I have scoliosis and i was wondering if anyone was pregnant or has delivered if you could share some stories...My husband and i are trying to concieve, but i'm scared about the delivery...Has anyone with scoliosis had an epidural, i'm afraid of that because i just dont want anyone near my spine with a needle, also what other pain relief medication can you get instead of just natural childbirth...And i'm also concerned about the back pain, how bad it was, cause i deal with back pain on and off anyway...I'm just looking for personal stories, everyone says talk it over with your doctor, but i'm just looking for some personal experiences/insights...Thank you in advance...
2007-01-31 01:39:46 · 5 answers · asked by mickeymouse_96 2 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
I have two bulging discs in my lower spine (probably because of my very slight scoliosis), and it's true I can't do much of my physical therapy exercises anymore because most of them had me on my back or my stomach.
I'm only at 11 weeks now, but my doc told me I need to swim religiously so I can strengthen my back enough to carry the weight in the last few months with minimal pain and minimal risk of back spasms. So I'm going to get a membership at our local rec center to do that.
But he did say if I spasmed or had bad pain that I should actually take Tylenol with codeine (which I have a prescription for) before I even think about ibuprofen. I was surprised to learn from him that the codeine was A LOT safer for the baby than basic over-the-counter pain killers.
As far as the birth goes, I hope to use the epidural, but if you're worried about that, just talk to your doctor. I'm sure there are plenty of other oral, or injected pain killers or anesthesia's out there.
2007-01-31 02:17:21 · answer #1 · answered by daisyk 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The women I have worked with (as a massage therapist and a labor doula) who've had scoliosis didn't experience any significant problems with labor associated with their scoliosis- but they did have natural labors.
Pain at the injection site and back pain in general is a common occurrence with the epidural regardless of whether the women has scoliosis or not- back pain is just a side effect of the epidural. The fact that the other women had significant pain with the injection or afterwards may be a factor of scoliosis due to the pathology in the spinal column due to scoliosis.
The other pain meds that can be used during labor are intravenous drugs like fentonol, nubain and other similar derivatives. They are called narcotics and they have more of an effect on baby than an epidural- the epidural does effect the baby- and you usually can't have more than 3 doses during the duration of your labor, they usually last between 1 and 3 hours, and they usually don't want you to have it too close to the birth of the baby so the drugs can leave baby's system before delivery.
Babies with pain meds in the system at birth can have difficulties breastfeeding, breathing, and may even need to be revived.
Talk with your dr or midwife about all your options and do some research yourself to get the whole picture on drugs and epidurals and their effects on the baby and particular issues pertaining to your scoliosis.
Good Luck
2007-01-31 02:26:34 · answer #2 · answered by mlcacek 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's different for everyone. My epidural I didn't find it hurt at all going in.. but it wasn't the miracle pain relief as everyone makes it to be. I felt quite a bit of pain still. I don't know if it wasn't in properly, or what. I did however have back pain for a few months afterwards, right in the spot I had the epidural. It was uncomfortable, and even holding my son too long made it hurt a lot more! Talk to your doctor about it. Other pain relief, I had some demerol but it just made me feel sick & throw up, didn't help with pain. You can speak to your doctor about that too! Good luck!
2007-01-31 01:51:15 · answer #3 · answered by ~*Isabel*~ 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have scoliosis and I delivered with an epidural. With an epidural your spine needs to be able to stretch enough for the needle to go in, but I was so big and was not able to bend over enough for the needle to easily. It took the doctor 9 tries to finally get the needle in. I didn't have back pain during labor, but afterwards it was terrible. If you can't handle the pain of labor, than an epidural is worth it. I sure couldn't.
2007-01-31 01:52:10 · answer #4 · answered by Dayveonsmom 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
http://www.drspock.com/faq/0,1511,1564,00.html
2007-01-31 01:53:17 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋