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Epi's

OliveBabyOliveBaby member
in Natural Birth

Apparently, the average rate for epidurals at hospitals here is 96%, per our Bradley instructor. That's freakin' insane. 

(I had to share; my friends think going natural is nuts.)

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Re: Epi's

  • ehairehair
    I would make sure you have a midwife or OB that really supports you going natural and will let your labor progress naturally and not rush you. I went natural for my daughter (who is now 6 weeks old) and it was definately hard work but it was worth it 100% and I would do it all the same way again.  Going natural makes labor shorter and you are in control instead of with a tube in your back and unable to walk - you are a rock star mama and you will do great.  Just make sure you have a support system in place who will support your decisions.
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  • Texas77againTexas77again member

    holy bejezus, 96%!  that's insane! 

    i don't think epis are a bad thing.  there is definitely a time and place for them.  i don't think 96% of women need them, but let me tell ya when they are needed i'm glad they are available. 

    make a decision on what you want and, like pp said, make sure you have a support system to help you.  if you decide later that you want one you are not a failure. 

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  • d.cubedd.cubed

    I agree w/ pp about there being a need for epidurals for some women.  If you've had a loooong labor, that rest can really make a difference!  However, I do think that they're over-used because they just make the hospital's job easier.  When given too early, all sorts of complications can arise.

    The one thing that bothers me is the statistic that hospitals need 80% of laboring women to get an epidural to afford to keep an anesthesiologist on on-call 24 hrs!  Yikes!

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  • PlainandTallPlainandTall member
    After I had Eva, the nurse instructed me to ask for help when I was ready to get up to pee (in case I would faint) and she brought in a second nurse so they could stand on each side of me... the second nurse helped me with my legs as i sat up in bed ... I didn't "get" it why she was helping me swing my legs out of the bed until the first nurse informed her that I had not had an epi...  the 98% idea sure would explain why she'd assumed I couldn't feel my legs!
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  • tastyburgertastyburger

    I'm with the rest--there is a time and place for compassionate medicine use such as epidurals.  But I can't imagine that 96% of women need it!

    my mom worked L&D quite a bit when she was a RN.  she thinks a lot of the L&D nurses can be kind of . . . well, she said "biitchy," actually.  She says she can kind of understand--they see the same thing day in, day out.  Women come in, screaming and mad and mean and in pain.  Then they have their baby and everything is wonderful.  This can wear on the nurses.  This is probably why the nursing staff LIKE to have their patients get the epis . . . less behavioral problems preceeding the birth. : )

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  • ckettenbckettenb member
    Many women in the US today just assume you can't have a baby without one.  (It's weird - but true.... ask around!)  I was shocked to find out how many of my (well educated) friends though "going natural" meant not scheduling a c-section.  (!!!)  It never even OCCURS to many people to not get an epi.
    We said "I Do" on 9/27/2008!
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  • OliveBabyOliveBaby member

    Oh no doubt some women need 'em. And it probably saved my SIL's life; the nurses might have tossed her off the roof had she not had one. ;)

    And yeah, the 80% to keep an anesthesiologist on call is insane too. 

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  • c1kaestnerc1kaestner

    imageckettenb:
    Many women in the US today just assume you can't have a baby without one.  (It's weird - but true.... ask around!)  I was shocked to find out how many of my (well educated) friends though "going natural" meant not scheduling a c-section.  (!!!)  It never even OCCURS to many people to not get an epi.

     Gosh that's nuts!!! I have friends that have spent more time researching new DVD players and Stereos than they did researching birth methods. Or even researching the drugs the doctors wanted to give them.

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  • flyer23flyer23 member

    imagePlainandTall:
    After I had Eva, the nurse instructed me to ask for help when I was ready to get up to pee (in case I would faint) and she brought in a second nurse so they could stand on each side of me... the second nurse helped me with my legs as i sat up in bed ... I didn't "get" it why she was helping me swing my legs out of the bed until the first nurse informed her that I had not had an epi...  the 98% idea sure would explain why she'd assumed I couldn't feel my legs!

    Yeah, after DD was born, I had to move from the bed in the LDR room onto a gurney for transport to the maternity ward. And the guy transporting me asked, "Do you need help? How much feeling do you have in your legs?" Ummmm, full feeling!

    Oh, and on the morning of DD's birth, when I was hanging out waiting to start Pitocin, some med student came in to do a survey on pain relief. I guess they were trying to determine a means for anticipating how much pain medication a mom would need? Something like that. Anyway, he asked a question like, "At what point do you think you'll get an epidural?" And I said, "I'm not planning on getting an epidural." He just stared at me, totally taken aback, like he'd never heard that response. My doula laughed and said, "I don't think she's a good candidate for your study. Thanks for stopping by, though!" LOVE my doula Smile

    Mommy to DD1 (June 2007), DS (January 2010), DD2 (July 2012), and The Next One (EDD 3/31/2015)

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