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Signing Up For An Epidural

9K views 166 replies 68 participants last post by  leafwood 
#1 ·
One of my husband's friends just knew she wanted an epidural. She decided this before her son's birth, and followed through with that plan.

If you made the same decision before one of your children's births, how and why did you come to that decision?

I'm just trying to understand where she's coming from.

Thanks,
Lydia
 
#103 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by hempmama View Post
Well actually it IS the norm- statistically epidurals work properly a great majority of the time. It's not a guarantee(and maybe that's what you meant), but that is what usually happens.

.

as someone who worked in a hospital for over 5 years with laboring women I know this is not the case, a great percentage of women have them not work at all and an even greater number have them not work properly (i am not even talking about the complications from them like getting too high a dosage at one time, or having the needle not put in properly or falling out, i am merely talking about the meds not working for some women).
 
#104 ·
I think working in one hospital gives you a great perspective on what happens in that hospital. I am not so sure it tells you about the results of anesthesia nation wide. If I were to tell you about my friends' births, I would tell you that an epidural works 100% of the time, causes no complications, and never interferes with BFing. It's a good thing we have more objective statistics- I did research on them 4 years ago at this point, so it's possible it's changed (though I doubt they've gotten LESS effective)but over 80% of the time, they are effective on both sides. The most common complain is only working on one side- less than 10% (but that's still a big number, and definitely one that shines bright in my mind when I think about NCB for the next one), with not working at all being, I think, under 5%. There is also the matter of individual anesthesiology departments- as I said mine is particularly good, and tracks these things fairly closely. Their complication rate is much lower than above. Maybe your hospital is more on the other side- I grew up in the deep south, and there was definitely far less concern for a woman's birth experience overall in hospital environments than I find here.

Not to quibble, I'm just very sure of this.
 
#105 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by hempmama View Post
I think working in one hospital gives you a great perspective on what happens in that hospital. I am not so sure it tells you about the results of anesthesia nation wide. If I were to tell you about my friends' births, I would tell you that an epidural works 100% of the time, causes no complications, and never interferes with BFing. It's a good thing we have more objective statistics- I did research on them 4 years ago at this point, so it's possible it's changed (though I doubt they've gotten LESS effective)but over 80% of the time, they are effective on both sides. The most common complain is only working on one side- less than 10% (but that's still a big number, and definitely one that shines bright in my mind when I think about NCB for the next one), with not working at all being, I think, under 5%. There is also the matter of individual anesthesiology departments- as I said mine is particularly good, and tracks these things fairly closely. Their complication rate is much lower than above. Maybe your hospital is more on the other side- I grew up in the deep south, and there was definitely far less concern for a woman's birth experience overall in hospital environments than I find here.

Not to quibble, I'm just very sure of this.

i live in texas and i worked in hospitals in texas and louisiana so maybe that is the problem... only between 20-25% of our patients had epis that worked 100% without complications and that number was pretty much dead on for everywhere I worked.
 
#106 ·
I worked in several hospitals over the years--most had excellent anesthesiology departments, but some just didn't care. The first hospital I worked in didn't really care--and, as a bonus, the manager of L&D preferred to hire only new grads--no one with experience elsewhere worked there. So, none of us knew that it wasn't "normal" to get epidurals that didn't work over half of the time. Now, I look back, and I feel bad for those women. But, I did learn alot about laboring coping skills.


My epidural didn't work well. So much so that we just pulled it, so that at least I wasn't confined to bed anymore. The second one worked better, but not great. I researched alot of stuff about my hospital birth, but I never thought to ask about anesthesia. For this next baby, the anesthesia department is at the top of my list of questions.
 
#107 ·
I think it's important to remember that an uncomplicated epidural does NOT mean that a woman is so comfortable that she'll be reading magazines. Many women still do feel the contractions as a strong, intense pressure... just not so painful.
 
#108 ·
I had an epidural with my first and it did not work properly. It worked great to numb me from the crotch down but I still had a lot of feeling left in my abdominal area. It locked me in because after having it I could not get up, could not move my legs or hips at all...not even enough to roll myself on my side. It was pure torture not to be able to move around in an attempt to relieve some of the pain.

After that experience I tried to research the effectiveness of epidurals and the best study I could find stated that epidurals were effective enough to perform c-sections 80% of the time. The other 20% required additional measures to numb the area. Not a lot of discussion about how ineffective those 20% were...I'd imagine you wouldn't want to be numb enough for surgery when having a vaginal birth anyhow but I'm sure there was a wide range there. I haven't looked into it in the last few years so hopefully there is better info on that now.
 
#109 ·
I just want to share that a lot of my friends/peers in the Philippines also believe that with every childbirth comes an epidural.
They think I'm a bit strange for declining one and believe with all their heart that they cannot give birth without one.
It is definitely the norm there just as a c-section would be in the near future.
 
#110 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by UrbanCrunchyMama View Post
Saddle block? Never heard of that term. What is it?

It is another type of spinal pain relief, it numbs the anus, vagina, and perineum (the areas that would touch a saddle). The saddle provided more reliable pain relief without causing me to be completely numb from the waist down. I could still move my legs and felt the contractions and knew when to push. The saddle is more for delivery, not really used during labor as it does nothing to take away the discomfort from contractions.
 
#111 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by QueenOfThePride View Post
I had a traumatic natural birth 4 months ago. If I ever get pregnant again, I would seriously consider an epidural.
This was me 5 weeks ago. I told myself that if I ever have another baby I will get an epi. I *know* the risks involved. I didn't have fear of pain for this baby, in fact I had the opposite... but after my painful birth experience I now have fear.

I keep waiting for time to skew my memories, but not so far.
 
#112 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by erin_brycesmom View Post
I had an epidural with my first and it did not work properly. It worked great to numb me from the crotch down but I still had a lot of feeling left in my abdominal area. It locked me in because after having it I could not get up, could not move my legs or hips at all...not even enough to roll myself on my side. It was pure torture not to be able to move around in an attempt to relieve some of the pain.
I didn't have an epidural but because dd's heartrate went down too low during the birth, and care was transferred to an OB, I was REQUIRED to remain flat on my back, knees up, pushing, so they could monitor the baby. My mw also had to rub dd's head the whole time to keep her heartrate up. In this way we avoided a c-sec (which the OB wanted to do) but I HATED HATED HATED that I could not move, it was torture and so painful. So NOT getting an epidural is no guarantee that you WOULD be able to move. That's one thing I was so ticked off and disillusioned about, I couldn't do the usual things women do for comfort measures when they were giving birth without pain meds.
 
#113 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by xelakann View Post
I keep waiting for time to skew my memories, but not so far.
It took me around 15 months or so for it to fade a bit into the background.

I always wanted an epidural. Long story short, I didn't get one. I really don't see much redeeming about having to go through all of pain and terror when you don't have to. I am not having any more, but if I were, I would seriously consider planning an induction just so I would get an epidural the next time around.
 
#114 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by Emese'sMom View Post
I didn't have an epidural but because dd's heartrate went down too low during the birth, and care was transferred to an OB, I was REQUIRED to remain flat on my back, knees up, pushing, so they could monitor the baby. My mw also had to rub dd's head the whole time to keep her heartrate up. In this way we avoided a c-sec (which the OB wanted to do) but I HATED HATED HATED that I could not move, it was torture and so painful. So NOT getting an epidural is no guarantee that you WOULD be able to move. That's one thing I was so ticked off and disillusioned about, I couldn't do the usual things women do for comfort measures when they were giving birth without pain meds.
So sorry you could not move!! I guess I don't understand what was going on because I don't see any reason why you would have to remain flat on your back. Was this just for pushing? Regardless, you still had more movement range than most who get an epidural and I had my epidural for hours and hours and hours before I even started pushing.

Having the epidural would not have granted you the movement either though. Generally speaking just about every single mother who does not get an epidural is able to move but most who do get the epidural have significant restricted movement. There really isn't much of a comparison there.

So yeah, not getting the epidural does pretty much guarantee that you will be able to move.

...as much as anything can be guaranteed in childbirth.
 
#115 ·
I thought I wanted one with my first. Why? Well because labor hurts and why wouldn't I want medication to stop the pain?
Because no one told me it was better for me and the baby not to have one. Because no one told me about the side effects or risks. Because no one told me it hurts but not so bad that I couldn't handle it. Because no one told me that the "pain" is part of the process and experience.

I ended up with a spinal and a c-section though no epidural.
The second time around I was smarter and had a HBAC.
 
#116 ·
A friend of mine had a n epidural with her first child, she had laboured for 8 hours and was very distressed and exhausted from the pain so she requested an epidural. Apparently her labour progressed really quickly from there, probably because she was a bit more relaxed and able to work with her body instead of against it. I saw pictures of her birth and after the epidural she was still able to stand and walk around and get into all sorts of different positions, I think she was in a deep squat at one stage and then over a birthing ball at another


I will definitely be signing up for an Epidural when I give birth....a C-Section might be a tad bit painful without one
 
#117 ·
Hi! Just a friendly reminder to help keep the discussion on track:

Quote:
Mothering.com is the website of natural family living and advocates natural solutions to parenting challenges. We host discussion of nighttime parenting, loving discipline, natural birth, homebirth, successful breastfeeding, alternative and complementary home remedies, informed consent, and many other topics from a natural point of view.
Here are several Mothering Magazine links about birth interventions:

Hidden Risks of Epidurals

Obstetrical Interventions

Epidural Epidemic

Hormonal Blueprint for Labor

Wake Up!
 
#118 ·
#119 ·


BTW, my reminder wasn't to anyone in particular
Sometimes the advocacy issue gets set aside. It's important to remember that labor/birth interventions have their place.

Birth is very personal and can be an emotional topic. Thanks to everyone for such a respectful discussion
 
#121 ·
Just wanted to share some natural birth stories, all of which take place IN hospitals. This is just a small sampling, as there's a new one about every week on the yahoo group.

http://www.enjoybirth.com/testimonials.htm#Hypnobabies

I feel soooooo much more prepared with this program!! I labored unmedicated on an agressive pitocin induction for 14 hrs, with only Bradley training. It was only after some argueing about labor position I agreed to an epi, and ended up with a c-section less then an hour later. I was the classic case of the cascade of interventions.

Give me another week or two and I'll hopefully be able to add a beautiful NCB vba2c story!
 
#122 ·
Responding late here. I signed up for them with both births. I knew I had pain issues related to the abuse I suffered for years as a child. I did not feel like dealing with old ghosts during my labors. I know I could have probably worked through those issues beforehand if I had been determined not to have an epidural. My first pg was pretty mainstream and I didn't know a lot about choices, but an epidural sounded pretty good to me at the time. I had a great experience with the epidural and everything went well. By the time I was pg with my dd2 I knew more about birth choices but still had the pain/abuse issues and then had some depression starting up that I still struggle with today. So I had another epidural, the birth went great. I have no regrets. However if I had a third baby I probably would confront those issues and try for a natural birth. My dh has a vasectomy now so we won't have a third. But if we did, I would try things differently.
 
#123 ·
USAmma - I've noticed your story before and meant to comment but didn't get to it. I can relate to your story. I had childhood violence issues and witnessed different types of abuse. I had done years of therapy and read BFW and other stuff, done meditation etc. in hopes of preparing for NCB. In many ways the work I did was helpful, but in the end I still found the old ghosts resurfacing, esp. SHAME. I was overwhelmed by the pain and overwhelmed emotionally, and I felt so much SHAME to admit that I needed help, felt like I couldn't handle it, etc.

I guess I'm just trying to say that I wonder what that would look like - adequately "preparing" or working through issues after an abuse history so that things during birth are okay. [Feel free to jump in here with comments anyone!
] I'm reading Penny Simkin's Survivors book right now (should've finished it by now - eeps! So close to having baby #2) and although much resonates and makes good sense, I really feel like I've done much of what she suggests for coping....and it still wasn't enough last time.
Oh well. I'm reading the part on triggers next which is what my doula wanted to discuss shortly so maybe that'll bring some add'l insight.

Sorry for the ramble.......just some thoughts that were triggered........

ETA: beautiful family USAmma!
 
#124 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by newmama8824 View Post
Well, I take pain medication during my period because it hurts and it's not necessary to lay on the floor in the fetal position crying (I have extremely horrible menstrual cramps) but I don't want an epidural. It's not good for me, and it's not good for baby. Menstrual cramps aren't pain with a purpose... know what I mean?? I have no reason to sit through the pain of period cramps, I do have a reason to not get an epidural.
Exactly...I have endometriosis, which has caused cramps bad enough before that I was packing up to go to the ER. I would never accept drugs during labor, but I do occasionally have to take Tylenol or Midol for the pain during my period. Maybe just because it seems like it will never end, where as with labor, I know that eventually, it will.
 
#125 ·
Here is my thing...there are a variety of reasons to get an epidural and I'm all for choice. *But* a lot of the answers I hear about why people "sign up" for an epidural revolve around the pain. I am not going to suggest that anyone should endure a lot of pain if they don't want to but that thought hinges on the assumption that not getting the epidural means you are going to be in a lot of pain. I've had two labors so far and the one where I got the epidural was painful and the one where I did not get the epidural was *not* painful.

Like I mentioned, I had an epidural that did not work to its full potential the first time around and I went into my second birth thinking I'd try the epidural again if I felt I couldn't handle the pain. I did a lot of things differently with my second and the whole labor and delivery ended up being relatively pain free.

I can understand that some would rather put their money on the epidural and not risk being in pain before they can get an epidural but I do think it is something to think about. I think many women can experience less pain without the epidural.
 
#127 ·
I'm a bit late chiming in, my apologies, I have a new one at home.


With my first I had an epidural, if you are at all even remotely interested in one, they have you fill out forms, so they're not asking dopey questions during labour. With my second (nearly two weeks old now *G*) there wasn't an epidural. With my third, I WILL be having an epidural. lol

Seriously, it hurt like hell and the painful part was only 4 hours. By the time I got to the hospital I was already 5cms, and had been experiencing painful labour for about 30 minutes (non painful...well relatively for a good 6 hours or so). Anyhow, I was pretty much climbing the walls in pain and I don't plan a repeat performance. lol Amazingly I didn't swear once.

The difference in the babies. Not much, both were pretty alert and healthy, the first labour wasn't stalled, both had great latches, I had crummy milk supply issues both times. My two guys have been pretty similar in all cases, except the second was 9lbs and change! They even look alike, asides from one having long lashes and brown eyes and one having tiny lashes and blue eyes.

The main difference was me recovering a bit faster without the epidural, and my back not being as sore, but I think I'd rather take the extra day laying around in bed than even an hour of back labour and tearing again. The only thing I did like about my second labour was pushing. I felt the urge to push with my first, but not the progress of pushing him out. With the second, I think it was the only bit of relief I felt, but it was neat feeling the progress.
 
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