Epidural slow your labor down?

Jbruce7612 · January 2014

This is my first pregnancy and going into labor has been on my mind alot more. I'd like to think that i could try to have her with out and epidural, but i dont know. My sis in law went into labor last friday and she was planning on going all natural until she just couldnt take it anymore so she got an epidural at a 4. Well by her getting the epidural it slowed her contractions wayyyy down and the doctor decided to give her pitocin. Which she didnt want. My thing is, is i dont want an epidural only because im afraid it will slow me down and then they will try to induce me. Any one else have this happen to them?

holly321 · January 2014

Lurking

I was trying for a vbac and needed pitocin due to PROM. For about 7 hours I had no progress. Actually between 2 different doctors measurements , I lost progress.... my on call doctor was not vbac friendly and was beginning to push for a csection, so I wanted the epi to get prepared, since my spinal didn't work with my Csection. I had been stuck at 4 cm for hours, 1/2 cm more than I had been when I last went to the doctor. Within 45 of the epi, I delivered. Now, my epi didn't work either. It slightly numbed my right half and did nothing to my left. I think it took the edge off just enough that my body relaxed to allow progress.

jess9802 · January 2014

This is a great blog post written by an anesthesiologist addressing the question.

My ancedote: I was induced. At 7AM, following a night of cervical ripening I was 2cm dilated. I finally reached 4cm sometime around noon. I requested the epidural. It took a while to get everything in place and working. I'm guessing it was in place around 1PM. At 2:45PM I had dilated to 8cm. I was complete sometime around 4PM, started pushing at 4:30, and gave birth at 5:21PM.

DS was strongly suspected to be sunnyside up based on the back labor I was having. So even with the epidural, the nurses positioned me on my side with a birthing ball between my legs to make sure labor continued to progress. It did - and next time, I'm getting the epidural immediately.

Jbruce7612 · January 2014

What is the last number you can dilate to before they say you are too far and cant have an epidural?

dunvilles · January 2014

I had an epidural. My labor was 4 hours and it seemed to speed up my labor because I was more relaxed.

iverske9 · January 2014

I was going full speed and then got an epidural. It slowed it down and they gave me a little pitocin and then I delivered my son with no problem. Everyone is different, but for me it was fine. I delivered my 9.1lb baby with very little issue. I had only a second degree tear (which is only two stitches) and my recovery was normal. I suggest going in with an open mind as you do not know what is going to happen.

jess9802 · January 2014

Jbruce7612 said:

What is the last number you can dilate to before they say you are too far and cant have an epidural?

My doctor said it was available to me at any time up until I started pushing.

rainydayluck · January 2014

savannah_girl said:

It can, if started early..however I have seen the opposite to. Where a mom has stalled out, and an epidural lets them relax enough to continue to dilate. Each labor is different. I went from a 6, got the epidural to pushing in about 2.5 hours.

This for sure. I have had friends who were progressing pretty slow and exhausted. When they got the epidural it helped them finish progressing. Each situation is different.

Soap1 · January 2014

My labor sped up dramatically after the epidural. I went from 2cm to 5cm in about 5 hours, got epidural, and was fully dilated within 2 hours after that.

inluv4life2 · January 2014

I was progressing very quickly - from 2-5 in an hour, got the epi. An hour after the epi I was at 8 but then I stayed there for 6 hours. FINALLY the nurse massaged by cervix and I got to 10. If I had known how quickly I would have gotten to 8, I would have held off on th ept. Hindsight...

Anyway, I'm shooting for a med free birth this. We'll see how it goes!

PrimRoseMama · January 2014

Not to me.

The epidural actually helped me & my body relax to finish labor.

ncbelle · January 2014

This is absolutely a risk of the epidural - although it is true that women who are having really long and difficult labors may make better progress if they are able to rest for at least a bit, in general, staying active in labor (not like running around but switching positions) speeds things along and makes it far more likely you won't encounter problems necessitating further interventions. If you get an epidural in early labor, it greatly increases the risk you will "stall."

calimama2007 · January 2014

I believe that is what happened to me with my first. I was basically completely unprepared for labor, did not handle the pain at all, and got an epi immediately. It was so strong that I was completely stuck in one position on the bed. Then came bags and bags of pit, and 23 hours later, a c/section for failure to progress. After that labor I talked with a friend, who said that the nurse in her birth prep class said to try and make it to 6 cm before getting an epi, and that it was then much less likely to stall out. (obviously not guaranteed). This was my goal with my last labor, and I was able to get the phentynol (sp?), and sit on a ball, move around, etc. and I made it to a 6, had my water broken, and then got the epi. The labor after that was super fast, no pit, no stalling at all. And I was able to have my VBA2C, which is what I really wanted! GL to you!

PrimRoseMama · January 2014

Jbruce7612 said:
What is the last number you can dilate to before they say you are too far and cant have an epidural?

This varies by doctor. I got mine with DS at 9cm.

JuneMrs · January 2014

Epidurals absolutely slow down your labor. Your best bet is to take natural childbirth classes that will teach you have to manage your pain. Keep walking around as much as possible during labor and stay out of the bed until you have to be there. If you decide to get an epidural delay it as much as possible. I waited until I was 9 cm and I took a self directed which just took the edge off so I could feel the contractions but catch my breath. Another piece of advice is don't rush to the hospital wait as long as you can. My Dr. advised 5 minutes apart on the contractions or when I couldn't sit or stand comfortably. I spent very little time at the hospital as a result having most of my labor at home and when we arrived at the hospital after they checked me I got up and walked around the L&D floor with DH. With this LO I plan again for a natural birth but if I chose an epidural again it will be self directed and at the last minute so I can be up and moving.

laurakaz13 · January 2014

I have no idea if it slowed my labor down, but it was the best thing ever and made my labor relaxing and enjoyable.

PrimRoseMama · January 2014

@junemrs : it's a good idea to read the thread...

bel194 · January 2014

Not for me! It took me 16 hours to get to 5cm and then after I got the epi, I got to 10cm in about three hours. My doctor said that it doesn't slow down labor but it does slow down pushing. LO came out in 3 pushes though so I guess that's not necessarily true.

momofmanyinthemitten · January 2014

The epidural relaxed me enough so that my body could finish dilating. They didn't even check how much I was dilated before placing it, but I had been in labor for at least 12 hrs at that point.

GinnyJ2012 · January 2014

I don't remember my numbers or times when I got my epi, but after trying several different methods I couldn't relax and wasn't progressing. I tried walking, labor tub, massage, all those things that are taught in natural child birth class.

I decided on the epidural. Best decision ever. I was able to relax and nap off and on, but when the time came to push I felt everything and knew when to go. I have heard of walking epidurals and will look into that this time around. My other hospital didnt offer them.

cMichelle0423 · January 2014

I got an epidural with DS when i was around 7 cm and it didn't slow down my labor at all. I have a handful of friends who all got epidurals and neither one of them ever mentioned having a slower labor after getting one. Labor is unpredictable no matter what. You might try doing everything drug free and still end up having an extremely slow labor and need pitocin to help the process.

Michelle N · January 2014

I loved my epi. I progressed from a 2 to a 10 in 3 hours, and I got to relax during those three hours. It was wonderful for me.

bumpuser9058414 · January 2014

Team "Epidural helped me relax and made my labor progress" over here.

Excitedmum35 · January 2014

I had an epidural with my first and I don't know if it slowed my labour but it made my recovery HORRIBLE, as I then had to have intervention to birth.
I didn't have one with my second (there wasn't a dr avail) and my recovery was awesome- and my labour ten times less complicated.
For me, I want to avoid an epidural as much as possible this time.

WookieesCookies · January 2014

Finnaroo said:

JuneMrs said:
Epidurals absolutely slow down your labor. Your best bet is to take natural childbirth classes that will teach you have to manage your pain. Keep walking around as much as possible during labor and stay out of the bed until you have to be there. If you decide to get an epidural delay it as much as possible. I waited until I was 9 cm and I took a self directed which just took the edge off so I could feel the contractions but catch my breath. Another piece of advice is don't rush to the hospital wait as long as you can. My Dr. advised 5 minutes apart on the contractions or when I couldn't sit or stand comfortably. I spent very little time at the hospital as a result having most of my labor at home and when we arrived at the hospital after they checked me I got up and walked around the L&D floor with DH. With this LO I plan again for a natural birth but if I chose an epidural again it will be self directed and at the last minute so I can be up and moving.
Pssst. There are several in this post who didn't have epidurals slow down labor. They might or they might not. It's a crapshoot. Don't go talking in absolutes.

I'm so glad you know what's best for every mother out there... :-w

yeah. · January 2014

It sped mine up both times. I was able to relax and my body took care of the rest.

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