Epidural: Yes or No

Spades

My wife is due in the a few weeks time and still undecided about the need for the epidural. And the reasons are.

Any person she knows that has had it say, “ you definitely need it”

Any person that didn’t, “ you’ll be fine, you don’t really need it”

It’s hard to make a decision because for those that did use the epidural, how do they really know if they needed it and secondly my wife would like to be up and about as soon as possible after the birth and this is delayed after taking the epidural.

To confuse the situation even more we know a girl that had a fairly tough delivery because she did have the epidural and didn’t know when to push etc.

What is your experience with this situation and how did you decide what to do when the time came.

thanks.

littlebug

Spades wrote: »

Any person she knows that has had it say, “ you definitely need it”

Any person that didn’t, “ you’ll be fine, you don’t really need it”


thanks.

There you have it... maybe the people who got it needed it and those who didn't didn't! I didn't but I had short and relatively easy labours. That said the pain with my second was very intense I wouldn't have lasted much longer without something but thankfully it was only an hour at it's worst.
My advice to anyone who asks is to go in with a "lets see how it goes" attitude and make her decisions on the day based on how she feels she is coping.

All of the above said I went in hoping I wouldn't feel the need for an epidural as I already have some back problems and I had read that it can sometimes lead to back pain later on.

Nevyn

I have a pretty high pain tolerance and was glad the epidural, first time was labour had started just an hour before I would have gone asleep and I was utterly shattered, second time was cos I already had a back injury which had been causing me pain and I had to be induced.

As for knowing when to push the midwife puts a contraction monitor on so you can see the read out beside you and you will know and the midwife will know and will then tell you when to push.

Thankfully the eipdural was time well and while on my first I did have a top up there was no need the second time around. Actually I can't recall it being removed either time, such was the rush. I was up and about with in 3/4 hours after both births.

laurak265

Ok this is how i see it...if your wife is induced she will prob need it cos they force her body into strong contractions long before labour progresses but if she goes naturally then its up to her as she goes along. I didn't have one...i walked the whole time and had a hot bath in the hosp which was fantastic and drank loads of water to make sure my contractions didnt slow and the an hour was the worst of it! Afterwards i could walk to the shower and clean myself and walk back to my ward and be able to walk to the toilet. The girl beside we was wheeled back without a shower and couldn't go to the loo unaided!

The decision is hers and just tell her see how it goes if you feel you need it then you can have it! But if the baby isn't huge and she goes into labour naturally then i have no doubt your wife will be fine.

holz1256

was just lookin at another response to your question. Yes the midwives put a contraction monitor of the tummy which does tell the women and midwife when there is a contraction (not really necessary as contractions can be felt simply but touching the tummy but the machine is a legal requirement that goes with the print out of the babies heartbeat). It is not when to push that is impared, its how to push. There is a technique to pushing (which comes naturally when the full sesation is there, they do what their body tells them), some people get it with little or no instruction when they have an epidural. Others dont as they dont know what their body is tellin them and thats where the problem is, the women doesnt push correctly and the baby simple isnt coming out and an instrumental delivery is required.

x

Quality

I had my two children epidural free. I am hoping to have no 3 in the same way.. (I hope).

Just for the record, my induced baby was an easier labour than my non induced one..


Just go into it with an open mind... Yet again, I will say my motto... Pain with a purpose. Your wife will know her own pain threshold, Also it is not a failure to have an epidural.. I know of some women who were upset after getting the epidural..

Anyhow best of luck.. The labour is the easy part... The raising is the hard part!!

Nevyn

I had no problem pushing, I knew well what muscles were needed from my pelvic floor experises and yoga.

Spades

Thanks to all off ye for your replys. I have shown them to my wife and we have discussed. One thing that has caused confusion for us is that two different people we know told us to book the epidural in advance. This is why we were thinking about it now. From reading through all the posts, what those people must have actually been trying to say is book it as soon as you arrive at the hospital and in labour.

My wife now intends on working her way through all methods and the epidural will be the last resort.

Thanks again.:)

laurak265

No problem! Best of luck and let us know when ye have good news!

OH and don't forget drink loads of water!

Nevyn

The booking in advance is so that you are not left waiting for the on call Anesthesiologists to arrive. I would say that if possible do with out, try and manage your labour the best you can with walking and breathing and prepare for it, but if you feel you need to have what ever pain relief you wish under the advisement of your midwife and team.

My sister's didn't work and in the end she was put under for a c section.

Boom_Bap

Spades wrote: »

Thanks to all off ye for your replys. I have shown them to my wife and we have discussed. One thing that has caused confusion for us is that two different people we know told us to book the epidural in advance. This is why we were thinking about it now. From reading through all the posts, what those people must have actually been trying to say is book it as soon as you arrive at the hospital and in labour.

My wife now intends on working her way through all methods and the epidural will be the last resort.

Thanks again.:)

My missus wanted a natural birth but during labour the pain got a bit too much so she opted for the epi. It was a shame the anesethist was called away to an emergency section and we didnt see him for another 2 hours!!
At the end of the day everything worked out well with the epi.

From the man in the room perspective, the epi also takes away alot of the pressure.

laurak265

Boom_Bap wrote: »

From the man in the room perspective, the epi also takes away alot of the pressure.

Typical Man!!

Break4News

I have 3 children, all born in hospital but with minimum amount of drugs. My children are all adults now. There were no epidural's available 28 years ago when I had my last child and there were far fewer C Sections done - women and babies survived.

I visit the Homebirth Association of Ireland website(www.homebirth.ie) and I enjoy reading the stories from the mothers who have had their babies at home. Women need to realise that birth is a natural process and doctors intervening unnecessarily is taking the joy out of giving birth.

There are times when a C Section is vital to save the life of a mother and/or baby but too often intervention is taking place to suit the medical profession. Unless there is a serious risk to life or if the labour is complicated, in my opinion women should go for as little pain medication as possible. They recover quicker and their babies are more alert.

Just my 2c worth

Quackles

You don't really need to make that decision in advance.. I tried to do it naturally, but having gone into labour at about 5 on Friday evening, not too bad at that stage but bad enough that I got no sleep that night. I got to 7cm by about 5 on Saturday, then the midwife broke my waters. Two hours of much more intense pains followed, and I was handling them 'ok', but when she came and checked me again, and I hadn't dialated any further, I was so tired and upset, and yes, afraid of section, that I asked for the epidural at that stage. It took maybe 45 minutes to get the anaesthesiologist down after that to give the epidural.

The worst thing is, I really beat myself up over it afterwards and blamed the epidural for my less than wonderful delivery, when really it could have been down to any number of things. This time, I'm going to go in there with the intention of not having the epidural (hoping for a quicker labour, the little beggar wasn't born til Sunday ) , but I'm going in with a more open mind - if I feel I have to get the epidural, I'm not going to agonise over it, because I'm not setting my heart on any one type of delivery. At least I hope I wont :rolleyes:

Dfens

littlebug wrote: »

There you have it... maybe the people who got it needed it and those who didn't didn't! I didn't but I had short and relatively easy labours. That said the pain with my second was very intense I wouldn't have lasted much longer without something but thankfully it was only an hour at it's worst.
My advice to anyone who asks is to go in with a "lets see how it goes" attitude and make her decisions on the day based on how she feels she is coping.

My 2 experiences of labour were very similar to Littlebug's. I went in with the thinking that while I would not like to have pethidine or an epidural, I didn't totally rule them out if the pain felt unbearable & would see how things were going.
I used a TENS unit (which I found really good) and the breathing exercises only for both of my labours. With the TENS it's recommended to start using it when you start getting early contractions as it causes the body to release endorphins (happy relaxing hormones) in addition to blocking the pain signal to the brain.

marti101

I had epi on all 3 of my babies 2 of mine were induced 2nd son had it because the pain was way to much last baby confined to bed and couldnt walk contractions off and i wasnt dilating.Its up to yourself the best advice is go in with an open mind and tell the miidwife that you want to go as long as possible and takre it from there.

holz1256

you dont need to book an epidural, the anaesthetist is on call. You tell the staff you want one and they call the anaesthetist. If he is free he will come and the epidural will be given, id he is busy with another epidural or with a c section you may need to wait.

Good luck

Crea

Had my first 2 epidural free. Did yoga during the pregnancy and that helped hugely with the breathing. By the time the pain got too bad I was about 8cm and dialating fast so the nurse said to keep going and babies were born within the hour.
On my 3rd the pain was very very intense. I was 1cm going in, stayed that was for about 2 hours, then went to 4 very fast with alot of pain and loss of control of breathing so asked for the epidural. Then it was the longest 20 mins of my life while the anaesathist finished up with another patient. When he arrived I was 6cm. The first injection went in and baby was born 20 mins later. No follow up injection needed and I had all the pressure but very little pain. Was able to get up after around 4 hours which was fine with me.
If your wife is hoping to go natural she needs prepare by doing some relaxation and breathing classes.

TargetWidow

Had an epidural after 21 hours because I wasn't dialating and I was exhausted. After half an hour I was a new woman and there was no loss of sensation or pressure because I had been doing pilates and that makes you very aware of which muscles you use. I will book an epidural for the next time. The name of the game is get baby out safely for mama and baby. Your midwives will know the score as to whether or not it is advisable. It was my midwives idea and I thank them encouraging me because it helped things along enormously. No woman should ever be made to feel bad about her choices for her birthing experience!

deisemum

When I drew up my birth plan while pregnant on my first my plan was epidural please as soon as I got the first bad pain. However I didn't have an epidural on either labour.

Best advice I can give is to get as much info on all things to do with labour and go in with an open mind. I found it completely different to what I imagined. Not panicing and keeping calm really helps. I think people can sometimes under-estimate how useful proper breathing techniques can help.

Try not to let other peoples birth experiences worry you. I have found that it's the ones who go on so much about their "horrific" labours are the ones who've often got the biggest families, jaysus if it was that bad there's no way they'd be getting pregnant so many times. It's like it's a competition to some of them to see who's got the worst story to tell. I think they must get off in trying to frighten first time mums.

The pain is different from other pain such as broken limbs, if you can relax as much as possible, focus on your breathing and work with your body it helps a lot. If it gets too bad then you can always ask for pain relief. At the end of the day you want a healthy baby delivered safely and don't feel guilty if delivery ends up different than you'd planned.