Epidural experiences

Ryan&Kristin062009

I am just wondering how your epidural experiences went? I had to have 2 epidurals as the first had "windows" of areas that it wasn't working. It happened again the second time to me and then I had HORRIBLE hip/lower back pain - I felt everything. It actually felt better when pushing, but in between when I was supposed to rest was when I felt all the pain. I am curious if this is normal, if my epidural failed, or if I had pain that not everyone gets?

CarlaAndJames

I don't even remember getting mine (Was on ambien bc I wasn't supposed to go into labor until the next day plus stadol because I did go into labor!), but it went in smoothly and I had no problems. 

laurakaz13

My experience was great.  Delivery was easy and I was relaxed the whole time. I'm very lucky for how well it went and will get an epidural again if we have another baby. 

MommyHarrison

I had no problems. I didn't feel a single bit of pain after it got going. In fact, DH and I were chatting it up with our delivery nurse when the doctor walked in she couldn't believe how cheerful I was. I could tell when I was having contractions, but they didn't hurt ar all, which was perfect for pushing. 

That said, you're not the first person I've heard to have trouble. A glimmer of hope for you... My SIL has two kids. Epi didn't work with the first, but worked like a charm with the second.  

magpiebride61210

sorry to butt in (i'm due next week and im lurking here for fun!). My mom described her first delivery experience just as you have. she had a window on her right hip and they gave her a second one which also didn't fix the window, but she was so numb she couldn't feel to push. (this was the 80's and from what i understand the amount of medication given was much higher back then). she hated the epidural so much that with my younger brother she went natural and said the pain from the window was worse than just feeling the entire natural delivery. almost as if all the pain was condensed into one spot with the window/epidural which to her was worse.

it doesnt sound like that situation happens too often, but it isn't unheard of. sorry you had to go through that.

jen&jay07

Mine worked very well for the most part. Got it at 3 AM and was able to sleep like a baby for a very long time. About 12 hours later it started to wear off a little so they gave me a little boost. They actually turned it down when it was time to push so I would feel when it was time to push....something the didn't warn me about ahead of time. I ended up having an emergency c/s so I got another boost on the way to the OR becuase LO was stuck in the birth canal and it was quite painful. Can't imagine not having it though!

ToBeMrsC6907

With DS, my first epidural also did not work and I had to get another one placed.

With DD, I thought the same thing was going to happen- after the epi was placed the anesthesiologist said "this should be the last contaction you feel"- wrong!  I kept feeling them, and was getting nervous.  He bolused an extra med through  and eventually I was totally fine...but it took awhile and was def a gradual effect.

He explained it this way- everyone has a different nerve pattern and they don't always know why some women have patches that don't respond or are slow to respond.  So I think it will just vary person to person.

heikem87

I still felt pain as well. It felt like her head was pushing against my pelvic bone on the left side. The nurse in the delivery room told me that I shouldnt be feeling pain at all but on my left side I still felt every contraction. For me the experience wasnt that great either and next time I really want to go natural.

krissymac

I'm sorry your epidural experience went badly. I could have gotten mine about a half an hour earlier, but it took forever for the anesthesiologist to show up. I didn't even mind the insertion process as I was concentrating so hard on sitting still during contractions. As soon as he was done, I felt instant relief and I progressed from 3 to 8cm in an hour. I remember trying to scratch at my upper thighs/hip area and not really feeling anything. Also when they were doing cervical checks to see if I was ready to push, I wasn't able to hold my legs up very well. They turned it off as soon as pushing started and I was able to hold my legs to participate. I'll get an epidural again in a heartbeat.

Ivana_Stolichnaya

Loved...Loved...LOVED my epidural.  It saved me from some horrible back labor.

My one gripe was after giving birth and when it was wearing off, I got really uncomfortable, my whole torso, neck, shoulders and arms felt like I had bugs crawling all over.  I couldn't stop scratching my skin.  I was told it was normal.

grace782

I had the perfect epidural: just enough to not feel pain, but I could still feel pressure, so I knew when I was contracting, which helped when it was time to push.

Sounds like you definitely had a weird experience. Some people just don't respond well to the epi. Maybe you're one of them (which SUCKS). Sorry to hear you had such a crap time of it.

justme04

I had to have my edpidural redone as well because it didnt work and i cant tell you how often I pushed that stupid button trying to make it work.

After it was finally redone it worked perfectly and I was able to rest.  My LO came out sunny side up so I had excrutiating back labor.  I was in L&D monitoring room for hours before they finally gave me pain meds of any type and I think it was because the nurses were sick of hearing me scream.  I loved when they told me to breath through it when it hurt so bad I couldnt freakin breath to begin with!

But yeah, after the epidural was in right and working I hardly felt a thing...untill I was pushing him out and it felt like my Vag was on fire...which I assume was because I was tearing and badly.  I didnt really feel them stitch my up either.

But hey I went through a vaginal delivery...if we decide to have a third I'm going for the c-section!

Soxgirl07

During delivery, I was grateful for the epidural. It took the pain from contractions away completely. Once I was fully dilated, I kept feeling this intense, almost painful pressure or urge to push. The actually pushing hurt quite a bit and so did getting stitches afterwards. I thought that was normal, but have nothing to compare it to.

AFTER the birth, I got a spinal headache from the epidural. It was horrible. I get migraines and am used to working through headache pain, but this was unbearable. Laying flat makes it go away completely, but that's kind of hard to do when caring for a newborn. 

They gave me a blood patch to relieve the headache, which they said had 97% of providing instantaneous relief. It worked right away. 48 hours later, once we were home from the hospital, the headache came back so bad that I couldn't sit up to nurse my baby and we had to go back to the hospital. I ended up having to lay flat for a week after giving birth. Now I keep getting this intense pressure in my lower back/upper legs, especially when I get up after laying down for a long time. It makes it difficult to stand sometimes, just for a minute, but it's hard when my baby is crying for me! The whole experience is making me consider a natural birth for # 2.

MommaA117

like pp I was also on Ambien.

I was being induced and it went way quicker than they thought it would. Big mistake taking that dang Ambien and being so tired and out of it

BUT. I do remember the epidural and it was great. The CTX were NOT fun before  I got it but were only bad for maybe 20 minutes tops before it was placed. Once I got the epi I felt NOTHING. Not even the pressure or contractions. They checked me and I was good to go. I pushed and felt nothing. No pain from her actually coming out at all. It was a great experience. I pray it goes like that next time.

yeladim

I got my epidural and it got rid of the pain on my left side completely, but i was still having very painful contractions on my right side. It wasn't as excruciating as before, but definitely still very painful with each contraction. They could have given me a "top off" to numb me up more, but at that point I was fully dilated and we were worried that numbing me up would interfere with the pushing. I agreed that I could deal with the pain (I tend to have a very high pain threshold) and was able to push with my contractions. It wasn't pleasant, but I think I would have had even more trouble pushing if I was all numbed up.

ccwalker26

My experience of getting the epidural was horrible! The doctor couldn't get the needle in properly and kept putting it in until he found a spot he thought was good. It was so painful! My husband almost fainted watching it all. Then it wasn't working so he had to come back and do it again! It finally worked after that, but boy it was a lot worse than I thought it would be!

heie0008

My epidural did NOT work very well. As it was being placed I felt a "zing" down my right side..apparently the catheter went to the right. I got good relief for awhile but about 1-2 hours later I started to feel EVERYTHING on the left side. The anesthesiologist came back and gave me a bolus of more meds which REALLY numbed up the right side and made the left side more bearable for about 45 more minutes....but after that the whole thing basically stopped working...when I was ready to push the only part that was numb was my right butt area...

next time I am considering going natural...since I had an epidural I couldn't get up or do anything to deal with the pain I was having...and I really wanted to move around 

NJA08

I had a great epidural experience. Before it my contractions were horrible, and I felt a lot of pressure as the doc inserted it. By the time they were done, it was already working and I needed help to get situated in bed. I barely felt the contractions the rest of the time (which was great because labor lasted AWHILE longer). I did feel a lot of pressure and a bit of pain while pushing, but DS was sunny side up and the doc had to use the vacuum to turn him, so I think that was part of it. I will definitely be getting an epidural again next time!

Ryan&Kristin062009

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences. I am going to guess my epidural just didn't take and I had a natural birth.... without really wanting one haha at least I know I can do it I suppose. Though next time I would still get the epidural.. hoping it works!

hepcats

I had a good experience but I think something that no one seems to mention is that it only helps with the contractions, not with the pressure and the pushing.

GracieLou Freebush

I'm sorry some of you had such bad experiences. My epidural was fantastic. I was sure LO would be an only child pre-epidural.

jerol

With my first two they went great-  didn't feel a thing and when it wore off they topped me off  The last one was fine until the damn thing fell out and we didn't know.  Holy pain-  I LOVE epidurals after experiencing natural labor.

lindsay.lou

Awful.

It only numbed me from my toes up to my knees. And nobody (DH included) believed me. Everyone kept saying "it takes time to kick in." Yeah, not 45 minutes! By the time the anesthesiologist came back to check on me (and confirmed that it wasn't working), I as 10 cm and screwed. 

Now, 6 weeks later, I have one area on the inside of my knee that is still 100% numb. It's a small patch like the size of a silver dollar that is completely numb. wtf?

 

kewltif

My epi didn't work. They had to keep upping the medication.  Then I went in for an emergency c-section and they switched it to an unsuccessful spinal tap. I wound up feeling my c-section! I literally felt like my stomach was lit on fire. I could feel the cutting and pulling. They had to knock me out as soon as she was born.

lindsay.lou

Ivana.Stolichnaya:

 my whole torso, neck, shoulders and arms felt like I had bugs crawling all over.  I couldn't stop scratching my skin.  I was told it was normal.

Ohyeah, this too. Only thing is...I STILL feel it. My face is still itchy all the time. And I'm always slapping my lower legs b/c I think there is a bug there...but there isn't. 

 

brandx725

I got my epi, and still felt pretty much everything becuase fifteen minutes later I was fully dilated and ready to push. So all I ever got was the initial dose and once I said I had to push they turned it off and the little bit I got didnt work at all, the nurse that came in to help deliver was shocked because I could still completly move in bed and move my legs and could even get up shortly after birth.

BUmama

I had an epi with my first and it was fantastic. I have a high pain threshhold, but I knew that I didn't want to be in pain for hours and unable to truly enjoy the experience. It was a good thing I got it as my daughter's heart rate was unstable, both before and after the epi, and I needed an emergency c-section.

I did have the itchies, but I do that with any type of anesthesia. We tell the nurses straight off and they give me some benadryl after I come out the surgery.

landosmommy

My epidural experience was amazing!  my anesthesiologist (sp?) did a great job. I recieved it when I was 5cm dilated (at 12pm) and I delivered at 3:30pm & it never wore off & I didn't feel a THING when I pushed DS out. And I tore because I had to get him out fast because the cord was wrapped around his neck. I pushed 5 times in 4-5 minutes & he was out. My pain was controlled very well. I will definitely be getting epidurals with future pregnancies.

jsong

My epidural was placed three times.  The first 2 attempts failed and the third time, the dr thought he got it in but after an hour, it failed too.  I ended up getting a spinal tap and that started to wear off during the c-section and I freaked out as I was able to feel more than just "pressure".

oh_maria

I only got the epi bc DH asked for me to. I was at 5cm already and wasn't feeling anything. The epi barely hurt going in (the exams hurt more!) and when it started to work, it was the best I had felt since getting pregnant. Natural birth be darned- I was chillin' for my delivery. 

chocoholicchick

I had a pretty great experience with my epidural. However, I will admit that I was surprised I could feel pain when it came time to push. It doesn't sound like I was supposed to feel pain to that extent, but I seem to be a wimp compared to others.

asheri

I guess I had what you could call a window-- on the left side of my lower abdomen. It didn't hurt as badly as full on contractions, but it definitely wasn't pleasant.

The nurses seemed to think it had something to do with how "late" into labor I got the epidural. She came out so fast that they barely had time to get it in before I had to start pushing.

mari_gold

Both of my epis eliminated pain from contractions entirely. I still felt discomfort/pressure when the babies entered the birth canal and while I pushed.

LindseyJW

Ivana.Stolichnaya:

 

my whole torso, neck, shoulders and arms felt like I had bugs crawling all over.  I couldn't stop scratching my skin.  I was told it was normal.

this.

i hadn't planned to get an epi, but when a c/s became the birthing method, i had to get one. i didn't feel anything below my chest.

the itching was unbearable. the hospital staff mocked my attempt at a natural birth and intentionally did some things that they were later reprimanded about, one being that they "forgot" to turn on the antihistamine drip in my IV when i complained about the itching. i swear it felt like i was allergic to my blood. intense, burning itching over my entire body.

great way for me to be introduced to motherhood.