Does the epidural needle hurt??

Answer 1

Epidural
An epidural delivers continuous pain relief to the lower part of your body while allowing you to remain fully conscious. Medication is delivered through a catheter, a very thin, flexible, hollow tube that's inserted into the epidural space just outside the membrane that surrounds your spine.

To allow the catheter to be inserted, you lie curled on your side or sit on the edge of the bed while an anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist cleans your back, injects the area with numbing medicine, and carefully guides a needle into your lower back. (This may sound painful, but for most women, it's not.) She then passes a catheter through it, withdraws the needle, and tapes the catheter in place so medication can be administered through it as needed. You can lie down at this point without disturbing the catheter.

First you're given a small "test dose" of medicine to be sure the epidural was placed correctly, followed by a full dose if there are no problems. Your baby's heart rate is monitored continuously, and your blood pressure is taken every five minutes or so for a while after the epidural is in to make sure it isn't having any negative effects.

The medication delivered by the epidural is usually a combination of a local anesthetic and a narcotic. Local anesthetics block sensations of pain, touch, movement, and temperature, and narcotics blunt pain without affecting your ability to move your legs. Used together, they provide good pain relief with less loss of sensation in your legs and at a lower total dose than you'd need with just one or the other.

Pros:

• An epidural provides a route for very effective pain relief that can be used throughout your labor.

• The anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist can control the effects by adjusting the type, amount, and strength of the medication. This is important, because as your labor progresses and your baby moves farther down into your birth canal, the dose you've been getting might no longer cover the pain, or you might suddenly have pain in a different area.

• Since the effect of the medication is localized, you'll be awake and alert during labor and birth. And, because you're pain-free, you can rest if you want (or even sleep!) as your cervix dilates. As a result, you may have more energy when it comes time to push.

• Unlike with systemic narcotics, only a tiny amount of medication reaches your baby.

• Once the epidural's in place, it can be used to provide anesthesia if you need a c-section or if you're having your tubes tied after delivery.

Cons:

• You have to stay in an awkward position for ten to 15 minutes while the epidural is put in, and then wait another five to 20 minutes before the medication takes full effect. This may seem like a minor inconvenience, though, when the tradeoff is hours of pain relief.

• Depending on the type and amount of medication you're getting, you may lose some sensation in your legs and be unable to stand. Sometimes, particularly in early labor, so little anesthetic is needed to make you comfortable that you have normal strength and sensation in your legs and can move around without difficulty. (This is called a "walking epidural.") Still, many practitioners and hospitals won't allow you to get out of bed once you've had an epidural, whether you think you can walk or not.

• An epidural requires that you have an IV, frequent blood-pressure monitoring, and continuous fetal monitoring.

• An epidural can slow your labor, in which case you may need Pitocin to get it back on track.

• An epidural often makes the pushing stage of labor longer. The loss of sensation in your lower body weakens your bearing-down reflex, which can make it harder for you to push your baby out. You may want to have the epidural dose lowered while you're pushing so you can participate more actively in your baby's delivery — but it may take time for the pain medication to wear off enough that you can feel what you're doing, and there's no evidence that reducing the epidural dose actually shortens this stage of labor

• Having an epidural makes it more likely that you'll have a vacuum extraction or forceps delivery, which in turn increases your risk for serious lacerations.

• In some cases, an epidural provides spotty pain relief. This can happen because of variations in anatomy from one woman to the next or if the medication doesn't manage to bathe all of your spinal nerves as it spreads through your epidural space. The catheter can also "drift" slightly, making pain relief spotty after starting out fine. (If you notice that you're starting to have pain in certain places, ask for the anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist to be paged so your dose can be adjusted or your catheter reinserted.)

• The drugs used in your epidural may temporarily lower your blood pressure, reducing blood flow to your baby, which in turn slows his heart rate. (This is treated with fluids and sometimes medication.)

• Narcotics delivered through an epidural can cause itchiness, particularly in your face. They may also bring on nausea — though this is less likely with an epidural than from systemic medication, and some women feel nauseated and throw up during labor even without pain medication.

• Anesthetics delivered through an epidural can make it more difficult to tell when you need to pee. Also, if you can't pee into a bedpan (which for many people is harder than letting go on a toilet), you may need to be catheterized.

• An epidural raises your risk of running a fever in labor. No one knows exactly why this happens, but one theory is that you pant and sweat less (because you're not in pain), so it's harder for your body to dissipate heat generated by labor. It doesn't boost your or your baby's odds of getting an infection — but since it's unclear at first whether the fever is from the epidural or from an infection, you and your baby could wind up getting unnecessary antibiotics.

• Epidurals are associated with a higher rate of babies in the posterior or "face-up" position at delivery. Women whose babies are face-up have longer labors, tend to need Pitocin more often, and have a significantly higher rater of c-sections. (There's controversy, though, over whether having an epidural actually contributes to babies ending up in this position or other factors are at work.)

• In one in 100 women, an epidural causes a bad headache that may last for days. (You can reduce the risk of headache by lying as still as possible while the needle is being placed.)

• In very rare cases, an epidural affects your breathing, and in extremely rare cases it causes nerve injury or infection.

~ Good luck to you ~ :)

Answer 2

Epidural Needle

Answer 3

I didn't have a problem with the epidural needle, they usually give it when you are having a contraction and that is way worse that the needle itself. If i were you i wouldn't worry too much about it just focus on the end result of the event

Answer 4

Well, I'd rather not have it at all. It doesn't feel great really. A little pain & a lot of pressure. You will be begging for it though if your contractions start to hurt. By that time, it is like heaven in a 6 inch needle. It's much better than labor pains. You will be fine. I am a wuss. If I can do it and survive, anyone can. Best of luck to you and your baby.

Answer 5

I dont know about the epidural hurting because I did not have one but my friend did. I was in the room while she gave birth and I was 8 months pregnant with my 1st. She had a lot of problems with hers. First it came out and they had to do a 2nd epidural and it really looked like she was in pain but now our children are going on 10 yrs old and she still has problems with her back going numb in that area because she was in the middle of a contraction and moved during the procedure. Other friends of mine have had the same problems. So, I would not recommend it and labor is bad but, worth it. Good luck and God Bless

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Does the epidural needle hurt??

Answer 7

It didn't hurt me a bit. Actually, I didn't even know when they did it! But I'll tell you this........I've had lower back problems ever since then (15 years.) Maybe it has nothing to do with the epidural, I don't know, but, everyone else I know who has had one also complains of lower back pain. It hurts really bad when I stand up longer than 15-20 minutes. Still, I couldn't imagine going through labor without one!!!

Answer 8

Nope, not even a tiny bit. There is a tiny little pinch feeling when they numb your skin before they put the epidural needle in, but that's it. It just feels kinda funny, because it doesn't hurt and all you can feel is this little movement in your back.

But then again, they said my back was perfect for an epi so I dunno if that had anything to do with it

Answer 9

I had my first 3 kids without one. When I was having my twins, the doctors gave me no choice but to have one. Having experienced childbirth both ways, the epidural is the way to go! I was afraid of the needle and I thought it was going to be very painful. It was NOTHING compared to natural child birth.

Answer 10

not as bad as contractions. I've had two epidurals they were not as bad as a strong contraction after it's in you feel like a million bucks so it's worth it. My labors were indused and that causes more painful contraction then natural labor. Differnt hospital have differnt rules about when in labor you can get one. I was 3cm with my 1st when i got one and 6cm with my second before i NEEDED one. They help more then they hurt.

Answer 11

It's the only way to go when you are trying to deliver a 10 pound baby. It doesn't hurt any more than contractions.