To the women you have been through labor?

Question

I am due in the middle of feb. and I am debating on getting an epidural or not. I am terrified of needles though. Is the epidural really worth it. Whats your advice on getting an epidural or not?

Answer 1

be a man, enjoy the pain (im usig my fiance's account)

Answer 2

I was the EXACT same as you and I had my baby 3 weeks ago. I'm not trying to be full of myself, but I am a very tough person and I consider myself to have a pretty high tolerance for pain. What I did was wait until I was in labor to make the decision on weather or not I wanted an epidural.

Here's the thing about labor...Each contraction would happen and you'll be in intense pain and then you hve a minute or two between contractions and you won't have any pain. Every contraction that you have, you can deal with, what becomes hard is when you have them for hours. You become tired mentally and physically.

I found that I wanted an epidural! I got it when I was 5 centimeters dilated and had the baby 4 hrs later. When they did my epidural, I never even saw the needle and they give you a tiny shot that feels less than a bee sting. That first shot numbs your skin and you can't feel the epidural at all. It was DEFINATELY worth it for me and hurt way less than any contractions.

If you decide to go without an epidural, you NEED to take classes to learn your breathing and how to cope with the pain. If not, you can end up wearing yourself out and have to get a C-Section because by the end of labor you won't have enough left in you to push the baby out.
Hope that helps

Answer 3

with my first I had an epidural that worked magic. I loved it. With my next two kids I also had epidurals. DIDN'T WORK. Hurt more getting the epidural than child birth did. If you are worried about needles then plan on not having a plan until you get there. Leave your options open. Also they can give you other things.. in your IV... to make the pain less. If you need a c-section you will have to have an epidural though. Good luck and Congrats

Also... being stuck in bed sucks.

Answer 4

I have 4 children and did not have an epidural with any of them. My niece just had her baby on Nov. 14. She began her labor without plans for an epidural, but then things progressed slowly and she was in a lot of pain so she had one. She hated it because she could not feel her legs, couldn't tell when the contractions were happening, and had trouble pushing properly. I think that if you feel the pain would be too much for you then it is perfectly fine to have the epidural. Or, if you want to see how things go and decide during labor, that is perfectly fine as well. At a certain point in the labor, however, it is not possible to have one. My middle 2 children had to be delivered by forceps and there was a few minutes there when I wished I had them give me one, but in the end, I was glad I didn't.

Answer 5

I had an epidural with my first pregnancy. If you're afraid of needles, there's no need. You won't even see the needle. The doctor told me to bend over so the vertabrae separate, then they insert (after a local anesthetic is used to numb the site so you don't feel a thing) the needle. Then they place a large plaster over the needle and then they put a tube over your shoulder with a toggle on the end so they can re-administer the medication as its needed. It feels ice cold as they put more into you.
The results are really weird. I think I have some idea of how a person with spinal injuries must feel lol. No, I'm kidding. The only problem was that afterwards and even now (this was fifteen years ago) I have a problem with my lower back. It has gotten very painful at times so maybe thats something you might look into. I don't know if that happens to everyone but that was my experience.

Answer 6

I had an epidural with my daughter. It took the pain away until it came time to push. Then I felt everything and was able to push my daughter out without help. I was very happy that I had break through pain and was able to deliver without forceps.
Would I do another epidural, I don't think so. I don't like the way it made me feel and how it limited my ability to move afterwards.
What I didn't like about the epidural:
It hurt like h#ll getting the epidural. I had to bend over for several minutes while the procedure was done. I almost passed out and was blacking over. It was horriable.
I was stuck in bed for several hours after having my daughter due to the epidural. I had to go the bathroom and had to use a bed pan. When I was able to stand up, I was very shakey. When the epidural first took effect and then wearing off, I itched like crazy. My sister had an epidural and it only took effect on one side of her body. I also know a lady who developed severe headaches after her epidural.
My advice is arm yourself with knowledge on both sides of the issue. Work on breathing exercises. Find what other types of pain medication the hospital offers.
Good luck to you and I hope that you have a safe birth with a healthy baby.

Answer 7

The epidural with my son did not work and I didn't think that I could handle the pain at the time. Don't let that worry you, its well worth it. With my daughter, the epidural worked and I felt so good. All I took was the epidural but I felt sedated and I rested until they woke me up saying it was time to push. The labor with my daughter was a great experience and I'm glad I had an epidural. I hope this helps a little.

Answer 8

There comes a point in labor when the pain is so overwhelming that you won't even notice the needle going in your back. You won't care! Epidurals can be heavenly, when done right.

But, I advise you to prepare for a natural childbirth. Even if you want an epidural, you may not get one (for example, if the anesthesiologist is busy with someone else or your platelet levels are too low). Educate yourself about coping techniques for a natural labor.

You never really know what your pain tolerance level is until the big day arrives. Good luck.

Answer 9

That depends entirely on you. If you don't feel you could handle the pain of giving birth, then epidural is the way to go.. you'll be numb from the waist down. If you have reservations about using drugs during labor, check into having a mid-wife or doula who believes in a drug free birth. I had my last child at home with a midwife and in my opinion, is was a much more pleasant experience than my past births which all included epidurals. Not using drugs during birth enables you to have far more control over your own body and allows your body to work the way nature meant it to work. Women are meant to give birth, and our bodies know what to do in most cases.

In the end, it is entirely personal preference! Good luck and enjoy your new addition to your family!

Answer 10

i know to many people that have had problems... one has permanent back pain and had a horrible time with her second pregnancy, she couldn't even lift up her 2 year old while 4 months along with the second one. 3 docs confirmed it was the epidural that caused it and told her there is nothing that can fix it. another girl i knew was talked into it by her doc and it did nothing, didn't work at all... and instead she then had to have extra drugs (pit and and IV) and was stuck in bed the rest of her labor unable to move around and deal with the pain... the pain that didn't go away. sure some women love them and find they work great for them. just need to consider that an epidural often leads to other interventions so you need to consider if this is worth it to you or not... how would you feel about the use of pitocin? (also pitocin often leads to many women wanting epidurals as it caues much more painful contractions) ?... forceps, vacuum, episiotomies, or c-section? as epidurals increase the risk for the need for these interventions. personally I'd stay away but its a personal choice... one that i just think people need to be properly informed about. i feel docs often do not give proper informed consent with many drugs and instead just talk about how great it is. so just do your research (lots of stuff on the web) and just make sure your okay with any possible side effects that could happen. guess I'm an alarmist because i read the scary articles in the news about the woman that was temporally parlized (they figure a month or so) from an over dose of her epidural, and the other woman who died from an epidural related infection of menigitis. these are extremly rare, but for me i'll take screaming horrible pain over those small risks... no one dies or gets paralized from not having one you know... but lots of people are bigger risk takers than i am... i'm kind of a sissy that way. ;-p

Answer 11

With my first child I did not have an epidural...wanted to do the "natural birth" as I thought it would be best for my child. Because of the amount of pain, I was not able to enjoy the experience of this miracle. With my second, I opted for an epidural and was able to really "be present" for the birth. What an amazing thing! i too am afraid of needles but is was well worth the small amount of discomfort in exchange for the unbelievable experience of bringing my baby into the world without screaming, and with no pain! What ever you choose to do....I'll send good karma your way! :)