I want to have an Epidural...?

Question

Im just afraid of not being able to move my legs and all the effects afterwards. Have you had one? I only wan to hear of the women who have actually HAD one, I don't care for the people who just go by what they think will happen. Thanks.

Please tell me what you liked and did not like about it.

Answer 1

I had one and it was a VERY negative experience.

I had only planned to have an epidural if I became stuck or exhausted in labor and needed to rest. I experience 12 or so hours of vary hard labor naturally w/ the loving support of a doula and my husband. When I got to exhausted to handle the ctx (b/c my son had his cord too tightly wrapped around his body to let him descend, as I later found out), I asked for the epi to allow me to rest and hopefully prepare for pushing later.

It took 30 min to put in. The anesthesiologist stuck me several times. When he finally did get the cath in, the epi only worked for a very brief amt of time. I faded completely and b/c of the cath in my back, I wasn't allowed to move around and deal w/ the ctx the way I would have w/o the epi.

The doc and nurse didn't believe me at first, that my epi wasn't working. Then the doc pushed a bolus and upped the dose. That succeeded in making my left leg completely numb from the hip to my knee, but somehow HEIGHTENED the sensation of ctx in my belly and back. Now I was in MORE pain than before the epi b/c I was exhausted AND I was trapped in a semireclining position in bed.

When it became clear that my son was not moving down any more, we decided on a c-section. They planned to use the epidural for surgery!!! I was panicked b/c it was NOT working. Yet, the anesthesiologist continued to bolus me through the cath to try and get it to work. Fortunately, another anesthesiologist came in and gave me a spinal.

I realize that part of my negative experience was due to the anesthesiologist himself. I should have booted him after the second failed stick in my spine as I would have been better off w/o the stupid epidural. However, even if he'd been as nice as peach pie on a summer day, the epid still did not work and I still would have been trapped in bed, unable to move in a way that would have relieved my ctx.

2 women I personally know experienced failed epidurals. I think epi's fail more often than ppl talk about. Other women I know have ended up w/ c-sections b/c the epi slowed down or halted labor (or put the woman in a bad position to push).

Epis do carry SERIOUS risks, including paralysis. After my own experience, I've decided NEVER to take that risk again. This time, I'm going to make sure I do everything I can to get more rest and nutrition in very early labor and before. I'll accept IV meds before epi, if it comes down to it. I'd rather endure being in pain and being able to move around to help relieve it than be in pain and be TRAPPED.

A note about labor....Before I became exhausted, I handled ctx pretty well. They took ALL of my focus and when I approached transition, it felt like I was trying to ride an entire herd of stampeding buffalo! But, my attitude and the support from my doula and husband made it all bearable. I did NOT experience my ctx as painful, just very intense. When I became completely exhausted, I could no longer stay "on top" of the sensations and THEN I began to experience them as painful, even though they were the SAME intensity as before. Labor DOES NOT have to be agony.

Answer 2

The odds of anything happening afterwards are rather small. I had an epidural. I tried alternatives but they didn't work. Also, I'm a big baby when it comes to major pain. Don't listen to the horror stories. They will only stress you out. I loved the epidural. Yea, I couldn't get out of bed and walk around but it allowed me to sleep!!! (My water broke at 2am) That was the biggest thing. I hadn't slept well the night before because of contractions so I was running on, like, four hours sleep and no nap. If nothing else, it helps you rest so you have the energy to push. Make sure you have someone in the room with you if you get an epidural so they can help you turn over to get comfortable as you can. I know my husband helped a lot so I could turn over to sleep. I didn't like not being able to move. But I LOVED only feeling the pressure from the contraction, not the pain. I was a little sore in the back afterwards but that's it. Talk to your doctor a little more about it. He/She can explain how it works and everything. You'll be fine.

Answer 3

During labor your body is exhausted and you are so focused on the baby that you kind of forget about not feeling your legs. I had an emergency c-section, so I was given an epidural after being in labor all day. I was begging for that epidural after three hours of pushing and then an hour waiting for the anestesiologist, and I had intended to have a natural child birth. I think when they do c-sections the epidural is stronger, I woke up five hours later and still couldn't really feel my legs. I was so exhausted I didn't even care. From what I've heard from other moms the sensation didn't last nearly as long. You are so concerned about your baby you don't care about your own. It is a wierd sensation. The doctor patted my leg when leaving the room and I saw her do it, but I didn't feel a thing.

Answer 4

I had a spinal which is very similar except that with a spinal, you are more numb and it is from the chest down, not just your lower half. My experience was this: once it wore off, I was in quite a bit of pain, but I had a c-section. An epidural, as far as I know, does not make you completely numb, it just takes the edge off and allows you to rest. Also, with an epidural, the nurse can turn it down before you push so you will feel what is going on and be an active part of the birth. A spinal cannot be turned down, it is a one time dose of anesthetic which is usually used for c-sections. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I had epidurals on both of my pregnancies and will have one with baby #3. My first epidural knocked me out completely! The doctor had to wake me up after he saw the full blown contractions on the monitor, I was snoring! I don't know how I managed to push but I did and had the easiest most pain free labor ever. With baby #2, I had lost my job and was put on medicaid, awesome doctor #1 did not take medicaid so I had to choose a doc that accepted it. This doctor did not administer the epidural correctly. The epidural only worked on half of my body while the other half was in an unbearable pain (thank God I was 2 pushes away from delivering). With baby #3, I will have another epidural. They're not giving medals for natural childbirth anymore. Getting an epidural will not hurt you and emotionally, you'll recover a lot better.

Answer 6

I have had 3. With the first I could hardly move my legs but was able to push and still deliver vaginally. With the next two.. They didn't work. I could move my legs, walk, etc. I had to be cut with all my kids and I could feel them cut and stitch me back up. I would rather NOT have gone through the pain of the epidural than to do both. With this baby I will get another one but ONLY so I can have my tubes tied after wards. Otherwise I would pass. Hope this helps. Good luck

Answer 7

I loved everything about it!!! I was in so much pain before i got the epidural and when I finally had the epidural it was so much fun. No pain, no nothing. I was able to push very easy. (make sure you sit more in the bed than lay when it comes to the pushing part, put the backrest up!!! That advise I got from another friend and it helped so much)
I was able to enjoy the birth very much and see everything for myself. The legs were numb after birth for approx. an hour, but that did not bother me at all since I was laying there anyway with my baby. I would suggest: Go for it!!! Out of my experience I can only say it was wonderful, no side effects and made it all so enjoyable.

Answer 8

i've had two epidurals. with epidural #1 six weeks after, i steped into a pot hole and the pain in my back shot str8 to the epidural spot. my back was always hurting in that same spot. exercise kinda helped though.
epidural #2 was worse. receiving it was easier because i already knew what do to. but the shot gave me sciatica. that hurts like hell.
when they give you the epidural your legs tingle and you can feel the drip in your back...gross. it's a cold slow drip that makes your body so numb.
thankfully i had a great nurse for my third child and she advised me to have a spinal block. reading up on it i was not willing to even try it...she persuaded me and i am so glad that is the way i went. they give you a "cocktail" to numb your back so you don't feel the needle that give you the block. wooooo! i felt like i was drunk...a feeling you don't often get while being prego! but then it wore off quicker than an epidural and no back problems from it either! and you know what? all three shots were given by the same anasthegeolosist. thank heaven for medicine.

Answer 9

i have had three kids.1 natural ,no drugs and 2 with epidurals .i like epidurals much better.yeah you cant feel anything for a while after wards .you are not going to walking around any way.its kinda a good thing cause if you go natural you are not going to feel all the pain from pushing.if you have a c-section then you wont feel the six or eight inch gash that goes across your stomach.so take advantage.either way once tha baby comes its not going to matter if you can feel your legs or not.all of everything goes away when they put that baby in your arms.
god luck.
if this is your first baby take this advice its the best you ll ever get.
SLEEP WHEN THE BABY SLEEPS!!!!!!

Answer 10

I had one with my last delivery. It made my legs numb yes but it did dull those contractions. The worst thing about getting it was the shot in my back to dull the pain of it going in. It made me itchy all over, that was the only real down side. I've heard people say they didn't feel any pain at all after they had it but mine didn't work so well (it did help dull the pain of the contractions and crowning) but I really felt those shoulders come out. I'd definitely have one again if given the chance, it was much less painful than my previous 2 natural births.

Answer 11

It really doesn't take long for the feeling to come back after the baby was born, with my first I got right out of bed and went to the bathroom, with my second it took about 30 minutes before I could do this. It didn't hurt to get it. And it made my labor enjoyable. I don't know if I will get one if and when I have a third baby. I have some back pain still from it 10 months later and that part sucks, but that is because I have really close vertabres and it is hard for them to give me one. They had to try 3xs with each baby it get it into place right.