how do you feel about the epidural?

Question

im hearing the pros & cons about the epidural. im confused now

Answer 1

For me, the risks just aren't worth it. The pain does not last forever and can be managed without drugs.

Maternal Risks:
Hypotension (Drop in blood pressure)
Urinary Retention and Postpartum Bladder Dysfunction
Uncontrollable Shivering
Itching of the face, neck and throat
Nausea and Vomiting
Postpartum Backache
Maternal Fever
Spinal Headache
Uneven, incomplete or nonexistent pain relief
Feelings of Emotional detachment
Postpartum feelings of regret or loss of autonomy
Inability to move about freely on your own
Loss of perineal sensation and sexual function
Very Serious and rare risks
Convulsions
Respitory paralysis
Cardiac arrest
Allergic shock
Nerve injury
Epidural abscess
Maternal death



Labor Side Effects:
Prolonged First Stage of Labor
Increase of malpresentation of baby's head
Increased need for Pitocin augmentation
Prolonged Second Stage of Labor
Decrease in the ability to push effectively
Increased liklihood of forceps or vacuum extraction delivery
Increased likelihood of needing an episiotomy
Increase in cesarean section


Baby Side Effects:
Fetal distress; abnormal fetal heart rate
Drowsiness at birth; poor sucking reflex
Poor muscle strength and tone in the first hours.


But i prefer to stay out of the hospital and away from interventions and birth at home, unless medically necessary.

Answer 2

Pros--Epidurals aren't going to affect the baby if you get it. If you choose to get IV drugs to ease your pain, they can be passed on to the baby. I have been told you certainly don't feel any pain!

Cons--sometimes when you get the epidrual, it slows down labor. My sister-in-law had epidurals for both babies and her labor slowed to a crawl. She had to sit there for over 12 hours for each child. I'm not too keen on that. Once you have it, you are confined to the bed and fetal monitoring. Sometimes it doesn' t take completely. A friend of mine was numb on her left side, but not her right side. Another freind just had it start to take effect, when they cut her off because it was time to push. It isn't necessary fool proof by any means.

However, I am not a big fan of doing any kind of pain meds even if the epidural is considered safe-that is just a personal choice. I decided that I am goign to have the epidural as a back up in case I can't handle the pain. I have no idea how long my labor will be or how intense it will get. I want to try and move the process along as naturally as possible before I introduce drugs. Thankfully at the hospital I am going to deliver at, there is an anestesiologist on call 24/7, so if I do indeed change my mind, I can.

Answer 3

Most woman now days have an epidural during labor. I had one. The results vary with each woman. Some say it causes difficulty with your lower back. I have back problems, but I don't know if it was due to the epidural or from working on my feet for years. Your doctor will be able to tell you more about it. I think that if you can stand to do with out it during labor, then it's probably the best way to go. However if you want relief from unbearable pain, chances are it's not going to cause a lot of problems if you decide to have one.

Answer 4

My mom had an epidural while in labour for me . The medication went into my spine as well and to this day i have trouble getting off of my back, doing a sit up , etc . The reason for this as told to my mom when I was a kid was the hospital staff waited too long into my moms labour to give her the epidural . Now for a personal choice I am 31 weeks pregnant and dont intend on having a Epidural. I have also been told that it prolongs your labour as well , and to be honest i want it over with as soon as possible lol .

Answer 5

I would never even attempt giving birth without the epidural!!! The person that invented it deserves a medal of honor!!

If you think you might not want it be sure to sign up anyway just in case you change your mind during labor. The hospital I go to requires you to fill out a little paperwork and watch a video (usually about 6 wks before your due date) ~ if you don't do this they WILL NOT administer the epidural if you change your mind during labor.

Answer 6

I have 3 kids.
One without an epidural and two with.
I HIGHLY recommend getting one. Don't get all freaked out and worried about them. When the time comes, you will know if you can go on without one or if you need to get one.
I personally recommend them. They enable you to rest before the exhausting phase of pushing. You can actually enjoy the birth of your baby without wanting to punch somebody's lights out. I was up and walking within 5 hours of giving birth with my daughter (my last baby).
You'll hear a lot of pros and cons b/c everyone is different and everyone has a different person administering the epidural. I had two good experiences!
Good luck!

Answer 7

If I would've listened to my dr my first time around giving birth, I would've gone epidural all the way. Having had one child natural, no pain meds, and two more having epidural...epidural me! I'm on my fourth pg and this one is definitely going to be another epidural. I learned, for me, that recovery was much easier and I had more energy to care for my babies after having an epidural vs. not having one. However, it is your decision, do what you feel comfortable doing. You may decide you want one after all once you are in active labor though.

Answer 8

I have had my 5 children without pain medication and would choose a natural birth again in a hearbeat. Childbirth is a natural and normal event, and should be treated as such. Medications and interventions increase your risks of a boatload of complications. To me, the risk is not worth it.

And, unlike many believe, the risks are not few and far between - about 4 in 5 of my clients who receive epidurals experience SOME sort of risk, whether it be problems pushing, cesarean, maternal fever, fetal bradycardia, respiratory distress.... you name it...

I am a huge advocate of informed consent and proactive health care, and, as such, don't look down on anyone for choosing medication if they have validly weighed the pros and cons and made an educated decision.

I loved my unmedicated births - they were empowering, humbling, beautiful, hard work, blissful, climactic experiences! Perhaps that is why I am now a childbirth educator and doula! If you want to email me for more information, feel free. I would love to chat! Otherwise, here is a link to my blog where I have much more information on natural birth: http://wonderfullymadebelliesandbabies.blogspot.com/

I have also listed some great resources for natural birth including a few articles by Dr. Sarah Buckley about the hormonal makeup of labor and how medication interferes with it.

Answer 9

I am a a BIG fan of the epidural when I went into the hospital I was asking for it because I was in such pain and they said that they could not give it to me because I was not dialted enough and since it was my first kid i would be in labor for a while and it would wear off so they refused to give it to me I just kept asking for it because I was in such pain and they kept saying no then finally the dr. came in and checked me and I dialated to fast for the epidural and said that I could not have it because i was to fare along and they did not expect that at all. So they were getting me ready for a c-section because I would not push because it hurt SOOO bad and the annesisiologist (spelt wrong) came in and I was crying saying that I did not want a c-section but that it hurt to much for me to push and that they would not give me the epidural so he gave me what is called a labor epidural and it worked great and I ended up pushing my daughter out by myself. And it does not last as long as the regualr one.

Answer 10

It is your personal choice. Coming from a 25 year old girl, who is the biggest baby when it comes to pain. I went in wanting an epidural, but my midwife said the pain wouldn't get any more intense....I said okay...let's start pushing I wanted it done with. I was in intense labor for 13 hours, finally my little man was born. Afterward I felt so proud of myself, I did it and it wasn't that bad. The next day I said....I'd totally do that again. It's such a rush....being so natural...women's bodies are made for child birth, your body will tell you what to do. I can't say it wasn't painful because it was...but it was worth it. I plan to have more children, the natural way!

Answer 11

I went into labor ALL FOR the epidural, since I am a big baby when it comes to pain. WELL...no 1 ever told me that there was a chance it wouldnt work! 10% of woman who receive epidurals dont find relief...and that was me. 28 hours of back labor was awful!!!! Get the epi, just know it MAY not work :(