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December 2015 Moms
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Is the epidural worth it?

isis2222isis2222 member
in December 2015 Moms
Hi everyone, I am trying to make a decision between getting the epidural or natural birth. I've been looking at videos of women in labor in my prenatal class with my BF and the epidural looks painful and if they make mistakes or if we move we can be paralyse. Also you can have back pain for the rest of your life or just for a certain amount of time. Natural birth is maybe painful but once the babies head appears it will take a few seconds for it to come out. What you girls think?? Epidural is recommended or NOT?
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Re: Is the epidural worth it?

  • Ccat1977Ccat1977 member
    I had one with my daughter and will do it again this time around. I don't handle pain well and it kept me from passing out. Obviously helped with contractions too but even more glad I had it for the after. The stitches would have hurt like a b$&@$ but I felt nothing. The guy who did mine was great - got it on the first try and it worked as expected. I don't remember any after effects and by the time they administered it I was already in so much pain it wasn't traumatic. I was thankful for the relief. To each their own though - have to do what feels right for you.
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  • CrellaMommaCrellaMomma member
    Had it with my daughter and definitely will be getting it again this time. I tore pretty badly and can't even imagine the pain if I didn't have it. I had zero issues after the fact.
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  • TomekiaBTomekiaB member
    When I was younger I assumed I wanted an epidural when the time came and then I realized it was a needle in your spine...and some of the other side effects (headaches and vomiting are the ones that I'm concerned about). I plan on seeing how it goes without it and avoiding it if possible through coping skills I've learned through running half-marathons and yoga for dealing with pain or negative thoughts. However, if I get to the point where I can't do it anymore I'll get the epidural. One of my concerns with the epidural is actually the headaches I've only gotten a few migraines in life but half of them were during recovery from medical events that had required pain management and occurred within 24-72 hours after getting home, I don't know that the relief from an epidural for a few hours is worth a day or 2 long migraine.
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  • dec15mumdec15mum member
    They don't offer an epidural where I'm giving birth, and I don't want to travel more or give birth in a huge hospital.
    So I hope I don't need one!
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  • breezypipbreezypip member
    My main concern with the epidural is the possible headaches, like @TomekiaB said. Our birthing class instructor talked to us about the possibility of a long lasting spinal headache after an epidural. As a chronic migraine sufferer that sounds awful to me, especially with a new baby. It was described as being an uncommon occurrance through.

    With that said I'm going to play it by ear. I'm a FTM and don't know what to expect. If I can I'd rather deal with temporary pain and not have to worry about drug side effects -- in all honesty I'm wary of medications in most situations because ive experienced side effects that are worse than my actual problem before... But I guess it will all depend on how temporary and intense that pain actually is!
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  • ACarter0914ACarter0914 member
    My first was all natural and I'm hoping my second is the same. Don't make the decision now, just do your research and be prepared. Everyone's pain tolerance is different so you might get there and decide "okay I can do this" or "please give me an epidural right now!"

    For me I didn't like some of the effects an epidural could have, along with now being able to get out of bed and move around (you will be on an IV), AND I read an article about the "effects" it could have on the baby which wasn't okay with either.
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  • Bombmom3Bombmom3 member
    As pp have stated, now is the wrong time to make a firm decision about anything. Have in mind what you would like, write out a birth plan and then expect the plan to get tossed out the window on delivery day. I'm not trying to be negative - at all - but my experience with both my labors have been that things change very quickly and you have to be very fluid and able to roll with things once those contractions get started. Do your reasearch, get educated and have an idea of what you are open to and what you are not. (Do you want the nursing staff to offer you pain meds every time you start showing stress/pain? Do you want them to not ask at all unless you request it? Will you tolerate a bunch of vaginal checks? Do you want minimal interventions? These are the things you should work out before labor.)

    I had to be induced with both previous pregnancies. I was ADAMANT about no epidural for the first one. I did fine until they broke my water and then refused to let me get up (I suspect they wanted me to have the epi and this was their way of accomplishing that goal since I was literally screaming/begging them to let me get up and walk around to manage the pain and they had been pushing the epi prior to that point and made several comments throughout the morning that I wasn't "hurting enough" so they needed to crank up the pitocin). By the time I suffered through two hours of back to back contractions confined to the bed, I was in tears begging someone to send in the anesthesiologist. The epi went well, instant relief, and I was able to feel my legs and move my lower body. AFTER this labor (the delivery went sideways at the push phase but that's another story) I did my research and found that a) they cannot keep you confined to your bed - they can request it and state hospital policy but they cannot FORCE you to do anything, b) I could have refused them breaking my water so early - I knew when it happened they were doing it because they wanted me to hurt and start being unable to manage the pain on my own because they WANTED me to have the epi and c) that if anything sounds weird, hinky or against what you wanted SPEAK UP ask questions and again remember you have the right to refuse interventions.

    Second labor I knew I might need the drugs but tried to go epi free. I had another induction but at a different hospital - WORLDS OF DIFFERENCE. No one pushed anything, no one told me I wasn't hurting enough and they barely cranked the pitocin up at all. I made it to seven centimeters before the contractions came back to back again (a side effect of the pitocin) and unfortunately even when they stopped the pitocin (which most hospitals won't do, I was so impressed with them) my body was rocking and rolling and I was having them every minute and just unable to get on top of the pain. I requested an epi and it was MISERABLE. They screwed it up and I knew it because I'd had it done correctly before. They had to pull it out and replace it, and then it only worked on my right side. I wish I had just gone without it. That said, I still ended up having almost three hours of active labor and the slight relief I got from the epi allowed me to get my act together and have a quick delivery/push time.

    This pregnancy I'm planning on going in with the thought that I can make it to the finish line without the drugs but if I get to that point where I can't handle it I feel no shame in asking for them.

    So, short answer: do your research and be flexible. No one will shame you for saying you need the epi of you find you cannot make it through without it.
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  • samstradtsamstradt member
    I am due December 27th with my 3rd boy and have never got the epidural and don't plan on getting one this time. I am going to have this one natural like the other 2 boys. But they do have a shot that is like the epidural just doesn't last as long. They offered it to me with my 19 month old.
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  • NellieHarringtonCarterNellieHarringtonCarter member
    For my first, I didn't really make a decision until the last minute. My sister had one and it wore off and she had an awful and long labor, so I didn't really see the sense in getting one. But when I was in labor (not active labor, of course, but having contractions and just taking the stuff that makes you feel loopy), the anesthesiologist was walking by and they asked if I wanted one and assured me that it wouldn't wear off, so I said yes! 

    In my opinion, it was a little freaky with them messing around my spine, (and surprise, turns out I have a little scoliosis! Thanks, crappy pediatrician!) but after it was done, I didn't think about it. Over time, I pretty much went completely numb from the waist down, which was also a little freaky, and honestly couldn't feel very much. (Like, I didn't know that my bladder was completely full, and even said to the nurse when she asked if I had to use the bathroom "uh, I don't know. I honestly may have already wet myself and not felt it." 

    And yeah, the active labor part was really easy for me - not really any real pain, and it didn't seem to take THAT long, but it could've gone a lot quicker if I could feel something. 

    The only thing, and I'm not sure if no epidural would have made a difference or not, is that I dislocated/fractured/broke my tailbone during delivery, and that hurt SO MUCH in the days and weeks after giving birth. I couldn't sit right or lay right, and even months afterward it would be sore if I put too much pressure on it. 

    This time, I'm weighing the idea of no epidural, just because I really didn't like the idea of being SO numb. But as for my tailbone, I don't think it will make a difference. I heard that if you mess it up once, it will pretty much happen every time after that. 
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  • Bombmom3Bombmom3 member
    TeganAngelina said:

    For my first, I didn't really make a decision until the last minute. My sister had one and it wore off and she had an awful and long labor, so I didn't really see the sense in getting one. But when I was in labor (not active labor, of course, but having contractions and just taking the stuff that makes you feel loopy), the anesthesiologist was walking by and they asked if I wanted one and assured me that it wouldn't wear off, so I said yes! 


    In my opinion, it was a little freaky with them messing around my spine, (and surprise, turns out I have a little scoliosis! Thanks, crappy pediatrician!) but after it was done, I didn't think about it. Over time, I pretty much went completely numb from the waist down, which was also a little freaky, and honestly couldn't feel very much. (Like, I didn't know that my bladder was completely full, and even said to the nurse when she asked if I had to use the bathroom "uh, I don't know. I honestly may have already wet myself and not felt it." 

    And yeah, the active labor part was really easy for me - not really any real pain, and it didn't seem to take THAT long, but it could've gone a lot quicker if I could feel something. 

    The only thing, and I'm not sure if no epidural would have made a difference or not, is that I dislocated/fractured/broke my tailbone during delivery, and that hurt SO MUCH in the days and weeks after giving birth. I couldn't sit right or lay right, and even months afterward it would be sore if I put too much pressure on it. 

    This time, I'm weighing the idea of no epidural, just because I really didn't like the idea of being SO numb. But as for my tailbone, I don't think it will make a difference. I heard that if you mess it up once, it will pretty much happen every time after that. 
    I broke my tailbone during my first delivery. Didn't break or even bother me my second, so don't give up hope that you can avoid suffering through that misery again!
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  • Court11152325Court11152325 member
    @neferhathor - I really want to try hypnobirthing, but I wasn't sure if hypnobabies was worth the $166. I was looking at itunes for hypno tracks and meditation and they seem to be reasonable there. Is hypnobabies worth the money? Is it cheaper on amazon or ebay?
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  • LA33LA33 member
    I didn't with my first 2 but they were both precipitous so there wasn't time.  After having a vacuum and 3rd degree tearing without drugs I would happily take an epi this go around.  I just try not to over-plan as I have learned nothing goes according to plan!!  I am hoping for an epi but if it goes like the other 2 so be it.  
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  • cmcweeneycmcweeney member
    I had one with my first child almost immediately because I was so scared of pain and felt no pain at all. Did not have one with my second child and the pain was pretty damn intense but I made it through. This is my third pregnancy and I plan to just see how far I can go. I won't make any decisions until I am going through it. If you can handle the pain, go for it! I guess to answer if it's worth it, I would say yes if the pain becomes unbearable it is very much worth it. 
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  • dec15mumdec15mum member
    Court11152325 said:

    @neferhathor - I really want to try hypnobirthing, but I wasn't sure if hypnobabies was worth the $166. I was looking at itunes for hypno tracks and meditation and they seem to be reasonable there. Is hypnobabies worth the money? Is it cheaper on amazon or ebay?

    I was speaking to my midwife about that, she said she's seen it work wonders and she's seen it work rubbish!
    Though, if you want the hypnobirthing you need to practise it weeks before birth and really commit and then you've got a better chance.
    Just what I've been told anyway
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  • Court11152325Court11152325 member
    @dec15mum - yeah, I've heard that as well. DH is a mental health counselor, so we already do meditation most nights. I'm hoping this puts me on track towards already practicing. I hired a doula who has given birth 4 times using hypnobirthing and has taken classes on being a hypno-doula. I'm just wondering which tracks to buy... go all in for $170 bucks or buy a few from itunes for $50.
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  • bekaadams49bekaadams49 member
    edited October 2015
    Holdmomma said:
    I wouldn't make the decision now. Know the risks of and epi, and play it by ear. If you have a short labor, you might find the pain tolerable enough to push through. If you labor stalls out or becomes lengthy you might decide you are too exhausted to deal with painful contractions for several more hours, and won't have the energy to push when the time comes. If you need stitches after birth they will usually do a local anesthetic much like you would get at the dentist even if you didn't get an epi.

    Yes, what she said. I did not plan to get an epidural with my first but I was in labor for 17 hours, the first 9 or 10 hours were painful but tolerable, but then I decided to get it because I still had not fully dilated and I do not regret it. My second I opted for it thinking the labor would be similar but ended up with an emergency C-section after 8 hours of labor.
    On the other hand my niece had both of her children completely natural and both were born in less than 4 hours.
    Good Luck and listen to your body during labor.

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  • Rawr052992Rawr052992 member
    FTM Here...& I WILL NOT Be Getting An Epidural...Im Actually Going All Natural.

    Even the Lactation Consultant who's ben teaching my baby classes was surprised, since its Very Common for women to get an epidural. 

    I Wont be getting one due to the fact that you cant move around with it, & it can make you unaware of any pains that would otherwise tell you to slow down. 

    Ive already cleared with my doctor that I can get up and walk around my room & sit on a ball or chair. 

    I also wont be doing Mentored Pushing, which could lead to "Purple pushing" 

    I'm going to follow my body's cues, & if that means a little extra pain in the moment, Ill handle it. 

    You dont need a doctor to tell you when to poop, your body tells you to "push", and it's the same for having a baby, your body will know when to push & how long and how hard. 

    With an Epidural, you wouldnt be able to feel enough down there to know when to do anything! 
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  • Mags128Mags128 member

    I had an epidural with my 1st and I am planning on having an epidural with my 2nd. My water broke at home and I went to the hospital a few hours later. I was at the hospital for 2 hours and was finally given the epidural. They checked me and I was already 6 cm. About 2 hours later they checked again and I was 9.5 cm so for me the epidural did not slow down my labor.


    Honestly I didn't feel any pain when they did the epidural. I was already in so much pain from the contractions that I didn't notice any pain. My doctor was also great. Once I got to 10 cm they told me they would have me push when I felt pressure. So I couldn't feel pain but I could still feel pressure and knew when it was time to push. This is a personal decision that you would have to make but either way I would go on with an open mind. I have had friends whose labor was too fast and couldn't get it. Other people who didn't want it and ended up with it.

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  • irohspupilirohspupil member
    Rawr052992 said:

    FTM Here...& I WILL NOT Be Getting An Epidural...Im Actually Going All Natural.


    Even the Lactation Consultant who's ben teaching my baby classes was surprised, since its Very Common for women to get an epidural. 

    I Wont be getting one due to the fact that you cant move around with it, & it can make you unaware of any pains that would otherwise tell you to slow down. 

    Ive already cleared with my doctor that I can get up and walk around my room & sit on a ball or chair. 

    I also wont be doing Mentored Pushing, which could lead to "Purple pushing" 

    I'm going to follow my body's cues, & if that means a little extra pain in the moment, Ill handle it. 

    You dont need a doctor to tell you when to poop, your body tells you to "push", and it's the same for having a baby, your body will know when to push & how long and how hard. 

    With an Epidural, you wouldnt be able to feel enough down there to know when to do anything! 
    Snooping from A15 since I miss being pregnant.
    You never know how labor will go until you are there. Just keep that in mind.

    I had 8 hours of back labor with 3 hours of pushing--all without painkillers. Because there was meconium present when OB broke my water (once I was fully dilated after 5hrs of labor), she insisted on having an internal fetal monitor to keep an eye on LO which restricted my movements. I was never able to get LO to turn so that the pain went down, and my OB had to use a vacuum. I tore and was stitched up without pain medication also (she gave me a local but I still felt everything). I never felt the urge to push.


     
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  • NJPita22NJPita22 member

    Like others have said now is NOT the time to make the decision because women who want it might not have time to get it and women who don't want it might be like f this sh** (like me). It all depends if your water breaks how fast you are how much you can handle your pain management techniques etc... I wouldn't go around saying anything is absolutely set in stone.

    This time I will be happy just to make it to the hospital as my first labor was 4 hours tops my second was a little less than 2 hours and my dr says that the shot of Demerol or whatever cannot be administered to me because I'm so fast too much of it will transfer to the baby. It is safe to use nitrous oxide which is in the delivery rooms but he's not sure about the labor rooms and it will just take the edge off.
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  • EmmyMommy123EmmyMommy123 member
    FTM but I think pps have the right idea based on everything I've heard: learn your stuff (risks and benefits but also potential escalating interventions that could be required as a result of an epidural) and have a plan, but be ok with the plan changing and don't feel bad if it does. I started my pregnancy thinking epidural all the way as that is all I knew from others and now I'm going into birth with the goal of getting through it med free, but I will not feel bad for one second if I can't handle it or am exhausted and need the epidural (cause, I mean, a human IS coming out of my vagina and that's intense business).
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  • stlmomof2stlmomof2 member
    Don't decide now. Wait until you are actually in labor before you decide to get the epidural. You can always PLAN to go natural as did I but when I was 6 or 7cm dilated they told me I had to get the shot now or they wouldn't be able to give it to me. It was pretty painful for me and not knowing how much longer I would be in labor for I decided to get it. Thankfully I made the right choice. I tore badly, had 4th degree episiotomy and I did NOT want to feel any of that. Baby was too big for me to push out which is why I got an episiotomy but I don't believe it was because of the epidural. I could feel when I had to push still but couldn't feel how hard I was pushing.

    This time is a csection for me and yes I will be getting epidural or spinal ;) lol.

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  • ColoradoHikerColoradoHiker member
    Obviously, birth can go a million different ways, and rarely the way you envisioned it. And truthfully, you're going to hear more horror stories online in general about epis (or unmedicated births or c sections) than good stories bc happy people don't go online as much to share their stories. I'd recommend going in with an open mind, and making your decision in the moment, rather than being set on something specific.
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  • MamaYMMamaYM member
    I regret getting the epidural
    I know i could have done without it
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  • KristaJTolerKristaJToler member
    I would recommend going to a birthing class that gives you all options. Some of the information you state about the epidural is misleading or incorrect. I feel like maybe a little more education from medical professionals (especially your Dr or healthcare professional) will help with your decision. My second thought is epidural pain is nothing in comparison to labor. A lot of women don't even remember the epidural bc they are in so much pain from labor. Just my two cents!
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  • helen76dhelen76d member
    I've never had an epidural and this will be my fifth child. I know it's a very personal choice but my opinion is that our bodies are very capable of birthing Babies. I know there are emergencies that occur and certain interventions become necessary in life or death situations but other than those instances I wanted no intervention of any kind. Going in with this mind set helped me deal with the pain and every time I've given birth I have hit the point where I didn't think I could do it anymore. That was always right near the end and I was able to deal with the pain second by second knowing it would pass soon. I know many women can't imagine having a baby without an epidural but I can't imagine having one with. Like others have stated, educate yourself and you'll make the right choice for you and your baby.
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  • ToneGirlToneGirl member
    I had one with my first and plan to again with this one. I went as long as I could without it but eventually got one and it was HEAVEN! No problems at all and delivery was nice and pain free. I plan to do the same...go as long as I can before getting one. My suggestion to any FTM is to just go with an open mind and do whatever you need to do that works for you and baby. It's different for everyone.
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  • GalLauraGalLaura member
    God bless the epidural! Lol

    I went into labor thinking that I will give natural
    Birth a go. I was induced so the
    ( picton)medicine makes the pain much harder, much faster. They couldn't bring the epidural to me fast enough.
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  • Addy1227Addy1227 member
    With my son I didn't plan on getting an epidural but I also wasn't opposed to it if needed. I ended up getting one, my contractions were right on top of each other with no time to breathe in between and for whatever reason they wouldn't let me walk around so I asked for the epidural.
    Things I liked about it, I was able to relax before having to push and obviously no pain. Also no pain during the episiotomy or stitches.
    Things I didn't like.. It did absolutely nothing for my back labor while pushing and that was horrible! You can't feel when to push so instead of being able to listen to your body you have to listen to a nurse on when to push. They have to insert a catheter and somehow that stopped me from dilating past 8 cm, once they took that out I finished dilating. I didn't like not being able to feel my legs afterwards either although it did wear off pretty quickly. I also would have liked to follow my son to the nursery but instead I was stuck in a bed and my SO followed leaving me by myself in room.
    I'd rather not get one this time but if I have to sit and suffer through in a bed again I'll probably get the epidural.
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  • LauraSmarterSpamLauraSmarterSpam member
    bekaadams49 said:


    Holdmomma said:

    I wouldn't make the decision now. Know the risks of and epi, and play it by ear. If you have a short labor, you might find the pain tolerable enough to push through. If you labor stalls out or becomes lengthy you might decide you are too exhausted to deal with painful contractions for several more hours, and won't have the energy to push when the time comes.

    If you need stitches after birth they will usually do a local anesthetic much like you would get at the dentist even if you didn't get an epi.

    Yes, what she said. I did not plan to get an epidural with my first but I was in labor for 17 hours, the first 9 or 10 hours were painful but tolerable, but then I decided to get it because I still had not fully dilated and I do not regret it. My second I opted for it thinking the labor would be similar but ended up with an emergency C-section after 8 hours of labor.
    On the other hand my niece had both of her children completely natural and both were born in less than 4 hours.
    Good Luck and listen to your body during labor.




    Some here. After about 30 hours of contractions (12 hours of them at home not realizing what was wrong with me), the doctor said baby was head down coming soon. I knew I wouldn't have any energy to push so I went with an epi. 2 hours later, I was ready to push. The two hours allowed me enough time to rest and get energy especially since the last time I had eaten was an early dinner before the contractions started at home.
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