What do you think the pros and cons of getting an epidural are?

Question

As a doula, it's my responsibility to inform my clients of their options and the pros and cons of them...and then support that decision. I believe the best decisions are informed decisions. However, I've noticed that a lot of women don't have accurate knowledge of the pros and cons of epidurals (and other hospital procedures available). I'm wondering if this is true for the general public or it truly is the popular informed decision when birthing in a hospital. Before anyone gets upset, I am fully aware that it's a personal choice. I also understand (first hand) that sometimes it is very necessary.... and for that reason, I am glad we live in a country and time where technology can save lives. With that said, like everything in this world, it can be abused by using it too much. So, what does the general public feel that the pros and cons of getting an epidural are during labor/birth?

Answer 1

I am a midwife who does hospital deliveries, and I find that there are many misconceptions about epidurals.

The biggest one is that it causes no harm, so why not? Well, it can cause a lot of harm, for example --

1. The best way to help labor progress and to help the baby move down into the pelvis is to keep moving, moving, moving. Walk, get in the shower, lean over the bed and rock your pelvis. Change positions, get on your hands and knees. All of these things stimulate labor and aid in dilation and descent.
Once you have an epidural, you have very few options, as far as movement and positioning goes. If your labor slows down, there's nothing to do but use pitocin, or a c-section. Either one increases risks to you and your baby.

2. It can cause a drop in your blood pressure, which can decrease blood flow to the placenta and cause fetal distress. I have seen emergency c-sections happen because of this. Medication given to stabilize dangerously low blood pressure can cause fetal tachycardia, which will also mean a c-section.

3. You most likely will not be able to urinate and will have to be catheterized. This increases risk of a urinary tract infection.

4. Some women find it harder to push effectively. This can result in c-section, forceps, or vacuum extraction.

5. You will have to have continuous IV fluids, which can usually be avoided in a natural delivery.

6. Many women complain of back pain at the insertion site for years afterwards.

7. A "wet tap" or leakage spinal fluid, which causes an unbelievably bad headache for 3-5 days. I have seen this happen even with very experienced anesthesiologists, and it's really awful.

8. The biggest thing women seem to be afraid of is that they will be paralized for life. In reality, this would be extremely rare.
The other things I have mentioned, however, I have personally seen happen, and MANY times.

That's the downside.

The "good" side --
An epidural can be great, when a woman is having complications in labor.
For example, if she is having a long drawn out ordeal. At some point the risks of the epidural are outweighed by the woman's need for pain relief.
Sometimes a woman becomes so exhausted that I know she will not be able to push effectively. An epidural can provide her with much needed rest, so she can rally herself for the second stage.
In some cases, a woman is so tense that she is literally not letting her baby out. If she is unable to relax any other way, an epidural can do the trick.

So, in summary, I recommend epidurals as a therapeutic tool to manage a problem.
If they are used indiscriminately for pain relief in normal labors, they can CAUSE a lot of problems.
When labor is progressing normally, it's best to avoid it.
And keep moving!!!

Answer 2

I'm convinced my epidurals saved my life! They're the best thing ever. Modern medicine is a blessing. Why do so many women insist on suffering excruciating pain when medicine can take it away? I think epidurals are wonderful. Besides, there are different degrees of epidurals. With my first child my epidural numbed me entirely from the waist down and I didn't feel a thing for hours. Recovery was easy. With my second epidural it only numbed me halfway. I could still move and feel my legs and everything! It actually wore off by the time I had to push so I got plenty of the pain and feeling the urge to push and the baby being born. It was a very wonderful experience, but it was sure great to have the epidural as long as I did so that I had more strength and energy toward the end :)

Answer 3

I was an uninformed patient with my first birth. The doc and the anesthesiologist told only of the benefits, but none of the risks. While the pain relief was good, I could probably have gone without it if I had been told that I was going into transition. Due to the ineffective pushing (I couldn't feel the contractions and I needed to change positions to be more effective.) They did a vacuum extraction and I had a 3rd degree laceration (into the anal muscle.) I have had problems with incontinence ever since, even though I have been through PT and had another repair surgery. No one told me that I would need to wear a pad for the rest of my life.

I didn't have meds with my next two children. One birth was nearly pain free since I had taken Bradley Method classes. The next birth I had at home. The tub was MARVELOUS. Much better than an epidural because I could feel how to push, but it wasn't overwhelmingly painful.

Short answer: Pro: pain relief for when really necessary and all other techniques aren't working
Con: They rarely tell you all the things that can go wrong or what the lifelong consequences might be.

Answer 4

As I remember Cons were - if labor is not established can slow it down, baby can be groggier at birth and have a hard time latching, also can actually paralyse you if done incorrectly, may not feel the urge to push, will probably have to have directed pushing, which can be problematic, also it makes your recovery slower.
Pros- if you end up having an emergency c-section they won't have to put you under a general anasthesia, it does help with pain management.

I had one for my second delivery and none for my first. I still had the urge to push with my epidural and felt when the baby was crowning etc, so I think it was pretty light in the world of epidurals. I was also up and out of bed like an hour after that birth and did not tear at all.

With my first birth I had a natural labor with no pain management and I tore severly and felt everything...

Answer 5

Cons:
1) Risk of paralization
2) Risk of spinal fluid leak (causes spinal headache, which I'm told is worse than labor pain and lasts A LOT longer than labor)
3)Increased risk of c-section for various reasons, the main one being, not being able to feel when you push (and also not having the pain as a motivator to push harder)
4) Groggy baby
5) It might not work
6) They could put it in wrong
7) It might come out and have to be re done
8) You get the shakes
9) Blood pressure (yours and the baby's)
10) Nerve damage
I could list more... but I think you get the point

Pros:
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hmn.....
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well.... I supose pain relief... but really it's not THAT bad... (this is coming from someone who has had to be induced every time) The pain can be worked through. The damage an epidural could do may not be able to be worked through... Personally I think it's mainly just the cowards way out. (No offense to those of you who actually NEEDED one, medically speaking)

You would have to KILL ME before you got an epidural anywhere near me, even if a doctor told me I needed one.

By the way, if you hadn't guessed I'm against epidurals, and I've never had one, and I never will.

Come on, bring on your negative thoughts all you pro epidural people, if I can handle labor, I can certainly handle you.

Addition*: For all of you who had the epidural that think that being able to get up and walk around within the hour after birth is something only people who have an epidural can or will do. You are wrong. I never had one, I was ALWAYS up and walking around within the hour. As a matter of fact I believe with MOST births (epidural or no) the nursing staff comes in at about the hour mark to take the baby (for cleaning/testing) and then gets you on your feet. So that IS NOT one of the pros of an epidural lol/ So long as you haven't had a Csection you'll be up within an hour.

***Also, and this is only to the ASKER of this question, please email me (by clicking my pic on the left) if I am wrong on the pros and cons. I like making educated decisions too, and you seem very educated. I would value your oppinion.

Answer 6

I'll start by saying the hospital that I delivered my children at required you to sign up for the epidural in advance and view a 20 minute video. It showed the procedure and listed the possible side effects.

I had an epidural with both of my children. I didn't feel like I needed to endure childbirth with a haze of pain surrounding me.
You feel so much better when you have one that you are able to rest and enjoy your baby as soon *** she arrives.

That said, I did have complications with both procedures. With my first child, the epidural was only effective on one side of my body. They had me lay on my side to try to balance it out. Eventually it did, fot the most part. I could feel every contraction in my thigh muscles though. With my second child, the epidural didn't work at all. Trying to communicate with the anethesiologist fwho barely spoke english was a disaster and resulted in my receiving a second complete shot of epidural medication. The first one took effect and then the second right after and I had no feeling from the neck down. It was the most bizarre feeling ever, but after 25 hours of labor it was welcome. I still managed to push the baby out in three tries while not feeling a thing. I got feeling back for the most part in a few hours. I still have some issues from the double dose and it took weeks for my muscles to really move properly again.

So pros:
pain relief
enjoyment of baby pain free
faster recovery time

cons:
possible incomplete relief
can not be used in high risk labor and deliveries
some lingering side effects

Answer 7

I've had one baby with an epi and one without.

Pros of my epi birth:
less pain
was able to relax

Cons of my epi birth:
couldn't feel a thing - didn't even know the baby was out until I saw it
more pain after birth - I think because I couldn't feel I was just pushing as hard as I could with whatever I could manage. This meand some tearing and more bruising.
feeling kind of detached from the birthing process

Pros of my medication-free birth:
felt totally involved and "there"
was able to feel the baby
was able to feel while I was pushing - this meant I could feel what was working and what wasn't instead of just blindly pushing
faster recovery - Because I could feel the pushing I didn't injure myself the same way as I did when I had an epi. I was much less sore after the birth.
no concern about drugs and the baby

Cons of my medication-free birth:
pain - although it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be

Answer 8

When it came time for pain mangagement during my labour... I opted to go straight to the epidural (Iended in c-section anyway). The doctors and nurses tried to get me to try other things first... but I didn't want to be "high".

I watched my sister try for a natural delivery, but the back labour was too much for her, so she tried Morphine... then the gas.. and ultimately the epidural (ended in c-section anyway). My sister was so exhausted and "high" that she doesn't remember much... and all the pictures she is "wasted".

I'm glad I went straight to the epidural... I was completely myself and very relaxed. The only negative was when they sent me to the OR.... they pumped the meds in too fast, and I had a really hard time breathing.

Answer 9

i did an epidural with my daughter's birth i loved it! pros: no pain and i was up and walkng within the hour of them taking it out! i went for a while with no pain medication, but i had such bad back labor, it hurt worse than my contractions!!! i feel no shame in using the medical recorces available to me. i feel no less like a woman for having used them. that said, i do feel it is a personal chioce for each woman to make. i love the fact that you sound educated and try to educate the women who come to you is great!!! happy birthing!

Answer 10

I am one of the rare who did not have an epidural. They did not even perform them in the hospital I went to; they do intrathecals which are similar but you are not confined to bed and have use of your legs.

cons? Less sensation, need for C-section risk jumps much higher, nerve damage.

pros? Definitely less pain.