Epidural Poll!

[lulugirl]

Had two epidurals......loved em' both. I plan to get one w/ this baby as well.

 

[Sandy321]

My experience:

(first, every every birth and labor is different - YOU get to decide - this is not an easy decision, and no matter what - labor and delivery is a natural part of the whole process, no more no less a woman, epidural, c-section, or al-natural)

3 children, no epideral.

First baby - I refused several epidurals, I had two miscarries, and was determined to have faith... of course I couldnt figure out why the doc didnt give me a c-section or use forceps (I spent about 2 hours pushing, and they had to call a surgeon to get that baby out!) He was 10#11 ounces - his head 38 or 39cm, shoulders 39cms - my peditrician thought something was wrong with the tape measure!! Labor was 12 hours in the hospital - but of course after 2 miscarries, it just didnt matter!

2n baby - fast and furious - no epidural, 10# 8 ounces

3rd baby was 11 years later, and I sure forgot a lot - and I was surprised when visiting hospitals how everyone routinely got epidurals - and was shot down when I asked why they didnt wait to sign the epidural form until they were actual IN labor...

yes, its painful - no dont be a "hero" but I think I was more afraid of the epidural "headache" afterwards, and the whole thought of going "numb" frightened the beejezzus outta me.. that to me labor was easier... I'm a fraidy cat!!

 

[Stacerita]

I didn't have one. I had wanted to do natural childbirth and do it drug free. I made everyone who was going to be in the room with me promise not to let me change my mind. I even made my doc promise me not to give me one. I swore I wasn't gonna change my mind and I wouldn't want one. Boy, was I wrong. I begged for one, but they all kept reminding me of the promise.

 

[Kathi OD]

Where is the "other" choice. I had one with the first, but not with the second or third. The needle itself didn't hurt as much as the labor pains did. With the second and third, there just wasn't enough time, so I did without.

 

[Mahnahmahnah]

Yes, I did!

I never even gave it a second thought. I asked the girls at the docs office to please write in big red marker on my file "WANTS DRUGS".

I was in so much pain, I didn't care about the needle. DH was the one who was .

Just before they gave me the injection, the anesthesiologist said he whipped me up a nice 'coctail' of nerve killers. Whatta guy!
But I can remember my doctor saying at one point for the nurses to 'turn it down' , because I wasn't feeling the pushing well enough Meanwhile.............

My DD was stuck in my pelvic bone. I was pushing just fine. She just didn't want to come out!

 

[justhat]

I didn't read through all the responses, but here's my take on it.

With my first, I did not want an epidural for exactly the same reasons you mentioned of the needle in my spine. My husband is an anesthesiologist and does them all the time and I still didn't trust them! So anyway, I was very opposed to getting one with my first, then I had terrible back labor (though I thought it was just normal labor till I had my 2nd kid) and thought I was dying with each contraction. Still, I held out. At 7cm they broke my water and said the pain would get a ton worse. Still, I braved it, though it was truly terrible pain. Then my daughter was not dropping down, and with pushing she wasn't budging. At 8cm my dr told me that if she ddn't coe out after 2 hours of pushing, he was going to forceps or a c-section. If I didn't have an epidural in, my options might be limited in the event that we'd have to go with the c-section. If the baby was in distress or needed to be taken out immediately, I would have needed general anesthetic. I didn't want that so I got the epi at 8cm and it was wonderful. Pain was gone and I truly felt nothing.

However! this was not entirely a good thing! My daughter was compressing a nerve in my pelvis that got damaged and left me unable to feel my thighs and knees after her birth. It took more than 6 months before I was totally back to normal. After that I vowed no more epidurals! (Reasoning being that if I didn't have the epi, I would have felt pain from her head crushing the nerve and I would have adjusted my position accordingly, according to the neurologist.)

Then I went into labor with my son. Water broke at home and contractions were managable for about 4-5 hours. Then they came on fast and hard. I was alone with my then 2yo daughter in the delivery room and so wanted an epidural despite my previous decision to never get one again. I couldn't react to the pain for fear of scaring my daughter so I just wanted relief. Well I couldn't get one! My son's heartrate was really low and they would not allow me to get the epi or even move to another position where an epi might be an option. So I had to write in pain. He was almost an emergency c-section under general anesthesia cause his heartrate was so dangerously low (had the cord around his neck), but because I was already at 10cm they let me try pushing and he came out on the 2nd push so all was well. (And my daughter had been picked up by a friend by that point.)

So with him, not only did I not have an epidural, I had nothing. They had literally just gotten the IV in me, pushed in surfactant (he was preterm), terbutaline, and an antibiotic and he was out minutes later.

Now I'm planning on a 3rd baby in the near future and after having done it both ways, one with the epi, one without, I will be skipping it this time around. Yes, it hurt a lot, I won't lie, but the moment my son came out I felt perfect. Totally normal, in fact better cause I was on the adrenaline high. I held him, nursed him, showered off, and walked him to the nursery within an hour of his birth. With my daughter, I had to be assisted into a wheelchair, they had to measure my pee, I couldn't walk immediately, etc. Just wasn't ideal having experienced it the other way.

I'm not sorry I got the epi with my daughter cause I had over 2 hours of pushing with her, awful back labor, and tons of internal tearing from the forceps. So I am glad I had it, and I definitely needed it. If I have a similar experience with the 3rd, I might scrap the no-epi plan and get one again. But with my son, I could manage the contractions cause they were all in the belly, none of that back stuff, and he was out in 2 pushes. Plus I was only in the hospital an hour with him, as opposed to 7 hours before my daughter was out.

 

[Beca]

Had one....it didn't take and I didn't know what an epi should feel like...I kept telling them I was feeling pain, but they said I would be screaming if it had not taken. When I was told I had to have an emergency c-section, I got up and walked to the operating table, and they all gasped and said, "Someone's going to have to a spinal.....the epidural didn't take!" I said, "Yeah, I have been telling you all that for the last 20 hours."

Anyway, if I ever do get pg again, I think will try to go the natural route. I HOPE I could have a baby without a c-section...the recovery from that is really hard. I like the idea of no pain meds (okay....I still want Stadol), but that is it.

 

[Liann]

Mine were both planned c secs due to my own health concerns so ya I had epis. The first one was perfect! The second one didn't work (scar tissue in my spinal sac) and I stupidly left orders not to put me out in case of problems SO... I felt the entire C sec from the first cut to the last staple AND the affects of the epi went up instead of down so I couldn't swallow and I had a suction tube in my mouth the whole time. When the anesthesiologist FINALLY shot me up with demerol my hubby says I looked over at him and said "Thanks Einstien!".

I wanted 3 kids but because of my last delivery my hubby refuses. It was baaaaad for him. What a wuss.

 

[Darsa]

One child, 13 years ago; no epidural. I was pretty proud of my natural birth experience after the fact, LOL, but the fact of the matter is that I ws just so intensely focused and concentrating on doing what had to be done, it never occurred to me to ask for one!

If I had had another child... I probably would have asked for one. The Lamaze classes helped me immensely, though, I would like to mention.

 

[LaraK]

I had drugs. Lots of drugs. I get no personal satisfaction from suffering for no reason.

Biggest problem with the epidural was that I couldn't get it in the seventh month of pregnancy.

Seriously? The hardest part of the administration is holding still during the application when a contraction hits. Epidurals are fantastic. Mine were complicated by a cyst on my back in the exact spot where they usually administer the epi. It took about twice as long to put it in as it usually would and I'd still do it again.

 

[livie1205]

YES YES YES!!!! i HAD TWO.....they did not hurt going in at all...

 

[Princess_Michelle]

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[jodifla]

OP, I was just going to suggest that you watch the documentary called "The Business of Being Born" (http://www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com/)

I watched it after I gave birth, but it basically just talks about how "Modern Medicine" is hindering the birth experiences of women. It talks about how being induced usually just makes stuff worse and usually isn't even neccessary, they just do it to free up delivery rooms, etc. I'm not one of those "have a home birth people" but I do believe that everyone should be fully informed about the process, as well as the intentions of the medical comminuty, etc. It's eye opening.

I didn't know why at the time, but when I was giving birth, there were a few interns that were brought into my room, for training purposes, to watch my birth b/c it was natural. Apparently, that's b/c most interns have never even seen a natural birth!! Some places even give pitocin to everyone, it's just part of the process and they don't ask, they just say we're giving you this for blah blah blah.... Pitocin makes labor pains worse, which in turn makes labor harder on momma and baby, which in turn gives baby fast heart rate, etc. and then they "have" to do an emergency C-Section to b/c of "complications" that (usually) never would have happened w/o the pitocin in the first place!

Anywho, if you go in knowing everything about the process it will be easier for you to plan ahead. And don't worry about what other people think.

Hospitals and medicine save many more women than they hinder, IMO.

My water broke, but no contractions kicked in. They waited for a couple of hours, then started pitocin, still no contractions. Then ANOTHER bag of pitocin before contractions started. Then STALLED until I got the epidural, when labor really started progressing.

We vacation a lot in Cape Cod and have done grave rubbings. One look at all those dead mothers and infants in graves in the past centuries is pretty sobering. I'm grateful to live in an era of hospitals, pitocin, epidurals and C-sections.

 

[AftertheSunset]

I have no intentions of having one, not because I don't think its not going to hurt, or because I think I will be more of a woman going through labor naturally, but because I can't stand the thought of a needle in my spine, the costant worry of one slip up and I could end up brain dead, I know they are safe and women get them every day, but I want to try to last as long as I can without one, because I am too fearful of the needle, I mean come on my great grandma had 16 kids and there were no epidurals back then, my other great grandma had 12... I think they might have stopped if it were that bad...

I know every woman is different, and that I might end up being in the worst pain ever and getting one in the end, but my plans (and I know they change!) are to not have one... I think I'm pretty tough though... I survived a car running over my legs and stomach, I've passed kidney stones, and I get mind numbing can't walk cramps once a month...

So to anyone who feels like answering, did you get one? Anything you care to share about the experience, without or without one?

I just wanted to say that it's great to have a loose plan of not having one...but, wait until you're in pain. Labor pain is unlike any other pain you've experienced.

For all of my kids, I held out as long as I could, but in the end, I was begging for the pain to stop. It's like having your insides ripped out, stomped on and twisted. Kids, anyone?

If you can not get one, more power to ya. I'll take the pain free, stress free birth please.

 

[Kewz1]

I don't like the idea of a needle in my spine either but just wait until you're in labor... I had an epidural for both deliveries and I'm glad I did.

Congrats and best wishes to you!!

Kristen

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Well, no kids yet, but I 100% intend to have drugs when I do it. Yes, our great-grandmothers didn't use drugs, but most of them didn't use aspirin either. I see no more reason to suffer through labor than I do to suffer through a migraine. In all honesty, I'm kinda hoping my kids come up the same way I did...with a knife and no pushing.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

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[xoprincessmomxo]

Like I said, I am not a proponent of home births, and I had mine in a hospital, and I'll have my next in a hospital. But just b/c SOME people need intervention, doesn't mean that EVERYONE needs it and in fact it causes more complications than there would be w/o intervention. Hospitals CAN be great, but newsflash, close to 100,000 people JUST IN THIS COUNTRY die every year from medical mistakes. My mom and two aunts are nurses and my sister is a medical assistant, and my niece's father died 2 years ago b/c a nurse accidentally gave him something meant for someone else (looooooong story). I have heard it all.

I just suggest that people know what goes on, know procedures, know what you want, and ask questions or have someone ask for you. You don't have to do everything they tell you, you can demand that they not follow "normal operating procedure" but only if you know to ask. And always ask what someone is giving you before they give it to you.

Never blindly follow along just b/c you feel like "they know what they are doing".

Knowledge is power. Also, have a doctor you can trust. Those are your biggest issues in any medical procedure.

 

[mjkacmom]

I've had 4 - they were wonderful! I had to wait a long time for the first one - who knew that there might not be someone available when you want one! I've had some hotspots, but I could deal with them. My experience was that I progressed MUCH faster as soon as I got them.

 

[Princess_Michelle]

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