What does an epidural feel like?

[MCPM]

Hi there. Forgive me if this seems like an odd question, but what does an epidural feel like?

I'd like some real-life info. Can you just feel nothing all the way down from the thing in your spine? Does it make you sleepy? Is it weird?

[readytobedone]

Originally Posted by MCPM

Hi there. Forgive me if this seems like an odd question, but what does an epidural feel like?

I'd like some real-life info. Can you just feel nothing all the way down from the thing in your spine? Does it make you sleepy? Is it weird?

assuming it is done correctly and works correctly (mine did), you basically feel no PAIN from the waist down. you can still feel sensations (like i could feel my legs enough to change positions on the bed, and i could even sense my contractions), but no real pain.

it doesn't make you sleepy, and other than having a big ol' needle in your back, i didn't find it weird.

HTH!

[dianakaye]

When I got mine I had already been in labor for a good 24 hours and they were about to start me on pitocin, so I don't remember things crystal clear.

All I remember is feeling that I wouldn't be able to keep still and the needle would go somewhere it shouldn't.

I remember feeling nothing. It was then that I took a very, very long nap. It wasn't that the epidural made me sleepy, but I was exhausted from lack of sleep and 24 hours of labor and walking and walking to get labor going. I woke up when the epidural wore off and was in quite a bit of pain that felt like a constant stabbing on one side of my pelvis. Since I couldn't move around to manage the pain it was very uncomfortable and I asked for more, but it didn't help.

Pushing took me 2 hours and it wasn't really painful but it was hard.

[mom-to-jj]

I barely even remember the prick of the needle. Within minutes I could tell the pain of the ctx was diminishing. Soon my entire lower body felt heavy and then I had just a lack of sensation (and pain!). All I could feel was pressure as the baby was descending/crowning, and I also felt warm liquid. I was sure the catheter was leaking, but the nurse said it was just fluid that comes out with the baby.

It didn't make me sleepy, but my teeth were chattering. I wasn't really cold, but I couldn't stop the shaking, even though I was piled in blankets.

I guess it's odd to not have much sensation in fully half of your body, but at the time I was just super excited to not feel any pain.

[SeekingSerenity]

GETTING the epi is the worst part. You have to be completely still, sitting up and bent over so the anesthesiologist can access the spine. And when they insert the catheter it triggers a nasty contraction, which they continuously remind you to be absolutely still through.

Afterwards, within 10 minutes of lying back down with a humongous piece of tape on your back to hold the cath in place, you are theoretically supposed to be numb from mid-spine to your toes. You can feel pressure and movement but not pain. You can't move your own legs or shift around. You also can't tell when it's time to push, which is where the nurses coaching you and counting to ten-breathe-ten again-breathe-repeat comes in.

There is often what they call a "window," which is one spot that will not numb up. It can be one small area on a leg, or part of your abdomen, or a larger area, and it will feel completely normal, which means ten times worse because you will be able to compare it to the surrounding numbness. The only negative aspect there is that it tends to be very distracting and seems a lot worse than it is.

I learned through the repeated attempts at achieving that longed-for numbness that I have a slight curvature to my spine. This puts me in that relatively small percentage of women for whom an epi will not work. It numbs either one side or the other, but never both. The third try failed so completely that it didn't numb anything at all. I had un-medicated home births after that, but I have known plenty of women for whom the epi has worked wonders in terms of pain relief.

One more thing no one ever remembers to mention - that giant piece of tape on your back might cause an itchy rash once it's taken off. I don't know how sensitive your skin is, but I mention that because it made me absolutely miserable for three days after my third was born, and I didn't know what was causing it.

[Savoir Faire]

I had two epis (though if I ever had a third, I don't want one). It doesn't hurt to get it in, though the numbing medicine they give you isn't pleasant but is only for just a few seconds.

The first one I had seemed to be by an overzealous anesthesiologist who wasn't too happy about being called in at 3am. He did it big...I couldn't walk for hours after the birth. Literally, I fell out of bed because I somehow managed to put my legs to the side to stand up and BOOM.

The second one I could KIND of feel my toes, feet and I could sort of move myself a bit, but not much. You're stuck on your back and when half of you doesn't work....well, it is hard to adjust yourself if you're uncomfortable.

With neither I felt contractions nor did I feel pain. In fact, I couldn't even feel pushing or the baby come out.

The only way you might feel sleepy is if they're hitting you up with other meds before they give you the demerol. If you're induced at night, it is pretty common for them to give you sleeping pills. I was given two ambien, a demerol and an epi.

I pretty much slept through my entire first birth because I was so doped up.

[Kidzaplenty]

[kwilki8]

The main reason I planned a natural birth was that I was so afraid of the epidural--I have major needle phobia. But 9 hours into a very quick pre-term pitocin induction, I just wanted to feel some relief. The good thing was that I was so focused on the pain that I lost the fear of the needle. I remember that it was really difficult to hold still, but that's about it. After it was placed, I didn't feel so much numb but more like everything was softened. I still felt the contractions, but they weren't painful. I felt the urge to push, I didn't need coaching, and I felt the birth. I was able to walk around about 90 minutes later.

[TCMoulton]

Originally Posted by SeekingSerenity

You can't move your own legs or shift around. You also can't tell when it's time to push, which is where the nurses coaching you and counting to ten-breathe-ten again-breathe-repeat comes in.

This was not my experience - I had epidurals with both of my births and both times I was able to move my legs without assistance, I knew when contractions were coming and still felt the need to push intensify as my labors progressed.

The worst part of my epidural placement was the numbing shot given before the catheter was placed and that was not quite a bee sting but I most certainly noticed it! For me it was worth it - my epidural helped me to remain calm and in control but the experience will vary from person to person.

[LittleBlessings]

:

Originally Posted by readytobedone

assuming it is done correctly and works correctly (mine did), you basically feel no PAIN from the waist down. you can still feel sensations (like i could feel my legs enough to change positions on the bed, and i could even sense my contractions), but no real pain.

it doesn't make you sleepy, and other than having a big ol' needle in your back, i didn't find it weird.

HTH!

:

[Kirsten]

I don't know 'cause I'm so skeeved out by needles that I would do anything to avoid the IV and epidural. So I learned a very effective natural childbirth theory and avoided them altogether. The website is www.bradleybirth.com. Really worked like a charm if you are interested or that is an option for you.

[hempmama]

I'd like to disclaim that I am not pushing for epidurals or anything. The risks, though very small, are of great harm. I just mostly had great ones, as did everyone I know. I live in a very crunchy area, and my hospital has an amazing anesthesiology dept.

I did not find it hard to sit still. I only *had* to be still for about 15 seconds. The rest of the time, if a contraction was coming on, they stopped, and I could move around. The catheter doesn't go in until after the epidural is placed and working, so if there is a strong contraction with it, you don't feel it. It feels, hm. This is hard to describe. I didn't really get the heavy thing. Just less. Much less. It really didn't feel unnatural or out of control, the way dental numbing does. I could feel when anybody touched me on any part of my body. My body all felt there, in a way it doesn't with dental work. I could move my legs, but it was really hard. My first was posterior, so we got me up on all fours to try to turn her(among other things). I could do it, but I needed people to push on my feet to help keep me stable. It felt- maybe like I was really old, and had to concentrate a lot to move my body. But no pain, no pain at all. I felt contractions, but only as a painless squeezing, like a blood pressure cuff. The way a lot of people experience BH contractions. The urge to push felt like the urge to poop, almost no difference. I could feel the babies in my vagina(and even a couple movements in there), and the crowning, as specific sensations. When I did it naturally, it was just all kind of blinding pain, so I couldn't really differentiate specific feelings. I don't know how to describe the difference well.

I shook a lot, and the first two times thought that was the epidural, but having gone through it without an epidural, it turns out that's just transition for me.

[tireesix]

We have two kinds of epis over here.

The walking epi, you can't feel much but can still move

and the

you just can't feel anything epi where you can't move, can't ee, can't do jack.

I had the second kind of epi. It didn't work the first time but did the second time and I simply couldn't feel anything below my ribcage, couldn't move, couldn't do jack. It was the scariest thing I have ever done lol.

[Onemagicmummy]

for me it was strange. i had an epi with baby 4. wont go into birth right now, last thing i was to think about at 39 weeks with number 5.

anyway once the epi was being set up i remember sitting up leaning over a chair with a pilow between me and the chair, hubby was other side of a second chair. teh bed was high. i was hunched over adn i got a shot of local in my back.
few mins later prodding, i had a contraction so i was taking gas and air <common pain killer in labour here in UK> and once the contration wore off i jsut kept breathing the gas and air to keep me calm and i was terrified. i felt more prodding a hard shove then OMG OWWWW pain radiating from area he insterted teh needle up my right hand side, my back sort of jolted it felt like an electric jolt, then, it was gone.

i laid back, got comfy, and waitied. and waited, and waited for more for them to start the drug. eventually got it dude doing it said it takes about twenty mins to start working. after a while i start to feel my bump go numb, my thighs and all my joints in my legs, but i can still feel my legs and feet! it was strange. slowly the numb areas get bigger, i start to relax a bit. but whats that feeling im getting now! huh i know that, OMG im pushing, and i can feel it in my neather region, super concentrated pain, RIGHT between my legs and the area around my belly button, i grab the gas and air start that again, breath my way throught it, baby si born not long later. i looked at my notes after. EPi was placed at 1o:4oAM. baby was born 11:34am

was it worth it? yes at the time
would i do it again? not really, i will do everything i can to avoid it.

Kiz

[Sarah W]

I initially felt a little prick when they were using the local to numb the area. I felt the pressure and a little pop as they were putting the epidural in. It didn't hurt at all, it just felt a little weird.

After that, I felt nothing...no pain, no pressure. It was freaky, especially when I touched my leg. I could feel my leg with my hand but not my hand touching it. I kept touching it, cause it was so creepy.

Although I couldn't feel anything, I didn't have a problem pushing. I could still understand the concept and didn't really have any problems.

[Bluegoat]

It depends. I've had two. With he first one, I could not feel anything from the waist down, except I had a small window on my left side where I could feel contractions. But I had no movement - at one point my leg fell off the bed, like it was a sack of potatoes. It was a bit weird and unpleasant.

The second one was a walking epidural (not that I was allowed to walk around.) I could feel the contractions, but they didn't hurt. I could actually move around quite well, and even walk alone and bounce on the birth ball while they changed the bedding. After that it was back on the monitor of course. But it was much less odd and unpleasant than the first one.

Getting the epidural was not actually too bad, except staying very still during a contraction. The anesthesiologists were good about not doing anything then, but I still couldn't move. I don't mind needles though, so I had no worries about that being scary. My husband was not so well off though, he had to sit on the floor with his head between his knees.

I want to add though - I wouldn't have another one. I am pretty sure they are directly related to the fact that I ended up with two sections.

[Veronika01]

I've had two epidurals. Having the epidural done wasn't that bad, but I had the kind where you are completely paralized from the waist down. You can't move your legs at all, can't feel them, nothing. Not even the pressure some of the other posters talk about. If you are in an odd position you are basically stuck there until someone else moves you. It was not fun at all. It usually took about 5 hrs after they stopped administering drugs through the catheter before you had complete feeling back and could stand up.

[MiamiMami]

I've had 2 epidurals and different experiences with each.

With my dd It only "took" on one side. I could feel almost everything and move on my right, but my left was all weird, wobby and pins and needles like. I could not relax feeling those sensations. When I was taken in for my cesarean they had to remove the epi and do a spinal.

The second took many, many friggin tries by the anesthesiologist: And it was not very good either. I had that weird pins and needles feeling, and my legs were useless. Getting them up to push was hard, and I couldn't feel what I was doing. It's a really gross, creep me out kind of sensation. Hard to explain.

[MCPM]

Thanks, everyone for all the experiences. I didn't have an epidural w. my first child - I was not emotionally prepared for even wanting one and like one of the other posters, I was too freaked out by it to even consider it. I would still of course like to avoid one, that's definitely my plan. But I don't want to go into it as ignorant as I did the first time - if I have to have one for some reason I want to have an idea of what it felt like.

Another question - did anyone feel any mental effects? Did it make you feel calmer/anxious?

[moondiapers]

I felt a pin prick. It was done during a contraction so that it wouldn't hurt. Then I sat back and sucked on a tootie pop because all of my pain was gone. I could move my lower body just fine. In fact I chose to sit sideways on the bed with my legs dangling off because my upper back was stiff from laying in the same position for too long. When it was time to push I felt pressure, like needing to make a HUGE poop. When it was time to push I asked them to let me practice push a few times without turning the epi down first......my pushes were effective enough that they did NOT need to turn it down. My pushing stage was less than 10min. The epi made the contractions not hurt anymore, but I still felt the ring of fire as I pushed the baby out (stretching and burning). I only needed 2 stitches, and I didn't feel them at all.

THat was my first epi. My dd is now 13.
The 2nd one didn't work. Didn't diminish pain, didn't help AT ALL, so I was stuck in bed, but still in pain. It sucked. So in my case....it seems to be a 50/50 crap shoot.