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Multiples
did you have a spinal for baby b? come in
At our child birth class last night, a L&D nurse came in to explain some of the birth process and we were able to ask ?s. She's been doing this there for 40yrs! The class went over med's last night and I'm the only one in our class that is having twins. I'm also the only one who seems to want to try to go natural in the class which surprised me! Anyhow my OB has been telling me I need to have an epi or if a problem should arise I'll be put under if no epi. I have posted about this before trying to figure out what to do in the event I have a choice and babies are still vertex when I go into labor. However last night I got to ask the nurse if I went natural and baby b turned after baby a was out what my options really were. She told me they could do a spinal rather than knocking me out. I will have to read up a little more on the spinal but to be able to be awake during a c-sec sounds much better than being knocked out cold for hours later.
So my ? is have any of you with multiples gone the natural med free route and ended up needing a spinal for baby b? what was your experience like? Did you regret not just having the epi because maybe the spinal was not a good option afterall? I'm very excited to have the chance to try to deliver naturally and know I may not need to be knocked out but I'd like to hear from others who have been down this road. Im going to my OB today, I plan to mention this to her since she never brought up this option.
TIA! 
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Re: did you have a spinal for baby b? come in
BFP #2 10/13/2009 on our 2nd Wedding Anniversary
Discovered TWINS during the 6w u/s - what a shocker!
Delivered on 5/19/2010 at 34 weeks due to pre-e and HELLP syndrome
The Bump MoM Recipe Collection
Not speaking from personal experience because I had a c-section (baby A was breech so I had no choice).
Timing for a spinal for a Baby B completely depends on why you need a c-section. If it's presentation then sure there may be time to place a spinal. If it's cord prolapse, hemorrhage, abruption, distress then there may not be time, and having general anesthesia may be needed.
This is why many docs advocate an epidural placed (even just the catheter with a low dose to keep the line open) so that you can push and feel uninhibited but still have the access for meds just in case you need a section. The caveat is that it takes time for meds to set up/be dosed in an epidural catheter (sometimes almost 10 minutes). In a truly emergent situation, you'd be put under.
So talk to your doctor about it. He/she will tell you what the best game plan is for you and his/her skill set.
Good luck!
I agree with E&R about the timing aspect of the spinal. I had a spinal for my c-section b/c I had a large cyst removed from my lower back a few days before I delivered (c-section) and they were concerned about the placement of epi.
It took longer for the spinal to "take effect" and if it was a greater emergency going on I don't think my Dr's would have been able to take that time.
I originally wanted to try to go med-free, but I ended up being induced and after a while, the induced labor was so intense (pitocin, which was fine, and then amniotomy 5 hrs later, which REALLY kicked things into high gear) that I ended up asking for an epidural. Started pit at 9 a.m., got water broken at 1:45, got the epi at 3:45, ready to push at 5:45, babies born at 8:43 and 8:50.
We discovered after I pushed A out that Baby B had flipped to breech so the OB did a breech extraction. I was really glad I had an epidural in place for that because from what I hear they are intensely painful with no pain relief. Though they only last a couple minutes, so ... I know one MoM who had a natural labor with a breech extraction for Baby B and said the pain was horrible but since it was brief she handled it OK.
OP, I had basically the exact same questions as you (and it looks like I want the same as you - natural med free or med-minimal birth if possible), except both my babies are head down (staythatway!)
I got the same answer from the nurse at my childbirth class as you did. Ours also said that you need to have two bags of fluid before they can put the epidural in, which is why there's a window for when you can have one - if you wait too late, you won't have time to get both bags of fluid and get the epi placed before you would conceivably deliver.
What I can imagine doing is what some of the other posters suggested - having the line placed but not necessarily using it. At least in that scenario you are deliberately prepped already in case the need should arise. I'm having a minor memory lapse here, but am I correct in thinking that once you have an epi line in you won't be able to walk around any more or labor in a squat? That would be my primary objection (besides the meds part).
Thanks for sharing your stories!
I asked my OB about the spinal today and she said they won't do it because it could take too long for the meds to work in an emergency. she said if my babies stay head down and it seems like a healthy delievry when I go into labor she would place a cathedar for an epi and only use it if a problem should arise or maybe give me just a tiny bit so I still have some feeling but they can crank it up if need be. Im ok with the catherdar being placed and even if its with minimal meds as a means to not being knocked out so I guess Im just hoping babies stay head down for the big day. GL to you in the same position as I am