Epidural..?

[Jayceesmumma]

Who has had an epidural and a natural labour..? Ive had two labours with just gas and air and pethadine.. my second was back to back (supposed to be the most painful) but took only 3 pushes to get her out whereas my first took me an hour. my first was 13hrs from waters breaking my second was 7hrs from waters breaking.. tbh.. im petrified about this labour but i just dont know why! maybe its coz the student pulled the cord after she was born and got told off.. i bled a hell of alot but they wrote on my notes i hardly bled at all.. where i had to use a hand towl down there and change it every few mins!
I can manage the pain fine until about 8cm when its too late for an epidural..
my first i wanted one and i had the drip put in my hand but i was shaking so much they wouldnt finish up.. and with my second when i wanted it it was too late.. i pushed so hard to end it i thought my insides were gonna come out but i didnt care! i thought i was gonna die but i didnt care lol!

Im debating having an epidural coz of the catheter (scares the crap outa me.. dunno y) and the possibility of complications in spine.. and back probs after as i suffer with a very bad back anyway).. i dont care that ill have to stay longer.. i dont think its right they let u leave ater just 2 hours after giving birth! anything can happen!

I dont know if i'll like the feeling of not being able to feel my legs etc.. can u still move ur legs as normal??

After my second i swore if i had more id have an epidural but tbh i cant remember why!! Yes, you do forget the pain.. it took me about a year to forget the pain lol

Im really stressing about this.. this baby wasnt planned at all tbh and ive only just really come to terms with being a mum again.. i wanted to wait at least another 2 years, it really upset me tbh (not being ungrateful as i was told i had PCOS and probably couldnt have anymore and this baby is a blessing-which i agree, ive accepted it and started being excited for it now) so ive not really thought about the actual birth..

Any replies will be greatly appreciated from all mums.. epi or no epi..
Thanks xx

 

[Tracey M]

I had an epidural. I had a vey long back to back labour and I have 2 prolapsed disks in my back anyway!! I was actually down in notes for no epidural but they took over cos I was not coping. I stuck at 8cm for over 12 hours.... Anyway catheter was a piece of piss I just had to keep reminding them I'd not peed for a ages and they would empty my bladder - cool I did not need to get up. The epidural was a complete breeze! I was able to push easily, had no pain but it did slow down labour enough for them to prep me for emergency c section but then I dilated to 10. I just lay and relaxed, chatted and then they told me I could push - totally surreal!! I needed stitches and felt no pain. After baby was born (or during) they took out catheter and I stood up and went on a commode to pee - thought I would not feel my legs but did! I am the opposite of you - I'm in a huge panic cos my hospital does not do epidurals so I'm freaking out - it would deffo be my choice to have one. I had 2 lots of pethadine and gas and air - useless!! Hope this helps!!

 

[midnight]

i cant help with the epidural im afraid as ive never had 1 but i do understand the fear of having 1, i cant even watch some1 on tv getting 1 so i know i would never be able to sit there knowing what it going on behind me, you 3rd labout could be quicker than your 2nd so you might not actually have time to get 1 depending on how quickly you dilate, as for the student put in your notes that you would only like a fully qualified mw to be your carer and you dont want a student to actual do anything this might reduce stress thus reducing pain. How do you think you managed on just pethadine n gas and air? i think a high% of ladies who have an epi do need help with pushing and can lead to assisted delivery ie forceps ect how would you feel about needing to be cut and assisted? If this is needed then you will have stitches and these can cause quite a bit of pain afterwards too just a few things to take into consideration You dont have to leave hospital after 2 hours either if you dont feel your able to do this they shouldnt force you out, i however did leave after 2 hours because the aftercare is normally crap and you cant sleep on a hectic ward plus i felt great as i only had gas and air and not alot of blood loss and im pretty close to the hospital so i felt fine with leaving however i think if i would of had any stronger drugs i would of stayed until they wore off.
when you do go in you might want to take some painkillers as the afterpains get worse the more kids you have and some of the mw are that busy you get forgotten about especially with not being a 1st time mum

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Yeah the pethadine did sod all for me both times, but the gas and air just got me stoned haha!!
Back to back isnt the best lol i was lucky to have a quicker labour with that one.. tbh i think i done pretty damn well with both labours.. so i dont need a pat on the back for this one, i may take the easier route!
I wouldnt care about it taking longer either lol id rather it take 24hrs and pain free than 5 hours of intense pain!

another worry i have is my eldest had the cord around her neck and the screamed at me to stop pushing half way through getting her out (so frigging hard!!!!) and i was told if i had the epidural i wouldnt have had the control to stop pushing.. and the worse may have happened as when she came out she was cold and wasnt breathing for about 10 seconds which is a long time tbh!!! so thats scared me into not having an epi too..

I LOVE gas and air when it makes ur voice go funny lmao!!! i gotta do that again first!!!
How big is the catheter? ive seen briefly on tv its a proper big fat tube... which scares me lol!

God im such a wuss!!

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Tbh the aftercare i got with my second was alot better than my first.. I was only 18 and felt like they didnt care about me at all i had to stay in for 2 days and got no help..
whereas with my second i staye til i was pushed out at midday (had her at 9:47pm) which i was ok with but they were way more considerate and helpful that time round (i was 21)
This is a different hospital now.. (i had both my girls in the same room )but i will defo air my fears about the student!!

My sister had stitches and had forceps etc without an epi.. and her birth was pretty horrendous.. but shes due again in aug lol (her baby is 1 on 27th) so it couldnt have been that bad for her!

I honestly would hate being assisted.. another factor i have to consider.. there are so many pros and cons with an epi i dont know how to weigh them out as i cant tell whats going to happen..

It will prob b a quicker labour ur right.. but i dont know if i can manage that pain again, i cant remember but i know i made a note to myself to either have an epi or be sterilized lol!

Ill be thinking of my OH aswell i couldnt bear to see him so scared while im in so much pain and hes helpless (new partner)

So confusing!

It sounds so nice to have it pain free but theres so many possible added probs after..

 

[xx emma xx]

I had an epidural and really glad that I did because he was back to back and I had to have mid cavity forceps in theatre so I would have been given an epidural whether I liked it or not anyway. The position he was in was impossible for him to get out without help. The catheter was no probes at all. I just emptied it when it got full and mines had to stay in for 24 hours after delivery, I was dreading it being taken out but that took like 2 seconds and was no probes at all.
As for getting the epidural put in, I didn't even care, I had already been given diamorphine though and on gas and air so I was on another planet and just wanted it done so I didn't feel anything.
Next time I'll have an epidural too. I didn't want itoriginally cos didn't want kept in but I had to stay 3 nights cos of Louie not being well anyway. Xx

 

[KatyMarie]

I had an epidural in the end because I was stuck at 7cm where Ian was back to back and I hadn't slept for 48 hours. Without it I really think I would've given up, the pain was so bad, then once that was in, nothing, it was bliss, meant I could get a couple of hours sleep at least! It being put in was nothing like I thought it would be, was on gas and air and it was over in minutes, it was just an odd feeling, not pain. I was worried about the catheter too, but it was nothing, hardly even felt them take it out! I ended up with forceps and stitches and really don't think I would've coped without the epi! xxx

 

[midnight]

on the flip side you could have an epi and not need help at all and the labour go smooth i think you can still feel the need to push and with you already been through labour twice it should be easier to reconise so you wouldnt need coachingso much on the pushing part go with whatever you are comfortable with, ladies comment on how pain free they are when they have an epi so it does sound good

 

[leibiloo87]

Iv had an epi and a natural labour and I have to say the natural way was a much better experience for me im hoping I can do it again this time, I didnt have to have a catheter with my epi though that would have deffo put me off as they scare the hell out of me I felt forced into getting it really I was in labour for 68 hours so they told me if I didnt I wouldnt have the energy to push so went along with it and not been able to move or feel your legs is awful I personally hated it, when I got taken to the ward after id given birth my hubby got sent straight home but I still couldnt feel my legs so really struggled with feeding and changing my baby all night. My second labour was much calmer was 37 hours long but did it all with no pain relief and went home the same day I felt so much better for it and didnt have the helpless feeling not been able to get out of bed and hubby got to stay the few hours after id given birth b4 we were discharged so for me the natural way was by far the best. Its a very personal choice tho and I suppose it depends on the labour and how you feel at the time I would completely rule out another epidural if I really wasnt coping and at the point of giving up id much rather have an epidural than a c-section coz im so knackered I cant push! Just see how you feel at the time but I think once you get to about 7cm they wont give you one so bare that in mind, good luck with the birth im sure whatever you choose it will be fine x

 

[titch]

Im debating having an epidural coz of the catheter (scares the crap outa me.. dunno y) and the possibility of complications in spine.. and back probs after as i suffer with a very bad back anyway).. i dont care that ill have to stay longer.. i dont think its right they let u leave ater just 2 hours after giving birth! anything can happen!

I dont know if i'll like the feeling of not being able to feel my legs etc.. can u still move ur legs as normal??

I felt the same and was pushed into having the epidural (long story) which I didnt want. I hated it, hated the cathether (which freaked me out too!) I begged her not to do it. I was totally paralyzed which scared me and I needed help to change my clothes etc.. when LOs heart started to drop they wanted me to roll on my side but I couldnt move so I had a team of people holding me on my side, it sucked.

The feeling of having the epidural put in was the worst of my life, I swear I could feel it in my spine, and he'd hit a nerve and it would shoot down my leg but I was too scared to move cos I didnt want him to damage my spine. I dont think the local anaesthetic worked first to be honest, cos Ive never heard anyone else say it was bad

to be honest, I never wanted the epidural, and I hated it, I wouldnt have it again. It was a blessing in the end for me cos i had to have an emergency section and they said if the epidural didnt totally numb me then they would give me general anaesthetic as there wasnt time to mess with it. But still, I hate it!

 

[Jayceesmumma]

It seems as though the people who opted for the epi loved it, but the people who were forced it hated it... Do you think theres a reason behind that?

im so confused about it all! tbh its likely my labour (if all ok) will be less than 7 hours after waters breaking.. so either i can say, it will all be over quickly anyway, or the epi cant slow it down that much really...

hmmmm...

 

[titch]

its a hard decision isnt it! It depends on how you feel at the time I guess. I think the reason I hated it was cos I was coping quite well, and so I didnt think 'oh thank god thats gone' I kind of felt cheated of the experience. I never wanted on anyway before hand cos i dont like the idea of being wired up to loads of machines. I had like 8 wires coming from me; epidural, blood pressure cuff, O2 sats monitor, 2 belts (one for contractions one for fetal heart) catheter, clip in babys skull measuring heartbeat, drip to control my blood pressure. Ridiculous. I dont like the idea of catheters and drips and generally anything in your body which shouldnt be there. It freaks me out!

 

[treeze]

I've had both...

1st baby - 10 days late, induced which took 4 days to work, had gas and air, pethedine and epidural... was really scared of the epi but in the end it was absolutely fine.. all i felt was the local anaestheitic they do first to numb it. Had to get the anaesthetist back 3 times to adjust it as it was only effective on one side but in the end it was great and i didn't feel a thing - even pushing her out which took over an hour i was completely pain free. Didn't feel the stitches being done after either as they left the epi in til i was done. cather was fine as they als oput this in once the epidural had taken effect. Had the catheter etc removed and was up and about a few hours after the bith.

1st stage (on paper) was 12 hours (although we'de been in for 3 days prior to this!) - pushing was just over an hour.

2nd baby - 10 days late and went naturally. went to hospital and was sent home at 1-2cm at 11pm... was back up there within an hour and had got to 6cm by midnight! No time for epidural despite my begging - did it all just on gas and air - the pain after about 7-8cm was like nothing i could ever imagine... my insides just took over and the intensity of the pain was in my opinion horrendous!!! There was no stopping how quick the contractions were coming, my waters broke at fully dilated and literally exploded when they went! She was born 2 hours 21 minutes later. I also felt every stitch being done despite having a local anaesthetic.. yowchers!

1st stage was just under 3 hours - pushing for 6 mins.


Out of the 2 births i would definately choose the one with the epidural without a doubt. i just found the pain horrendous on just gas and air. Why be in such intense pain when there's the option not to be. I was gutted it all happened so quickly and i couldn't get my epidural!! I actually still can't believe now that they made me do it just on gas and air and that i survived those pains!

i'd love to have another baby but I'm a bit scared of going through it again without an epidural - if someone could guarantee me an epidural i'd have another one immediately... but the fear of going through that pain again (and possibly even quicker next time) I think i'd be petrified my whole pregnancy next time.

Saying that... it was all over within 3 hours and i was home within 2and a half hours of gving birth... that's the plus side, but i'd still have an epidural given the choice and if there was time!!!!

I think i'm an extreme case though as some people cope just fine.. and because in my head i had really geared myself up for getting an epidural it was almost like i wasn't mentally prepared for a natural birth... Had i "wanted" or planned a natural birth all the way along maybe i would have coped differently!!!

 

[treeze]

It seems as though the people who opted for the epi loved it, but the people who were forced it hated it... Do you think theres a reason behind that?

im so confused about it all! tbh its likely my labour (if all ok) will be less than 7 hours after waters breaking.. so either i can say, it will all be over quickly anyway, or the epi cant slow it down that much really...

hmmmm...

i think you're dead right about the people who wanted it loving it etc...

AND i think that applies to the opposite way round too... i HAD to give birth just on gas and air (much to my dissapointment!) and i found it really horrendous... whereas people who WANT a natural birth with just gas and air would have probably coped alot better and been pleased with the experience i had!! I think it's all to do with mentally what you want or have prepared for!!

 

[Jayceesmumma]

I agree i think alot of it is all down to the 'plan' we make.. if you are really against it and are forced it i dont see how anyone in the position could enjoy it.. I was on the fence with my first but then wanted one halfway through but i was shaking so bad they couldnt and i had to do it on gas and air.. my second i didnt want one til it was too late lol she was back to back and tbh i think my first felt worse than my second, maybe down to the fact i wanted an epi and couldnt.. i dont know..
im proper freaking out about the birth so maybe an epidural is best for me.. ill be calmer knowing ill be in less pain.. rather than freaking out all the way thru the first stages as it will probably make it worse! I had double contractions with my second.. god knows how!!! one would come.. go then come... go then a break... strange lol!

I am genuinely worried about the not feeling legs bit and the catheter.. but ill have to just put up with it to go pain free i guess.. it seems as though everyone who has has an epi has needed stitches too...??

 

[Annie050408]

I'm having one word on my birth plan this time 'EPIDURAL'. I had a completely natural birth last time and found it utterly horrific so there is no way in a million years that I want to go through that again. This will be my last baby so if I am wrong and it's not better then at least I've had two different birth experiences. To be honest, I definitely didn't need it to get through most of the labour but I don't want to do the last hour of contractions, push and crown again without being numbed.

 

[Jayceesmumma]

Tbh thats the only problem i have with it.. the end stages.. the rest, in my opinion, is bearable..
I think im pretty settled on an epi this time.. just worried about stitches etc as everyone seems to need them after an epi..

 

[cosmicgirl]

I've had two births with epi and one with nothing but gas and air. I would not give birth without an epi again, what an amazing triumph of modern medicine xx

 

[cosmicgirl]

Tbh thats the only problem i have with it.. the end stages.. the rest, in my opinion, is bearable..
I think im pretty settled on an epi this time.. just worried about stitches etc as everyone seems to need them after an epi..

I didn't need stitches x

 

[leibiloo87]

I didnt need stitches with mine just make sure you really listen to midwife when they tell u to stop pushing as you cant feel the burn of the head crowning think thats why so many end up with stitches they cant feel when to stop pushing, the midwife will let you know so just be really carefull not to push xx