if i have a vaginal birth can i still get epidural for the pain or does the shot hurt?

Answer 1

You can get an epidural for a vaginal birth and it will hurt. However, you'll find that it doesn't hurt as much as the contractions! It's not just a shot--they thread a catheter into your back and it stays in there until you're done delivering and they take it out.

Answer 2

First the epidural is not a shot. It is an IV that is stuck in your spine and pumps a medication into you so that you do not have feeling from the waist down. That being said YES it hurts. I have 2 kids both vaginal deliveries. The first one was 26 hours in labor and 2 hours of pushing NO epidural. The second one was 34 hours of labor and 3 hours of pushing WITH and epidural. When the doctor (not a nurese) inserted the needle into my back for the FIRST attempt she hit a nerve and I kicked out uncontrolably. She got it right on the second attempt. I was not able to get out of bed and move around. Labor was prolonged and to this day (3 years later) I can still feel where it was in my back.
So ask yourself this...how is your pain tolerance? Willing to try with out medications? If not what are my other options?
That is right other options..not just breathing and stuff like that. There are medications that can be given by IV that do not make all the pain go away but take the edge off. I had this with my first child and felt much better then with the epidural.
Talk to your doctor to find out all the risks and benefits with pain relief. Good luck!

Answer 3

Yes and it's more pressure than pain really. You feel a little pressure and then you can't move your lower half for several hours.

I might add I've had 4 children and my second I chose to have an epidural. I vowed to never do so again. So I've had 3 all natural and I'd go that way any day. Not that I plan on having anymore! I understand I'm in the minority however, most women swear by them. My recovery time took so long and it didn't relieve the pain like I thought it would. The natural births I bounce back so quickly and I'm ready to head home the next day.

Answer 4

Yes you can most certainly get an epidural and give birth vaginally. The actual epidural procedure is very easy. In general you will feel a few "pin pricks" while they numb the injection area and then you will feel a pinch when they begin to administer the anesthetic. I had an epidural and would do it again in a heartbeat. I admire those who chose to give birth naturally but would never pass up the opportunity to make use of modern medicine!

Answer 5

Yes you can still get an epidural for the pain. And even though I have never given birth, I was in the delivery room with my sister and watched alot of birthing shows, they all said it hurts. But just like any shot the pain doesn't last long.

Answer 6

Because you have a vaginal birth you want to get an epidural. When you are getting contraction pains, the epidural pain will feel like a pinch!!

Answer 7

Yes you can get an epidural for a vaginal birth. If you get to the hospital and the birth is iminent it will be too late to get one. The injection can hurt and some people end up with headache and/or back ache after wards.

Answer 8

Yes, you can have an epidural. :) As for whether the epidural hurts, my experience was that I didn't really feel it b/c I was in the middle of contractions. You are so in tune with the contractions that you don't really pay attention to what the anesthesiologist is doing to you. I found that I didn't feel the epidural being done, perhaps just the initial prick of the needle. It was nothing compared to the contractions.

Answer 9

Yes you can still get an epidural with a vaginal birth, and yes from what I have been told it hurts untill the numbing takes effect... I myself went all natural so I am speaking from what my many sisters have said..

Answer 10

Yeah they give epidurals with vaginal births. I don't know how bad the shot hurts, though.