I've never had one, but we talked about them in my birthing class. We actually had once of the anesthesiologist from the hospital there to talk about the epidurals. He said there is really no such thing as a walking epidural, since the way an epi works is to relax/numb the muscles and nerves in your lower half. He said that it's really not possible to walk with an epi since your legs will not be able to support you. He did say sometimes when the epi doesn't work right, so women can kind of walk but not for long. I would talk to your OB about it, and she what they say.
Same as PP I have not had one but I wanted one. When I looked into it, info I found was that it is just a lower dose of epidural so in theory you are more mobile. My hospital doesn't offer them, so I decided to try med free and see how things go.
At our hospital it is a regular epidural however the epidural medication is basically self administered. They give you a button to push which will up the dosage. You can push the button up to 4 times in an hour (I think that was the time frame). Basically if you only push it once you should theoretically still have control of your legs and be able to move around. Only problem in our hospital is the epi pump is attached to the wall so you really can't move any further than the distance of the bed. Sound to me like the benefit of the "walking epi" is that you have more birthing position options than if you had a higher dosage.
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I don't see how it would be possible because the hospital could not know how each individual would react to it & they wouldn't want to be liable for someone falling or something. Wish there was such a thing though
Same as PP I have not had one but I wanted one. When I looked into it, info I found was that it is just a lower dose of epidural so in theory you are more mobile. My hospital doesn't offer them, so I decided to try med free and see how things go.
This. At my hospital once you have the epi, you are restricted to the bed. This is one of the reasons I'm going to try to go without.
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Also known as "light and late" epidural, this one is a lighter dose, usually given later in labor, and yes, the first poster was right. You really can't walk with it, unfortunately. I had hoped that I could use this one and walk around, but no.
It's also the only kind my hospital uses. I guess the regular epidural is just considered too strong for my hospital so they don't even offer it! EEK.
I was told the purpose of the walking epi is not to walk but to be able to feel the urge to push without the pain. My friend had one and could still move her legs and didn't need a catheter. I hope I can ask for the same.
My hospital offers only walking epidurals, and they actually do let you leave the bed.
They encourage frequent position changes to encourage labour to progress (staying in one position slows labour and increases complications). They even don't routinely place a catheter - I would be allowed to try to pee on my own, in the toilet, and only be cathed if that wasn't working out.
I do believe that my hospital "invented" the walking epidural, though, which may explain the greater degree of freedom and wide use.
I had a "walking" epidural with my DS. They don't let you actually walk around with a walking epidural (for legal reasons...in case you fall, etc.), but I could completely feel my legs and was able to labor in a number of different positions rather than having to just lie on my back after receiving the epidural (including on my hands and knees at one point). I just didn't feel any pain. I also had a button that I could push to give myself a little extra dose in case I needed it.
I went on the hospital tour tonight for my second baby at a different hospital than where I had my first and apparently they don't offer walking epidurals. The woman giving the tour said that they could give a lighter epidural dose and it might be the same thing. I'm not sure about that. I liked being able to completely feel my legs, but have no pain whatsoever.
It makes me want to call up anesthesia at the first hospital and have them let me know exactly what I need to tell the new hospital to do in order to ensure that I get the epidural I want. I LOVED the epidural I got with my son.
Re: Walking epidurals?
Landon & Porter
1-10-07 & 5-11-11
This. At my hospital once you have the epi, you are restricted to the bed. This is one of the reasons I'm going to try to go without.
Also known as "light and late" epidural, this one is a lighter dose, usually given later in labor, and yes, the first poster was right. You really can't walk with it, unfortunately. I had hoped that I could use this one and walk around, but no.
It's also the only kind my hospital uses. I guess the regular epidural is just considered too strong for my hospital so they don't even offer it! EEK.
My hospital offers only walking epidurals, and they actually do let you leave the bed.
They encourage frequent position changes to encourage labour to progress (staying in one position slows labour and increases complications). They even don't routinely place a catheter - I would be allowed to try to pee on my own, in the toilet, and only be cathed if that wasn't working out.
I do believe that my hospital "invented" the walking epidural, though, which may explain the greater degree of freedom and wide use.
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I had a "walking" epidural with my DS. They don't let you actually walk around with a walking epidural (for legal reasons...in case you fall, etc.), but I could completely feel my legs and was able to labor in a number of different positions rather than having to just lie on my back after receiving the epidural (including on my hands and knees at one point). I just didn't feel any pain. I also had a button that I could push to give myself a little extra dose in case I needed it.
I went on the hospital tour tonight for my second baby at a different hospital than where I had my first and apparently they don't offer walking epidurals. The woman giving the tour said that they could give a lighter epidural dose and it might be the same thing. I'm not sure about that. I liked being able to completely feel my legs, but have no pain whatsoever.
It makes me want to call up anesthesia at the first hospital and have them let me know exactly what I need to tell the new hospital to do in order to ensure that I get the epidural I want. I LOVED the epidural I got with my son.