which wasn’t as I remember that long.

i tried the gas & air (didn’t like that, felt like the room was wizzing)whilst waiting for the anaesthetic to be brought.
Epidural went in fine, but they didn’t tell me was
I would shake !!!! After , so just in case you do

It also prolong the labour too, in the end I was that tired I literally couldn’t push and more I’d been going 23hrs by then and baby was getting distressed so end up with a tear and vontuse(sp)

Mushroo · 29/02/2024 23:16

Not great for me.

I was induced and had been on the drip for about 6 hours with gas and air (after days of sweeps and pessaries).

Had the epidural and it worked, but I felt really cold and shaky, then LOs heart rate dropped and I got rushed for a c section. Apparently it’s a rare (ish) but known side effect (which is why you need the monitor)

But, my labour was really really slow, and I was only 2cms dilated despite strong back to back contractions, so I don’t regret choosing the epidural at all - if anything I think I was headed for a c section anyway and it sped up the process.

justanothermanicmonday1 · 29/02/2024 23:18

With my first I wish I got it straight away. I was trying so hard to be brave 😂

With my second I kept telling everyone who would listen on the induction ward I would like an epidural when I went down to delivery. By then, I was already 7cm gone. But it was amazing.

I would recommend it to anyone in a heartbeat.

TeaPleaseX · 29/02/2024 23:19

Regret it. Had nothing but back pain in the site of the needle since I had it. Don't even know why I wanted it.
I'd had 3 kids before that. Had it in and it hadnt even had a chance to work before I gave birth 6 minutes later. Would just stick to gas and air this time.

User442681bgt · 29/02/2024 23:20

I had an epidural at birth, felt nothing , yes got very bad shakes - don't know if it is connected. I also had an epidural for 3 days as a method of pain control after my hysterectomy (full incision) - that was full on, couldn't stand but did the trick.

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