This will be my first child and im deadly afraid of needles especially if i cant see where ther sticking it! I need advice from anyone who has had a child before,Doese the epidural hurt very badly and is it really worth it?
2007-01-31 05:16:49 · 45 answers · asked by 3weeksprego 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
Well this is the way I looked at it- and I'm scared of needles too. Two minutes of pain (actually its more like seconds) versus 10 hours of pain. Plus they are going to give you an IV anyway and that hurts way worse than an epidural. Epidurals don't hurt that bad and they are sooo worth it. You'll be sooo glad you did. Anything else they want to give you will go through your IV and usually makes you sleepy or sick. Trust me its worth the little stick. The pain you will be in is unreal - don't put yourself through that you want your childs birth to be a happy one not miserable and crying and screaming the whole time.
2007-01-31 05:30:25 · answer #1 · answered by kirkskitti 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had two children, and I am a fan of the epidural. With my first child, I was very scared, so my doctor gave me a "low dose" epidural. I could still feel the childbirth, just not as painful as it would be naturally, but it was still the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life. With my second child, I couldn't feel a thing. It made it a little difficult to push because I couldn't tell if I was pushing hard enough. I, too, am VERY afraid of needles, I can't watch if I'm getting an IV. An epidural is really a personal choice, but the pain from actually getting an epidural is far less than the actual childbirth. Just think, it is one needle compared to hours of pain.
2007-01-31 05:33:06 · answer #2 · answered by boca brunette 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Trust me, it's totally worth it! I'm glad i didn't have a computer when i was pregnant with my first baby, i would be freaked out too. There's too many people saying bad things about labor and birth, it's not that bad. If it were i wouldn't be 30 weeks pregnant with my second! Of course at the time your in a lot of pain but it doesn't last forever. I tell you what does hurt and that's the contractions, the Epidural helps tremendously and i never had any complications with it afterward (like back pain). Really it only takes like 5 min at the most and their done. Having your partner there or a very close family member/friend will also make you feel more comfortable about getting it done. Of course you don't have to have an Epidural it really depends on your pain and if you can handle it or not. Put it all in the back of your mind for now and enjoy your pregnancy, that's what helps me. Deal with it when it comes.
2007-01-31 05:25:59 · answer #3 · answered by Curious J. 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am having my first child TOMORROW and my b/f is trying to talk me out of getting an epidural. I say, wait as long as you can before getting one, but if you feel the need for one, then go for it. It is better than being in BAD pain. The risks are low for anything to go wrong. If you do the research it might help you calm down and get some more information about it. The only thing that scares me about getting an epidural, is that you can become numb to the point that you don't know how to push, and then they may have to use forceps or the vacuum, which is not what I want. If you get induced, they say the labor comes all at once, and it is SOOO painful that most do get the epidural. Research the Demerol and maybe that can be your option.
2007-01-31 05:25:45 · answer #4 · answered by Mother of two babies 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don' let people make you feel bad if you want an epidural. Everyone is different. I was afraid to take one too becuase I was afraid it would hurt, butI threw up from the contractions and I didn't want it to keep happening. I had the epidural and for me, it was more uncomfortable to sit still through a contraction. It felt weird when the needle went in, but it wasn't really painful. Not nearly what I thought it would be like. And I felt great afterwards. I was able to enjoy my labor and I could tell when I had to push. Some people can't always tell. I had no side effects and neither did my baby, except a minor temperature. Talk to a doctor about side effects. But yes, I think it is worth it and will be doing it again next time!
2007-01-31 05:25:19 · answer #5 · answered by tmac 5 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I too am deathly afraid of needles, But I am going to have my Epideral. I had an epideral when I had lung surgury, and now that I am too giving birth to my first child any day now, I am going for the epideral. It doesn't hurt to have it put in, and then they top it off when you need it.
I would look more into the pro's and Con's, like anything there is a degree of risk. I find the epideral to be for me the lowest risk. It can slow down Labour. It can make it to where intervention such as a vaccum is needed to get the baby out. but Hospitals do thousands of these everyday with out any problems. If you are in a large City that has an anesthatist on call all the time at your maternity ward, then chances are it will go without a hitch. IF you are in a small town hospital. I may refrain, it all depends on the anesthetist.
I would be more afraid of the Spinal (which is different than an epideral, the spinal is inserted into the spine, the epideral into a nerve) plus if I need an emergency C-section, all they do is top you up and your ready to deliver. weigh in the risks for you. talk to your obgyn, or do your own reasearch on the net.
I also am not a fan of narcotics, which is another option but once baby is born, they have to give baby a shot so the effects of the Narcotic example: Morphine, isn't effecting baby.
Look at all your pain relief options, there is so much that can be done now a days, I know it is scary right now, because heck I am in the same boat you are in. I have no idea how the labour pains will react to my body. for all I know I may not feel the need for my epideral, I may do 100% fine with Lamase.
another option for you is I highly recomend this is attend a Prenatal Class. they will give you all the info about stuff like this. and answer your questions. some nurses are ANti- Epideral, like mine was (she did hers all Natural) but if they are a good nurse like mine was, she will give you all the info to make a good choice. one that works for you.
Good Luck and Congrats!
2007-01-31 05:38:29 · answer #6 · answered by curiousjules 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here's some great info on epidurals
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.html
The thing with the epidural is that it affects women differently. Some women LOVE their epidural and some women hate it because either it took the dr more that 1 try to insert it, it didn't give them complete pain relief, or they are still suffering some of the after affects from the epidural (back pain, headache etc.)
I'm a labor doula and the "pain" of the insertion has varied from client to client. Some don't feel a thing, some only feel a "pinch" and most thought that the pain of the needle was nothing compared to the contractions.
I'd suggest looking into getting a doula to support you at your birth to help you with drug-free/needle free coping techniques for labor and they can also give you the pros and cons of having an epidural, if that is something you decide on.
2007-01-31 05:31:21 · answer #7 · answered by mlcacek 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have 4 children and I had the epidural twice with my last two pregnancy. I recently had a baby in Nov. 2nd and I made sure that I got the epidural because without it, I could not deal with the pain.
Getting a epidural hurts at first put you just have to let the medicine take affect because it is worth it. I tried to not have the epidural with this last pregnancy but the labor pains were so intensed that I begged for the epidural. It made a big difference and pushing that baby out was so much easier because I could not really feel the pain. You do feel something but it is bareable.. Good Luck with your decision!!!
2007-01-31 05:24:12 · answer #8 · answered by Vicky 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YES!!! YES!!! YES!!! The epidural is SOOOO worth it. I have 3 children. First one completely natural, second epidural, third a different kind of epidural like thing. The second child birthing experience was so much easier. It is scary. Like you I don't like being poked with needles and not being able to see made it worse. It's really not bad at all. I thought it hurt ALOT less than getting even a flu shot. Make sure your birthing coach is there. Relax, even if you have to play some relaxing music. And know it will be worth it in the long run. The labor is so much easier, but you still are able to participate in the birth. I recommend epidurals to everyone.
2007-01-31 05:24:02 · answer #9 · answered by Melanie A 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi I´m 22 and pregnant with my first. I´m almost 20 weeks and petrified of giving birth. I asked a lot of people and got a lot of mixed answers from them. Then I went onto the net and found this website www.babycenter.com which helped me a lot. I watched the videos and made a decision to have and epidural. In the video it shows where the doctor inserts the needle and the woman barely feels it.
The contractions is so painful you don´t even feel the needle...
Go to the website and watch the video of the epidural and you will know everything you need to know.....
Hope it helps !!!!!!
2007-01-31 06:47:14 · answer #10 · answered by Ladybird 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋