giving birth with epidural

[ranirani]

how doe s this work? is it painful to get it done and also do you feel any pain through giving birth?, where they inject the drug and WHAT happens afterwards?? To they use forceps to take a baby out, anything else I should know?
thanks x

star I tore first time. i was shit scared about tearing, and I ended up with a second degree tear. and you know what? in the grand scheme of things it really wasn't so bad.

second time round had a bigger baby and a much quicker labour and he was back to back.
no tearing.

you just can't tell. but personally I wouldn't go for a c-section just in case. Having a totally natural birth was the most amazing thing I have ever done, and I honestly mean that. I can't even begin to describe how proud I felt of myself for doing it (espefcially after the amount of intervention with ds1 lol)

your body is designed to be able to do this. and if you let it, it can

yeah I know... I've really come a long way since finding out I was pg... I know that I don't want a cs. I want to give it a try and do the best I can. It just makes me panic and nauseous thinking about it.

yes the mw at my booking in appointment made an appointment for me to "talk through" this with someone - but that's in a few weeks (at 28 weeks, I think) I'm 25 wks now. I think she thought I'd naturally calm down and wouldn't need support by 28 wks perhaps!

star6, have you thought about hiring a doula to be with you during the birth?

hmmmm no.... but maybe an option... how much does that cost?

ask lulumama lol
a friend of mine had a trainee one and I think they're only allowed to charge a minimal fee. they're virtually qualified though, so it's a good compromise if you couldn't afford one otherwise.

Doula UK and www.nurturingbirth.co.uk have info about doulas.

good luck with it. you will surprise yourself!

am oop north so my pricing is different to down south. lots of doulas are flexible on price and trainees very reasonable and some will doula for free/ expenses only when training

thanks!! this is very helpful. does the doula interfere with husband's role in the delivery room? Wouldn't want him to feel left out...

Star6, if you're scared, take the epidural. I'm a silly scaredy cat, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I actually wanted an epidural from the start. And I had one, and it was the best possible option for me.
It didn't hurt going in - contractions hurt more, and I was allowed to use gas&air.

The epidural was brilliant - I could still feel my legs, and it wore off towards the end and - be impressed, people! - the most pathetic woman in town managed to push her baby out without a top up! I didn't think pushing hurt so much - it was more of a relief, sort of.

I then tore - didn't feel the tearing happening at all.

Unfortunately, I had a retained placenta so had to go to theatre - if I'd done it without an epidural, I would have had one after the baby came.

Then - peeing wasn't too bad really with the stitches. I was expecting absolute agony, but it stung a bit, that's all.

Just thought my experience might help - and do message me if you want to chat more - because I really am the biggest wimp in town. Can't have injections, and cried when I cut myself shaving. Two nurofen for a leg wax - get the idea? Also totally terrified of labour, but now that I've done it I'm feeling all empowered! Baby is 2 weeks old so it's still quite fresh!

I've read on a bit - Star6, you're where I was at during pregnancy. Message me if you want - I was terrified, but got through it ok.

Oh - btw - no intervention, despite the epidural.

I had an epidural when the pain of the hormone drip contractions became too much. They use local anaesthetic to numb the area, but it was uncomfortable having it put in, as it took a while to find a suitable site and they had to keep stopping for contractions. but once it worked, ooooooo, such bliss. An epidural was the one thing I did not want, but boy am I glad.

My son was turned by forceps in theatre but I pushed him out. Make no mistake, sometimes it is necessary to guide the baby by forceps, but you push. You won't feel anthing, but aim for your rectum and just throw your weight behind it. I did and Nathan was out up to his mid chest in one push and the rest followed soon after.

Go with the flow, once you need an epidural you will appreciate it.

I am terrified of pain as well: nurofen before waxing, can't even go to the doctor for blood test. When they take it, every time I feel like I am going to faint. I as researching elecitve cs and there are different opinions... I always thought I will do it with c section but now hearing that epidurial does not hurt as much, what the hell?? I think this is definitely an option for me. Wtare birth - apparently so i was told, if you decide to go for water birth, they do not give you an epidurial, is it right?

Ranirani I don't think you can have an epidural with a water birth. (I scoffed at the thought of giving birth with just water...) Hey - you're my twin, I faint with blood tests too!

I think be brave, try with an epidural. It's civilized, and I wouldn't do it without. And I'm not ashamed to admit that - giving birth is scary, and too much pain for me! I found that birth wasn't so...animal and bloody as I expected. (I refused the mirror to see what was going on down there though!) I really wouldn't have done it without the epidural. But strangely, although when I was first pregnant I did try for an elective c-sect, by the time I was in labour I was in fear of the cs. (Birth plan, which had questions, asked whether I wanted to be conscious if it came to cs and I said no! Too scary!)

I was conscious throughout my CS and it was less scary than I imagine a cs with a general would be. I felt them pulling DS1 out but it wasn't the least bit painful because I'd already had the epidural. And I got to see him the minute he came out, which was a really special moment. My only complaint is that they took him into another room to be weighed and measured while I was being stitched up.

I had an epidural after over 24 hours of contractions and no sleep. Was uncomfortable going in, however as others have said, the relief was incredible. It allowed me to have a couple of hours sleep and relax, which was very much needed. However, I am sure it slowed things down and despite being put on the drip to encourage contractions, it still took a long time for me to be fully dialated. I also ended up pushing for two hours before the consultant decided that DS was stuck and needed a ventouse delivery. He tried to get the anaesthatist back to top up my epidural, however he was off doing someone's c-section, so I had to have the episiotomy and ventouse without any extra pain releif. I'm pretty sure that bit hurt, but may have blocked it out as I can't really remember! I do remember the stitches hurting like buggery though! I'm pg again and, while I'm not ruling out another epidural, I'm definately going to focus a lot more on trying to get through without it, in order to avoid the cascade of intervention.

Hi Essie3, sorry, fell asleep before your message last night. I tried to message you, but mn says that you don't accept messages... would love to chat more with you Congrats on the new baby!!!

I read on your profile that you're a medieval historian lecturer... my husband has his MA in Medieval History (from Kings College, London) and this is his dream job!! (he currently teaches secondary school history).

Ranirani - I looked into the elective cs, too. I actually found a way to make nhs let me have one if i wanted it... but now the recovery time and after effects are not so lovely and I'm thinking epidural is the way to go (and will def ask from the first contraction until they give it to me... I know many of you will disagree with this idea).
The whole thing is really scary and every time you get more comfortable with the idea... then you hear about "tearing" and stuff like that it just makes me feel ill and scared again!!!
Been trying to just focus on the baby for the moment to reduce stress. We set up the moses basket and stand in our bedroom (I know EARLY at 25 wks...oh! 26 weeks today!! but it has helped to think about the BABY rather than the birth).

ranirani

I know loads of people have posted lots of useful information but I just thought I would share
I had an epidural when my daughter was born, and no it did not hurt.

it wasn't my intention to have it in the first place but by then I had been in labour and in pain for well over 24hrs and was desperate for rest. until then I had been fine with only a tens machine.
with hindsight I think it slowed things down and prologued labour.
I think that, had we been calmer and had better support it would have been different.

I pushed dd out without assistance and could fee the contractions quite clearly and could also 'think' what muscles to use to push, I blame pilates.

but I would not like to do this again if I get a chance to do it again I do not want an epidural

best of luck to you, all I can say about the pain experience is that it feels like a different sort of pain not really like other pain and I don't mean it in a bad way iyswim

rani, you cannot have an epidural if you have a a water birth as you have a fine catheter in your back to deliver the drug to you, it can also lower your blood pressure, so you need more monitoring. also, epidurals compromise your mobility, some make you totally immobile, so you cannot be immobile in water! too dangerous! water itself is an excellent pain reliever

ranirani
having an elective CS to avoid pain is bokers, IMO. You still have an epidural or a spinal block (both administered through your spine) then they cut you open and take the baby out. They then sew up your uterus, sew up your belly and you have 6 weeks or so to heal, as opposed to 2 weeks with vaginal birth. Elective CS is useful for women who need it, but you don't, and it's not an easy option!

Bonkers!

I totally see your point kat2907 but it's not always all about just avoiding the pain... there are often other factors involved - just so that you are aware. But, as I have said, I've come a long way from wanting an elective c section to wanting to try my best (with epidural option there from the start).

star6, only you know what other factors are involved, but I do hope that with plenty of support you will be ble to prepare for and deal with the birth. I would not advise an epidural from the start as at first it may be quite manageable and otherwise you may spend a lot of time with limited movement and you will find it harder to stay active which in turn can make labour more difficult. But do write in your birthplan that you are very likely to request one, so that an anaestist is on hand, as it can take a while to find one if they are busy.

You are clearly doing your best to deal with fears/issues. Do you have a supportive midwife. Maybe this has been said before, so apologies to that person, but most hospitals have a midwife who specialises in supporting women who are scared of labour (if that is what you are ). You sound strong and brave to me, I wish you all the best.

Hi Star - I'm sorry about not receiving messages - I haven't quite understood how to do stuff like that on Mumsnet! [Blush] I've now changed my settings, but if you want to e-mail me, I'm sara.e.roberts at bangor.ac.uk - do drop me a line because you sound as if you're in the place I was some months ago!

And I am indeed a medieval historian and love it! My area of expertise is medieval Welsh law - but I won't plug my book here . Even your husband might find it boring - although it's great if you have trouble sleeping...