After the epidural

Nicole_Gillan · January 2012

Did you ladies feel anything "down there" after your epidural?? For example, were you able to feel a catheter or a cervix exam after you had your epidural??

I sure hope not!!

Lisa9926 · January 2012

Yes, you can still feel things down there...it just takes the edge off.

hewinked · January 2012

I felt pressure and I could feel when my kids were being pulled out, but nothing hurt so to speak. When I was getting stitched up after DS was born (small tear), I could feel something, but not pain.

HopingForOne · January 2012

I could feel absolutely nothing.

Crossingfingers · January 2012

hewinked:
I felt pressure and I could feel when my kids were being pulled out, but nothing hurt so to speak. When I was getting stitched up after DS was born (small tear), I could feel something, but not pain.

*Lurking** but this. Exactly.

bpwife&mama · January 2012

All I could feel were hands touching me. I felt absolutely no pain at all.

PinsBride19 · January 2012

With DS1 I felt nothing... hopefully it'll be the same this time around.

Apples&Bananas · January 2012

I kind of think it depends on how the epidural took affect on you. with one child I could feel the stitching and a slight burning feeling. But with the others I just felt tugging from being stitched but it did not hurt at all.

sapphirebride06 · January 2012

I could feel pressure and when to push and that was it - no pain at all. I didn't feel anything, but within probably 20 minutes of removing the epi I was able to feel my legs and not have any issues moving from the bed to the wheelchair to be taken to my postpartum room. I was afraid I wouldn't know when/how to push but I could feel just enough to know what to do - it's weird but it's very natural for your body so it knows what to do - I just had to trust myself and let it.

learningfromlife · January 2012

HopingForOne:
I could feel absolutely nothing.

This for me too. It actually scared me that I couldn't feel anything because I was afraid I wouldn't push right. Luckily I had no issues but I still plan to go without one this time because I very much disliked feeling like I was paralyzed.

Girlyontheway · January 2012

I couldn't feel much of anything.

Keri Marie · January 2012

I'm a light weigh with meds so I was completely numbed out. Everyone is different.

My SIL (an ex drug addict with a low tolerance for pain) said she felt everything and the epidural didn't help at all.

greengirl0909 · January 2012

Pressure, but not pain. Ever had stitches? You can't feel the pain but you can feel them tugging the area together. It's a weird sensation, it doesn't hurt buy you are like hey, why doesn't that hurt?

ktgurly · January 2012

I felt nothing!

sbost0118 · January 2012

One side was blocked more for me than the other. I could feel touching and tugging, but no real pain. I could feel when I was ready to push during 2 of my epidurals. I just knew something was different and that it was time. With one baby, I was being wheeled out for a c-section after 36 hours of labor when they finally decided I was ready to push. They had given me a huge dose of the epi in anticipation of the c/s, so I didn't notice any change or feeling.

After the delivery though, it takes me hours and hours to get all my feeling back. I've had nurses yell at me and drop me on the floor because they didn't believe I still couldn't use my legs two hours after delivery. I'm hoping to avoid the epi this time around because I want a quicker recovery.

HopingForOne · January 2012

learningfromlife:

HopingForOne:
I could feel absolutely nothing.

This for me too. It actually scared me that I couldn't feel anything because I was afraid I wouldn't push right. Luckily I had no issues but I still plan to go without one this time because I very much disliked feeling like I was paralyzed.

I also had no issues pushing, and I was worried about that too. I could still tell what muscles to use, despite being numb as heck.

And I was numb for 6 hours afterwards, and couldn't have cared less, lol.

MesmrEwe · January 2012

It all depends on how strong it takes and how much they're willing to turn it up... When I had DD it barely took the edge off for the 4 hours it worked and didn't work for the rest of the time. With DS they had me in tingly epidural heaven and I felt nothing!

Of the two, I'd rather feel nothing. Though I will say that it was funny as heck hearing the "plunger pop" when DS came out LOL... I had no problems pushing with the epi on full bore, heck, I even walked to the bathroom after delivering with it still working, got there and said "um, I can't feel enough down there to get that level of muscle control" and walked back to the bed LOL... (the nurses couldn't believe the level of muscle control I have)...

FormerlyKrista555 · January 2012

I did not feel the catheter at all. They put it in after the epi took effect, and they removed it before the epi wore off. God bless them.

I felt them doing the exams, but nothing uncomfortable.

The greatest thing about the epi was that I slept for a good part of my labor. I had been up most of the night the night before, (not to mention added up sleep deprivation from several weeks), so I was completely passed out for hours before I got to an 8.

When I got to transition, I started to feel discomfort. I wouldn't call it pain. Then I went from an 8 to a 10 (in 10 minutes!) and soon after I got to 10 I started to feel the urge to push.

Pushing was pretty uncomfortable... like the biggest poop of my life (sorry, best way to describe it) ... but it wasn't unbearable. I definitely felt the ring of fire.

Afterward, since they had turned down my epi for pushing, I did feel some contractions to get the placenta out.

I did not feel the doc giving me stitches.

I was walking around within about 2 hours.