im 21 witth my first baby and alot of people say u should get an epidural? i dunno do u reccommed it or no... i would like to hear different oppinons and approachs about it.. do u think its betetr too??
2007-11-06 11:56:38 · 10 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
It is really a personal decision. I am pregnant with my 4th and I have never had an epidural. I have had Nubain (IV pain med) with my first 3 and I plan on going natural with my 4th. I have heard many stories about people having difficulties with side effects from the epi. I guess I would rather feel a little pain than not be able to feel anything from the waist down.
2007-11-06 12:19:17 · answer #1 · answered by hummi22689 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have had 6 kids... 5 vaginal and 1 c section.With the 2 I had an epidural and with 3 I had fast labors and was not able to have one. I think its cool to be able to experience some labor and see if you can do it without asking for an epidural. Some of my fast births hurt like hell but were over so quick I managed through. But my 1st child was 26 hours of hell and I got an epidural after a few hours of unbearable back labor. Its a personal choice but if you want an epidural there is only a small time frame when you can get one so when they ask make sure you know what you want. I personally would recommend one because they are wonderful you feel nothing and I had no side effects or anything and babies were fine too. Hope this helps.
2007-11-06 12:24:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You really have to decide for yourself. Even if you think you are sure of what you want, you may change your mind once you are in labor. I knew before I even got pregnant that I would get an epidural. I was really scared of the procedure, afraid it would hurt. But it went really well and it was SOOOOO worth it. It only hurt for about 2 seconds and it just stung a little, it was much less painful than a contraction. After the epidural I didn't have any more pain at all during labor or delivery. I had an epidural with my second, too and ended up having a C-section (for unrelated reasons). I would recommend it. My 2 best friends both had 2 children naturally, and did really well. They would never consider any meds, and it worked for them. I also have several friends that had natural childbirth with their first babies and got epidurals with their seconds and said it was so much better, they wished they had gotten epidurals with the first. It really just depends on you, you have to decide for yourself.
2007-11-07 03:39:59 · answer #3 · answered by Brandi C 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Having an epidural increases your chances of having a c-section and other complications. There are risks involved as with any medical procedure.
It's a personal choice. This is my first as well and I plan to go natural however since I have never done this before I am not going to say I won't have an epi.
I would suggest doing some research and making up your own mind.
Here is some info about pros and cons.
http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.html
2007-11-06 12:07:54 · answer #4 · answered by Melissa S 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It depends on your pain threshold and how long your labor is.
I had an epidural with my first two kids and went natural with my third. My first two I had very long labors and there was no way I could've made it without the epidural. My third was fast (only 2 hours) so although it was highly painful, it was fast enough I could get through it.
I would go in with the mindset that you'll go as long as you can without it... and if the pain gets too bad or you can't take it anymore, ask for one.
My only tip - if they mention they want to start you on pitocin for any reason - GET THE EPIDURAL FIRST!! With my first baby I wasn't progressing well and the labor had slowed down... so they started me on pitocin to "speed things up". Good god the pain was horrific. It makes it harder to get the epidural if your writhing in pain, as you have to sit still hunched over to get it.
Good luck!!
2007-11-06 12:03:09 · answer #5 · answered by Mom 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I also said I didn't want an epidural. So when I started getting very uncomfortable I asked for stadol which is a narcotic. If you feel like you need some kind of pain relief, I'd skip the stadol and go straight for the ep. I got it like a half hour after the stadol. It was great, I was actually able to sleep during labor. My advice is if you are in labor and feel like you may want pain reliever and are 5 cm or less, I'd get the ep. It was good I did because when they had to rush me off for the emergency c-section, the ep was already in place.
2007-11-06 12:10:59 · answer #6 · answered by serenityw2004 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It depends on your tolerance for pain. Yes, it hurts pretty bad, but is it unbearable abd constant? No. Read up on the adverse effects and decide for yourself. On one hand, blocking the pain can make for a more peaceful birthing experience. On the other hand epideurals have been associated with slowed fetal heartbeats and longer labor, plus some say blocking the pain takes away from the "experience" of giving birth. Me, I decided to have one, but it didn't take (for whatever reason). My legs and skin were numb but the pain of contractions went unmitigated. You know what, it wasn't unbearable and I'll do it again (uh, with the epideural, hope it works next time).
2007-11-06 12:05:02 · answer #7 · answered by lifeilluminate 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a decision you have to make for yourself. Don't let people influence you. Talk it over with your doctor. The more factual information you have, the better you'll be able to make a decision that's right for you.
2007-11-06 12:04:52 · answer #8 · answered by Richard B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Honestly, no one can tell you whether you should or not. Make that decision while you are IN labor. Decide for yourself if you can handle the pain or not. Good luck.
2007-11-06 12:00:42 · answer #9 · answered by Ashley P 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i saved my life...
if u wanna feel that horrible pain, then dont get ine
and if u dont then get one
2007-11-06 12:02:50 · answer #10 · answered by ★Mandy(Mom of 2+TWINS)★ 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋