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March 2011 Moms
beeunit
member
Question about labor
beeunit
member
Maybe we have some second time mommies that can answer this for me. I am terrified of getting an epidural. DH and I watched a few videos on them last night (because even though I'm afraid, I have to know what I'm getting myself into) and it wasn't pretty.
Are they worth it? Is there anything else they can give a laboring woman to relieve pain?
Also, my friend told me that they give it to you early enough that you float through contractions, but can feel when it comes to pushing. She said she felt herself tear and felt the doctor sewing her back up. Is that also standard practice?
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Re: Question about labor
I don't have any kids yet, but I plan to get an epi. Yes, if you go into labor too soon you won't be able to get one. Yes, if you're in labor too long it might wear off. Yes, you'll still fell pressure even with an epi.
But, it's still worth it for me.
Life of mrsjanks
I know someone who progressed too quickly, and by the time she wanted the epi, the doctors said no because she was too far along in her labor. So, apparently, they need it to have worn off a tad in order for you to push properly. (?)
Anywho, my suggestion is to stop watching videos and researching it! I am literally trying to find out as little as possible about the epi, and I'm telling my doctor that I do not want to see the needle. Like, ever. Ignorance is bliss, and it'll be worth it in the end.
I, too, was afraid of the epi the first time around.
Here is my experience. The nurse holds you in a ball so your back is exposed to the anesthesiologist. He wipes the area, you breathe in and he sticks the back. You feel a little stick, this cold sensation and then this sharp pain in I think your left side (it might be your right). Then warmth like sitting in a puddle of sun at the beach spreads throughout your body and life is good.
Here is the bad part for me. 1) I am short and I guess he miscalculated a put it too high, so my chest and neck was numb but my vagina wasn't AT.ALL. and I couldn't breath very well. 2) I have slight residual pain in my upper back (again, I guess because he placed it too high). 3) Did I mention I could feel EVERYTHING. It sucked. I had a hard labor.
But to try to relieve your fears, the needle isn't that bad. Everyone who has had one says so.
ETA: Good girl on doing your research. Knowledge is power.
The thought of a needle being stuck into your spine is scary...but, when the time comes, the epi is nothing compared to the contractions. For me, the epi was like magic! I didn't feel anything until I was fully dialated and then I felt the pressure and wanted to push (no pain). I did not feel the tear or being sewn up.
I really think it depends on how good the anesthesiologist is.
I can't tell you anything from the perspective of someone who had an epi because I didn't have one. I will say that that, for me, my labor was completely manageable (until I was given Pitocin during transition) and there was no need for an epi after all the training I had done for a drug-free birth. If you practice and your mind is in the right place, you don't need an epi (barring any unusual circumstances, of course).
Matthew Kevin
7/31/83-7/20/11
Met 1/8/00
Engaged 4/21/06
Married 9/29/07
Two beautiful legacies: Noah Matthew (2 yrs) and Chloe Marcella (8 mos)
Day Three
My hospital offered a free class that went over all of our anesthesia options. If your hospital offeres the same thing, I high recommend taking it.
Of course everyones experience is different...here is mine...
My labor was induced and thanks to the horrors of pitocin I was in agony with contractions that literally had no break in between them. Because of this, I asked for, and received, my epi at 2cm dialted. I believe the epi actually helped me dialate faster because I finally was able to relax. I was at a 10 just 4 hours later. After the epi I still "felt" every contraction, it felt like gas quite honestly. As time went on it felt like worse and worse gas and thats how I knew I was progressing. My Epi took more on one side than on the other so I had more pain on one side. I asked for the epi to be turned up about half way through and they did....though I didn't think it made a difference. As the gas feeling got worse, I had to start breathing through it. I knew I was ready to push because I felt my body start pushing on its own. I also felt them cut me and stitch me back up after.
Hope this helps! I plan on getting an epi again and I hope it works like it did last time.
I thought the epidural was easy peasy!
I was induced with DD. I had to be at the hospital at 6 am, and was able to get my epidural around 9-9:30ish. DD was born at 4:20, and I had no problems with it wearing off, or not working.
As far as getting the epidural, they give you 2-3 novocaine (I think that is right) shots before the actual epidural. They feel like small bee stings, and that is it! After that, I just felt pressure, no pain! It was not even a fraction of what I expected it to be...and TOTALLY worth it!
To be honest, it is not as bad as it looks. Especially if you are in labor when you get it. It is likely different for everyone, but I didn't even feel them give it to me...it stung a little when they froze the site, but then that was it.
I was induced...twice. When I finally asked for it, it wasn't that I was in ridiculous pain, but really I was exhausted. The epi allowed me to have a bit of a break. That made it worth it for me...I had had constant contractions for 36 hours before I caved and asked for it....left me wondering why I had waited!
When I got it I was only 3 cm and had been for a really long time. As soon as I had it (around 4 pm), I jumped from 3 to 8 in an hour and was pushing by 6 pm. The EPI is what MY body needed to get things rolling, but that being siad, it can have the opposite effect on some people and stall things.
As far as it wearing off. It is possible, but they can also top it up if need be. SOOO, around here, they turn them down when it is time to push. They want you to be able to feel so you can push better. So my guess is that a lot of people that complain that it ran out, they were likely ready to push, so they didn't top it up as they would have turned it off anyways...it may not be like that everywhere though.
So yes, it was worth it IMO. Did it run out? No, but as I said, they turned it off when it was time to push...but really the ring of fire burned, but the rest wasn't so bad.
Will I do it again? Maybe, my friend had a 10lb 8oz baby girl au natural, so now I am inspired to try without. However, should i have to be induced again, I would likely opt for the EPi again.
Sorry for the novel, but HTH
Both my epis were fine. I actually cracked jokes with the anesthesiologists while they were administering them. The first time I was so uncomfortable that I was so happy when they came in to administer it. The second time, just happy to get the ball rolling (first one ended up being a c/s, second time we knew it would be a repeat c/s). Honestly, I'm short and fat and had no problem with them doing the epi. After the did it, I was still able to swing my legs around without help. And during the c/s, I could feel some pressure as they pulled the baby out, but no pain. With DS, DH just kept looking at me cause he was shocked I couldn't feel pain.
The only problem I had was after DS was born, apparently I was allergic to the adhesive on the bandage they put on my back where the epi was. I got big itchy blisters and have a scar now.
Depends. While it might be worth it to one person, it may not be to another.
What are your motivations? Are you so scared of it that you would seek out other options?
Society has kinda done a good job of scarring the crap out of women that having a unmedicated birth is some kind of torture. And while some might perceive it that way, others welcome it with open arms and do it a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or more times.
If the idea of an epidural scares you, spend your pregnancy looking in to how to manage and cope with a birth without one.
Take childbirth classes that teach about natural childbirth. The Bradley Method, Birthing From Within, Hypnobabies, HypnoBirthing, or look for local out of hospital childbirth educators.
Talk with others who've had a natural birth and tell positive stories about their experiences (I'll tell you I loved mine! I wouldn't ever consider doing it another way). Ask people to hold their comments that speak negatively about birth, their experience, etc. Don't let people tell you you can't do it.
If giving birth without an epidural was so awful women wouldn't do it over and over and over again. It's all about your preparations for the event. Prepare emotionally, physically and spiritually.
The decision to have an epidural is yours and yours alone. For someone it may be a blessing for others it may have been their worst nightmare. Google search risks of epidurals and benefits of epidurals, do some reading, see where you fit. Epidurals are not requirements of giving birth.
Though to alleviate the fear, my clients who have chosen epidurals after acknowledging their fears did say it wasn't nearly as bad as they had expected. (re: the procedure itself, every experience with the medication was different from there)
eh, float through contractions... not necessarily. You're rolled from side to side every 30-60 minutes. you sit, wait, watch the clock. roll back and forth. Some women still feel the contractions, they're just not as intense. Some women have 'windows' or hot spots' where the medication never works. It really depends on the type of experience you're looking for.
You can feel pushing, that pressure is outside the scope of the epidural and you don't want the medication so high that you can't feel what you're doing, you still have to use your muscles to push out a baby.
Suturing should be completely pain free with an epidural, though you may have tender spots here and there, if you feel pain speak up, they can give a local anesthetic to that area.
I'm a 2nd time mom so here is my two cents. All of my friends SWEAR by epidurals! Because of some platelet issues they gave me a walking epidural rather than a real epidural. If that's your option, pass. I felt everything and I had back labor so it didn't even ease my labor any. However, I plan on getting a real epidural this time around if I can. I have a friend who just had her second, didn't have time to get one her first time, got one her second time, and said it made allll the difference.
The procedure itself is not scary at all, nor does it hurt. As a matter of fact, the most pain I felt during any part of the epidural process was actually them pulling the tape off my back after delivery was over.
There are other meds you can take, but I've also had other friends who have said that they've made them nauseous and tired. Not a good combo with labor / delivery.
I don't believe your friend's epidural was done the best if she felt everything towards the end. She shouldn't have been able to feel all of that. Maybe a sensation, but not pain.
I think you will answer your own question of is it worth it when you are in labor. You can make a decision prior to going into labor on how you would prefer your labor to go (drug-free or with epi, etc.), but you just have to remember that sometimes things don't go as planned and you do have the option to change your mind.
Many Moms go the route of drug-free and work really hard to prepare themselves for it through many techniques, and I applaud them for doing it.
This was my goal for my first baby (to go drug-free, since I too was terrified of the epi), and when I was induced I tried so hard to push through the labor without caving in to the epi. I knew in the back of my mind though that I still wouldn't rule it out completely if I really wanted/needed it. I gave in at 6 cm, and at that point I didn't care what they did but to give me the epi. I hardly remember feeling the needle and everything since I was in so much pain through the contractions.
For me, I am so happy that I did get the epidural as it made the experience of birth fairly enjoyable. I never felt the pain while pushing, but with the epi I did have the sensation to push or intense pressure down there before she came out.