scared of child birth and i was wondering?

Question

what determines whether or not the epidural works, and is the epidural it self painful when injected? what is the most common complication? i don't actually plan to give birth for like 5 years but i'm worried about it from now ! i just kind of wanted to hear all your experiences since i dont have many females in my family.

Answer 1

Epidurals vary from woman to woman. Most of the time, it works without complications. There is not pain per se when it is inserted, but there is a lot of pressure. I don't remember pain, but I ws having strong contractions at the time and I was a bit distracted!

I had a great anesthesiologist, a quick delivery and a healthy baby! No complications at all. I do not regret having an epidural. In fact, it allowed me to rest and (crazy as it sounds) I was able to enjoy the excitement of labor and delivery more after I got one.

Oh, and relax. ;) You aren't even pregnant... why worry about something that is not remotely close to happening?

Answer 2

First of all, if you are attended to by competent people, you won't *see* the needle. Second, the pain of a needle being injected into your back is NOTHING compared to the pain of childbirth -- and they don't give you an epidural until you are ready to twist yourself into a pretzel and bite your toes off, so on that scale, it the epidural itself isn't painful.

Once the needle is in place, the pain relief is instantaneous.

The worst part of an epidural is waiting for the anesthesiologist actually to come and do it.

Answer 3

My epidural worked great! It does hurt to get it...cause it's a needle in your back. As long as your anesthesiologist (I can't spell LOL) is a good one and has performed them numerous amounts of time, you really shouldn't have too many complications or any at all. I had no complications with mine and was lucky. My anesthesiologist does an average of 600 a year though. My best friend went to a different hospital and had a different experience though. She had some problems with hers, painful migraines afterwords and had to go back to the hospital shortly after leaving after having her baby. But they took care of the problem and she was fine after they went back. She was very upset, but againg her anasthesiologist hadn't performed as many as mine had which can often play a role in the effects. Many women complain theirs wore off by the time it's time to give birth when in fact many doctors shut the epidural drip off about 45 mins prior to pushing because it helps speed up the delivery process...this was what my friend went though. I had the epidural for my c-section though. The headache afterwords is problem the most complaint I've heard about but I suppose I was lucky and had no complications with mine. It's perfectly natural to be scared of the whole childbirth and epidural thing but the truth is, once you get into the hospital, you'll be amazed at what you're capable of all for the sake of safely bringing this new life into your world! Best wishes and hope the fear doesn't keep you from having your own little bundle of joy in the future!

Answer 4

the epidural most always works. Complications that can arise is that they cant find the right spot in the spine, or, they give too much and the women is not able to push the baby out b/c she is too numb. Yes, the epidural needle does hurt, it is very long. But it doenst hurt nearly as bad as having the child so it is so worth it. By the way, my son was 9 pnds 22inches long and i'm 5'4 120 pnds.I would strongly reccomend the epidural

Answer 5

i've just had a baby and opted for the epidural, the midwife said it would be painful, but i honestly didn't feel a thing other than the initial injection to numb the area! which is no different to any other injection! plus to be honest when your in that much pain, you won't give a bugger if it hurts a tiny bit! i haven't ever known an epidural not to work so no idea on that one, sorry x

Answer 6

Epidural is uncomfortable. Mostly because of the huge belly you have in front and the fact that they have to bend you like a pretzel to open the space in your spine between to vertebra's. Any medical procedure can have complications, so it just depends on the given day. Commonly, a lot of women complain of a headache after an epidural.

Answer 7

I had an epidural with both my pregnancies and it made my birthing experience better. it wasn't painful to put in. it felt like a pinch, just don't look at the needle they are going to use, TRUST ME. the only thing about that is that you have to be very still so when you do go into labor, see if they can insert it right after a contraction so you don't move. trying to insert durning a contraction makes it harder to keep still

Answer 8

It sounds like you are worried about the epidual. I would be too. Someone we know personally had one 18 months ago and her lower leg and foot is still numb. She had to wear a brace and use a walker.
I was scared of childbirth before I got pregnant too. Reading and educating myself helped a lot. I recommend Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way. Over 95% of those who use the Bradley method do not need pain medication. I used it four times. I have had hunger pains before that were worse than labor. It really works. It uses total relaxation to keep the uterus from cramping. Then labor feels nothing like cramps. If you hold your mouth open as wide as you can for a few minutes, that is the same kind of pain as labor, except that it comes and goes; it is not a constant pain for hours.

Answer 9

CB - that was my problem. I couldn't feel anything to push. And I was so tired, I just laid down and gave up. It was too late for a C-section and my dr. yelled at me - I'd never heard that man yell before, but it got my attention and we managed to get through it.

My baby was 9', 3 oz and 19 inches long - she was big!