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To Epi or not to Epi
I'm starting to work on my birth plan. I'm 27 yrs old and this is my 1st child after 8 years of trying and 1 loss. Thank God that once we stopped trying so hard it just happened for us. I am extremely terrified of having an epidural but everyone is telling me I am nuts to consider childbirth without it. I already have back pains due to lugging around big breast. Any moms out there can offer a bit of advice to ease my worries??
Kennedy's Mom
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Re: To Epi or not to Epi
Getting the Epi is really not bad at all. That was the least of my worries and the easiest part of my labor. They will numb the area before putting in the epi line. When they go to put the epi line in you will just feel this weird pressue. The line does not go into your spinal column, it goes into the small region before the actual spinal column.
I can't really tell you what laboring with one feels like because mine failed after about an hour. That 1 hr was amazing. I never wanted to go natural, but I did, not by choice though. I'm praying that when the time comes for #2 that my epi works. I will say the good thing about my epi failing was I could feel my contractions and when to push. I only pushed for 26 minutes, which is pretty amazing. I guess what I'm saying is there are pros and cons to each. You can always try and labor without one, and if you just can't do it anymore you can ask for one (given you aren't too far along).
BFP#2: 8/14/11 M/C 8/30/11 6w1d
BFP #3: 10/26/11
Beta #1 @11dpo: 22 Beta #2 @13dpo: 90 Beta #3 @17dpo: 480
Missed m/c 12w3d 12/28/11, d&c 12/30/11
dx Homozygous C677T MTHFR
My advice would be to go into it with an open mind. I will tell you that the pain from labor is MUCH different than the pain from having a large chest. I went in not wanting an epidural and ended up getting one. It failed, so I ended up going without after all. It is all about personal preference. You can totally do it without the epi if you want to, don't let other people make your decision for you or tell you that you can't do it. Your body is made to birth children. It is important to be open to all options though because you never know what curve balls are going to be thrown at you in the process. The one thing about birth is that it never goes exactly as planned.
Good luck and congrats on your pregnancy!
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
I agree with Kbaby- it's best to go in with an open mind. The thought of an epi is pretty scary when your're still months away from delivery. When you're in labor, the thought of an epi suddenly doesn't seem so bad. So it's really easy to change your mind once the time comes. I ended up with a c/s both pregnancies, so I had a spinal (which is pretty similar). They really aren't that bad. I think the worst part is just getting in a good position (they want you to slouch, which isn't exactly easy with a big belly). They numb the area first, so there's a little bit of a pinch from that. The area is then numb, so you feel pressure more than pain
Getting the epidural itself wasn't so bad. Yes, it hurt a bit going in, but so did the contractions, and I wasn't even that far along yet! However, I will say that my epidural was so strong that I was COMPLETELY numb from the waist down. I couldn't even hold my own legs to push; couldn't feel any pressure with contractions, and so I didn't even know when to push. I also am sensitive to all types of anesthesia so it caused me to throw up a few times during labor. Getting the epi actually sped up my labor, because my body was able to relax. I took a nap for an hour and dialated 6 cm and was ready to push when the nurse woke me up!
I am considering going without an epi this time around. Pros and cons seem about equal to me at this point. And there are other pain relief options. I haven't finalized a "birth plan" yet, and frankly I don't know if I will. As PPs said, labor is not always going to go how you have planned. Try to know all your options so you can be flexible when it's truly necessary.
HTH!
this.
First off, Congrats on your Pregnancy!
I agree with going in on an open mind. With my first I was dead set on not getting one. But I caved and got it. The whole experience with getting it wasn't bad at all. I was able to rest and delivery went perfect. With my second I wanted to try going with out one again. I didnt get the epi this time. My labor went so fast (2.5hrs) that even if I wanted one, I couldnt get one. And honestly I felt so much better without it, during and after delivery. Id say I recovered much faster as well. If we have another child, I would go without the drugs, just because I felt that good.
But also keep in mind with the length of your labor may also change your decision. Id talk to your doctor about your fears on it and see what kind of information they can give on it, and also take a birthing class. The one I took, I got a lot of good information on both getting the epi and going natural.
I went in with the mind set that I would try to go as long as I could without it and then when it got to be too much, get one.
I was induced, they broke my water at 7 AM and when I reached 5 cm - around 5 PM - I asked for the epidural. It was great when it took over, prior to the epi I had the shakes and my teeth were chattering.
Once it set in and I went numb I was finally able to rest - which was a good thing because I didn't have Dayne until 8 AM the next morning. They did have to come in twice to adjust the medication because it was wearing off. I woke up at one point during the night and had extreme back pain - I was crying it hurt so bad - that's the first time they adjusted it. Dayne was facing the wrong way and I was having back labor. They shifted my position to help him turn.
A few hours later my back pain was back and they had to adjust the epi again - that time it stuck and I was able to rest a bit more. I woke up with the urge to push and found out I had slept through the rest of my labor - I was fully dilated and Dayne was at a +2!
It was soooo nice to have the epi - magic I tell people. I was actually falling asleep between pushes because I was so relaxed (and tired from such a long ordeal). The only part that hurt was him crowning and the doctor telling me not to push to reduce tearing. After that - easy peasy!
I had one and it was great. I didn't want one but I was induced and pitocin is no joke. It HURT.
The only downside was even after they turned it down a bit, I still couldn't really feel to push.
All the pp's have great advice. I think you should inform yourself of your options and have an idea of what you would prefer, but keep an open mind. Every woman and every labor is different. I was fully planning on having an epi but by the time I got to the hospital and in the delivery room it was too late to get one. It wasn't awful to go natural but I don't have an epi labor to compare it to.
Good luck and congrats!
I went in to the hospital saying no epi, I figured I had a cavity filled once with nothing (that's how most people compare it) and I was fine, it hurt, but I survived.
Labor is intense and draining. I told the nurse to tell me when it was the last possible second for me to get it, and she said that around 7cm, so I ended up getting it, because the pressure and pain was pretty intense, and I still had to push. I think mine failed, because I only remember 30 minutes of not feeling pain, and then it was back with a bite, and I could feel my legs when I pushed. But I was able to feel the contractions and knowing when I needed to push. And feeling it made me work harder at getting him out and pushing like no one else!
Do what works best for you, but there is no need to worry about the epi, it wasn't painful. The only scary part was having to be very still during intense contractions.
I think everyone has given you great advice. I would research your options so that when you're in labor you can make an informed decision. I personally planned to have an epi from the beginning and it was wonderful! The pain from an epidural being placed is not comparable to labor pain. It is really only a quick sting. If you choose to get an epidural that quick second of pain will be worth it to ease your labor pains.
After the epi, the last 6 hours of my labor were a piece of cake! Pushing was exhausting and I'm glad I had that time to rest.