please share your experiences with epidurals during labor ?

Question

i am in my 37 th week of pregnancy. i am quite freaked out about the labor pain. :(
i would like to know whether epidurals / analgesics / anasthetics can prolong the labor as some people say.
also who decides what kind of pain relief to use ? is it the patient or the doctor ?
thanks for the answers.

Answer 1

My wife did it without any medications and said caring the child was worse than labor i would do with out

Answer 2

I just gave birth Nov 30 - my labor was difficult due to a back injury I had as a teenager so I had to have 3 epidurals for the last one to catch. I was induced - the worst part is breaking of the water - its just a lot of pressure and uncomfortable. The epidural allowed me to dialate faster - and it really does relax you - you don't feel much but you will feel a pressure to push.

If I were to get pregnant again I would get an epidural sooner instead of waiting until my contractions were a couple mins apart. I also had an epitosmy - so if this happens to you there is light at the end of the tunnel - about 7 days later you will feel like a new person. Forgo the epson salts it burns - get a sids bath, shower lots, and get pads soak them in water, wrap them in saran wrap and freeze them - when you go to use them which is highly recommended wrap the pad in a face cloth - also tucks medicated pads for hemoriods works on your stitches as well. These all helped big time. Take stool softeners trust me you do not want to be constipated! The frozen pads I used a tonne of them for a week it really helps with swelling.

I did try the demoral shot and had no relief . With an epidural it really helped to speed my delievery on. Whatever you chose labor pains will all be a thing of the past once you bond with your new born. Good luck - stay positive - I was terrified too but boy was it worth it!

Answer 3

I have had two during the course of my deliveries and the process causes pain. You have to sit motionless on the edge of a bed, while holding your knees and all the while you experience the contractions. The doctor then places a very long needle in your lower back-which is suppose to slow down the pain. It doesn't always work. I still have a slight numb spot where the epidural was given (it has been 11 years). I wish you all the best. Having an epidural works for some but not for all. Best of luck with your delivery.

Answer 4

I delivered my first with an Epidural and my second without any pain meds at all.

There are pros and cons to everything but I will try to never have to have pain meds during labor again..... too much risk!!
Oh the releif from the pain was wonderful. I got to sleep for 4 hrs before pushing. But the side effects are scary and I even experienced some of them. I didn't know it was from the epidural til almost 2 years later! It causes you to stop sweating (which is very important during labor) and so my temp. rose and my son's rose also, so because of that there was a fear of him having a deadly infection that if not treated right away could kill him, but we wouldn't know for sure if he even had it till the culture was finished 2 Days later... by that time he could be dealthly sick or be finished with the meds. Well he got the meds and the culture came back negative.... sooooo he was treated for an infection he didn't even have and it made it very very tough to breastfeed because of it. It was only because of the Epidural...... I also tore which is a higher rate with epi because you can't feel what you are doing but I can't say for sure that it was because of the Epi.

I delivered my second son without an IV, pain meds, and also without tearing. It was hard because that's just the way it is.... but it was worth it, it was all better, my son got to stay with me instead of in the nursery and we had a better start to breastfeeding.

It seriously up to you but I thought I would give you my story too. Read this book below and read all the pros and cons of every pain reduction method (toward the back of the book) and make the decision on what is best for you and your child.

Answer 5

you should definately be the one initiating the conversation with your doctor about pain relief during labor and delivery. while a lot of women today insist on laboring with no pain relief (i'll never understand why), we have a lot of options for those of us who do not want to labor thru that pain.

i chose an epidural and it was the best decision i made as far as my delivery. the needle is small and doesn't hurt...the medicine works IMMEDIATELY! i literally went to sleep in labor, i was so relaxed. it also wears off easily, so less than 12 hours after birth (i ended up having a c-section) i was taking a walk around the hospital.

the epi does prolong labor because you literally can't feel the pressure of contractions and have to be told when to push. also, sometimes women don't push hard enouph when they have the epi, so labor is a little longer, but it's a heck of a lot more comfortable!!

-smarty

Answer 6

I've had mixed luck with epidurals. Some didn't take, some didn't work below my belly button, but when/IF you're in enough pain, you'll try. You can choose epidural or to try stadol or whatever. Talk to your OBGYN in advance about your options, but you can usually change on the fly by telling your labor nurse you need something else.

As for prolonging labor, it can actually speed up labor in some because intense pain causes you to tense up too much slowing labor. I lingering all day at my induction at 2 1/2cms I got my epidural because I couldn't stand it anymore and she was born in less than an hour. The labor nurse had to catch the baby because the dr couldn't get there fast enough so I don't personally believe it slows labor any, for me anyway.

Answer 7

I had an epidural as I delivered by emerg c-section. I have not had and side effects, I am fortunate. Some people do, some don't, the less you can do to 'interfere' or alter your delivery is best. You won't know until you are in the midst of labour. The best to do is to manage your anxiety. The more you are freaked out, the more stress the baby is under, the more problems potentially you can have. Natural is way better than c-section. Everyone is different, even if you have more than 1 child. The doctor will decide what meds, you will have to let them know if it is working well enough. All the best!

Answer 8

Both you and the doctor make the decision on pain management, depending on what you want and what is best for both you and the baby.
I have had two vaginal deliveries. One with epidural, one without. I don't think the epidural slow things down, plus if your labor is going slow the doctor can always decide to give you pitocin to speed things up. My delivery with the epidural was way more pleasant I was told when to push and with two pushes the baby was out. On the other hand without the meds I didn't think I could do it, the pain was so intense and the baby was way high up, I was even been prepped for a C section, but with the nurses and doctor help I was able to push her out but the pain I had to endure was very traumatic.

Answer 9

epidurals are very dangerous. It is a needle in your spinal cord. That is where the nerves send singals to your brain and body. The spinal cord is a very delicate thing. The worst case senario for an epidural is paralysis. For myself, I did have some side affects. I no not have full mobility of my left leg. I also get migranes easier as well as I get achy muscles easier and a nerve in my left hip will pinch if I go for a walk and hold my baby on that side of the same side of the body. I do go for walks at least 4 times a week. If I go for 2 or 3 days without exercise, I get stiff and my left leg losses mobiltiy. I really don't reccoment them. I went natural, with no pain relief for 24 hours. It was very managable. I was told it was a bad labor, but I didn't think so. It is worth it. I had the epidural finally for a c secion as the baby was not fitting through my pelvis

Answer 10

It the fear of the pain, not the pain itself. For me it was the opposite. I hadn't planned on having the epidural but had filled out the papers - just in case. Good thing too. I was fine with the pain, but then I began throwing up. I couldn't handle both at once so I did ask for my epidural. I was at 4 cm when it was given, within 30 minutes of having it in, I was finally getting comfortable. All of a sudden I had to push, RIGHT NOW. My daughter was born within 15 - 20 minutes of my need to push. The nurses kept saying I was not ready, I made them check and all of a sudden they were yelling "The head is out, lets get going, Call the doc- quick!"

All the while I had the choice to have pain meds via IV or to have my epidural. I was in charge of most of that. Keep in mind that the epdural can only be givin in a certain window of dialation. Ususally between 4cm and 8cm. If you miss it, you miss it.

Make sure to dicsuss this with your doctor. You want all of your choices written in your file just in case. Also, if possible pre-register with L&D. It makes life a lot easier in the long run.

Answer 11

It's totally your choice. With my first I had no pain med during delivery...I Don't suggest it!
(although some women think it's great) I had a regular epidural with children 2&3...perfect, no pain at all...smooth sailing! With my last they gave me a new epidural concoction that uses much less medicine so you can feel more of the signals to push, etc... I felt VERY intense contractions with it, but bearable. Epidural doesn't seem to interfere w/ my labor progression. In fact I always get my epidural around 5cm. I dialate from 5cm to full and effaced within 3 hours. Good luck!