Will you get an epidural with your VBAC?

penguinem

I wanted a med free birth with DD and wound up with a c-section after she turned footling breech at 39 weeks. My doctor said I do not have to get an epidural for the VBAC but if I wind up with a RCS and it's an emergency I will be places under general anasthesia. I'm having trouble playing out real life scenarios and what my risk would be.... I would much rather have an epidural than miss the birth! Plus, I've heard stories where the epi helps women progress (and the opposite). It's confusing! Any thoughts?

Aimlc1281

Definitely getting an epidural.  I LOVED it the first time and wouldn't want to miss out on the birth of baby #2

MAprincess

I didn't plan on getting an epi with my VBAC but after about 18 hours of pit induced contractions and having been up for almost 36 hours, I needed a rest and asked for one.  At the time I was only 5 cm and moving slowly.  After the epi, I progressed to 10 cm in an hour.  My midwife really felt that it helped me relax since I was so exhausted and actually helped make my VBAC successful. 

My advice is to go in with an open mind and go with what you feel.  Good luck!

JenniferL923

I had an epi both times. The first time it seemed to slow things down but the second time with my vbac, it seemed to speed things up. And FTR, I felt amazing after getting it both times. I could never go med free I'm a freaking wuss, but I certainly applaud those who do.

myantonia

I don't plan on it, but I'm not ruling it out.  

I made it through 44 hours of pit induced contractions with no epi for DS's birth, so I know it's not a pain tolerance thing for me.... It's more of a question of stamina and exhaustion.   I absolutely didn't want an epi going in and was proud of all the techniques DH and I were able to use to keep me comfortable for as long as we did... that said, the time came when I knew I needed the epi and I don't regret it because I know it was right at that time and place.  

The whole emergency C/S general anethesia thing always puts a little bit of doubt into my mind, but honestly, it's not a good enough reason for me to get an epi.  I just don't want to go down the road of interventions again and that is one place I can put a stop to things.

nosoup4u

penguinem:

I wanted a med free birth with DD and wound up with a c-section after she turned footling breech at 39 weeks. My doctor said I do not have to get an epidural for the VBAC but if I wind up with a RCS and it's an emergency I will be places under general anasthesia.

Well, this is true for first-time laboring moms, too, though. Or women who've had previous vaginal births, and an emergency comes up. VBAC isn't so risky that all women who attempt it should have an epidural, though.

I did med-free with DS1 until it was determined he wasn't coming out and it turned into an unplanned c-section, and I had a med-free VBAC with DS2. My MW never pressured me one way or the other when I was pregnant with DS2.

I will say that I was okay with getting an epidural if my labor was incredibly long or exhausting when I was planning my VBAC, though.

penguinem

Thanks all! I know it's different for everyone but one thing I like about the bump is hearing individual experiences!

iris427

nosoup4u:

penguinem:

I wanted a med free birth with DD and wound up with a c-section after she turned footling breech at 39 weeks. My doctor said I do not have to get an epidural for the VBAC but if I wind up with a RCS and it's an emergency I will be places under general anasthesia.

Well, this is true for first-time laboring moms, too, though. Or women who've had previous vaginal births, and an emergency comes up. VBAC isn't so risky that all women who attempt it should have an epidural, though. 

Exactly.  I don't think a VBAC mom needs to make decisions about an epidural simply because she's having a VBAC.  Either decision--getting an epidural or not--is fine for a VBAC.

I had my VBAC with no pain meds and in my case, I believe the ability to be active in labor and push in whatever position I wanted helped me to avoid a RCS. I believe in listening to your gut and making the epidural decision based on what you feel is right for your situation.

GL! 

disbride061103

nosoup4u:

penguinem:

I wanted a med free birth with DD and wound up with a c-section after she turned footling breech at 39 weeks. My doctor said I do not have to get an epidural for the VBAC but if I wind up with a RCS and it's an emergency I will be places under general anasthesia.

Well, this is true for first-time laboring moms, too, though. Or women who've had previous vaginal births, and an emergency comes up. VBAC isn't so risky that all women who attempt it should have an epidural, though.

I did med-free with DS1 until it was determined he wasn't coming out and it turned into an unplanned c-section, and I had a med-free VBAC with DS2. My MW never pressured me one way or the other when I was pregnant with DS2.

I will say that I was okay with getting an epidural if my labor was incredibly long or exhausting when I was planning my VBAC, though.

Agreed.  I had an unsuccessful VBAC attempt that ended in a RCS.  My c/s was not an emergency and although I did have an epidural, if I hadn't had one, there was plenty of time to have a spinal done and not put me under ga.  The reason for c/s had absolutely nothing to do with my VBAC status.

MrsJordanalmond

i don't know ... DS was breech and so my c/s was scheduled.  i have no idea what it feels like to have a contraction or labor or push.

i would like to try and labor without meds, and my plan is to try without an epi.  i have a pretty high tolerance for pain, and i'm kind of interested to see if i can do it. however, an epi it is not off the table as an option and who knows, i might feel that first contraction and demand an epi.

this was my exact plan for DS (had he cooperated) my vbac status has not been part of the decision ...  

cchill01

MAprincess:

I didn't plan on getting an epi with my VBAC but after about 18 hours of pit induced contractions and having been up for almost 36 hours, I needed a rest and asked for one.  At the time I was only 5 cm and moving slowly.  After the epi, I progressed to 10 cm in an hour.  My midwife really felt that it helped me relax since I was so exhausted and actually helped make my VBAC successful. 

My advice is to go in with an open mind and go with what you feel.  Good luck!

THIS EXACTLY - except mine ended in a c/s.  I think the epidural helped me progress, but hurt me when it came time to move around and push.

I'm still not sure what I'll do the next time, so I agree with having an open mind

 

BlinkingLight1

MAprincess:

I didn't plan on getting an epi with my VBAC but after about 18 hours of pit induced contractions and having been up for almost 36 hours, I needed a rest and asked for one.  At the time I was only 5 cm and moving slowly.  After the epi, I progressed to 10 cm in an hour.  My midwife really felt that it helped me relax since I was so exhausted and actually helped make my VBAC successful. 

This is exactly, exactly what happened with me. I was on pictocin for 15 hours, in labor for 34 hours and got the epidural. I only have the epidural for an hour and in that time I progressed from 6cm (had been stuck there for 10+ hours) to 9cm and ready to push. My doula also told me she thought the epi helped me relax enough to progress the rest of the way. 

If you do get an epidural, I would wait until you're well into labor. I think the mistake I made the first time was I got my epidural at 3cm. My body wasn't in active labor and in that case I think the epi worked against me.

lostaspen

I'm having a HBAV, but if I was planning a hospital VBAC I would not plan on an epi, and do everything possible to avoid it.  Last time it was b/c of the epi I got the c/s!  An hour after getting the epi, DS's HR started dropping during contractions (but only to the 70s, and was coming right back up--unfortunately it is a common side effect of epis!), and my midwife, and oncall dr got all worried and off to a c/s!  Ugh, do not want that again.

Harper'smom

I'm planning a birth center VBAC and never would have considered a med-free birth last time. But, the medical establishment was/would be quick to label me as CPD and I don't make itty bitty babies. I think my best shot at getting this baby out is to be able to be in posistion that maximizes the room in my pelvis.

I do worry though since I have ready several stories of VBAC moms progressing and having the energy to push for a long time because they had an epidural.

newly_naugler

Epi helped me progress. 32 hours med free made it to 1cm! 3 hrs after epi, was all the way at 10! He was stuck though, so c-section it was. I think the epi allowed me to relax more and let my body do what it was suppose to, instead of tensing up. I think I would do an epi again, esp if general aneas may have to be an option.

llamakins

I think about the very same issue. I'm going into this with an open mind. I want to be able to move around as much as possible, but if I need the epi, I will have given it my best shot and go from there. If it is a situation of getting the baby out at the last minute and having to be knocked out, I have to let go of getting the birth experience I want for my baby's sake. His health comes first. Not an easy call, at all.

704bride

If it is a true emergency, yes, you'd be knocked out within about 30 seconds.  The chances of that are pretty slim.  Most likely, someone who needs a c-section has time to get a spinal block.  To answer your question, no, I will not be getting an epidural.  I'm taking a hypnobirthing class and practicing relaxing so I don't need one.

MissBHaven1024

I am planning on getting an epidural, but I am also planning on holding off for as long as I can possibly stand it. 

RobynK

You need to seperate the questions.

The general for an emergency c/s is something everyone has a possibility of.

Whether you want an epi or not is totally up to you and has nothing to do with this being a VBAC.

bugabean

I held off for a full day, and then my legs had turned to jello (laying down made the contractions 1000 times worse, so I stayed on my feet) so I got the epi, laid down, and slept for an hour. I woke up and it was time to push. It was great and I wouldn't hesitate to get one in the future if I ever had to do again. Honestly, I think is there was ANY chance of my first coming out vaginally, I would have required an epi, but I was deadset against it. I'm glad I was more open-minded for the VBAC. 

Geekchick921

MAprincess:

I didn't plan on getting an epi with my VBAC but after about 18 hours of pit induced contractions and having been up for almost 36 hours, I needed a rest and asked for one.  At the time I was only 5 cm and moving slowly.  After the epi, I progressed to 10 cm in an hour.  My midwife really felt that it helped me relax since I was so exhausted and actually helped make my VBAC successful. 

My advice is to go in with an open mind and go with what you feel.  Good luck!

I was not induced, but I had a similar experience.  My goal was just to make it to 6cm without the epi, which is where I stalled with my daughter.  I went into labor spontaneously this time and had my water broken at 5-6cm.  I was trying to relax but I could tell my body was fighting my contractions.  At around 7cm I requested the epi, and after I got it I was relaxed and went from 7 to 9+ (and +2, though I wasn't sure what station I was at when I got the epi) in an hour.  I labored down for another hour then pushed for 3.  It was a very well-placed epi that still let me feel some pretty and pain in my bottom, so I could tell when I was contracting/needed to push and how to push.  

honkytonk_kid

RobynK:

You need to seperate the questions.

The general for an emergency c/s is something everyone has a possibility of.

Whether you want an epi or not is totally up to you and has nothing to do with this being a VBAC.

I'm not sure what you're saying here. There's really not a situation where one could have an emergency c/s without the possibility for general anesthesia. If a c/s is being done, there is an anesthesiologist or CRNA present, therefore the possibility of both a spinal/epidural and general anesthesia. Did you mean it the other way around? As in, sometimes there is not time for a spinal and general has to be used? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I just can't see how that situation would occur.

OP, to answer your question- no, I don't plan on having an epidural for any future VBACs. But, there are definitely situations in which getting an epidural is the best choice (prolonged labor, for one) and I would reconsider in that case, but I'm planning on going med-free.