[gcgirl]

I have a question for those who know something about epidurals. I'm planning on not having one, but I want to be fully informed before I go into labor, so I'm asking now. Obviously I can ask my OB or doula, but I want others' opinions as well.

I've heard of the so-called "walking epidural," which is supposed to be a low, adjustable-dose epidural that allows you to still feel your lower body and even walk around if you want. It doesn't take away all the pain, just knocks a bit off the top.

My question is: does this really work? I really need to move around when I'm in pain, and I'm concerned that even a walking epidural would keep me bed-bound (because you'd still have to be hooked up to the medication, right?). I'd rather go through two hours of walking-around pain than 30 minutes of bed-bound pain, so I really need to know.

Does anyone have experience with/knowledge about this?

 

[AuntG]

I don't have experience with this particular kind but my first thought was:

why would you willingly have someone puncture your spine, accepting all the associated risks of the puncture, plus the effect of the narcotic on you and your baby, for something that is just going to knock a bit off the top?

Tapping into your spinal area and injecting an anaesthesia is inherently dangerous, and unless it is for surgical purposes, I urge you to say no.

**If you only need something to take the edge off, there are other less invasive and less dangerous methods. **

Having said that, no, epidurals do not require you to be hooked up to anything for the delivery of the medication. They do leave a port dangling out of your spine. However, it will require that you be hooked to other monitors, because epidural anaesthesia -- a drug -- causes changes in maternal and thus fetal blood pressures.

Think twice.

Explore other options.

 

[October16Mom]

I don't think my epidural was technically a walking one, but it was adjustable. I had the option of "bolusing" whenever I wanted. Since I had wanted a natural birth, but was having such horrendous back labor, I wanted to knock just enough of the pain off to get me by. I think I only got a bolus once or twice, and it had pretty much worn off by pushing time. I couldn't get up and walk around, but I could get into different positions on the bed. I spent part of pushing time on my hands and knees. I could still feel quite a bit of pain, but it was manageable. And I could still feel the urge to push, but I couldn't have gotten out of bed. It's weird, I hear everyone say that moving around helps the pain, but I was one of those rare people that hated moving during contractions. I tried the birth ball several times, and it was awful. I even hated the jets in the jacuzzi during a contraction, because it was too much movement. Everybody's different. Obviously, I would love to go epidural-free next time, but I'm really glad that I made the decision to try to get by with as low dose of the epidural as possible.

I should add, though, that the PP is right. You do have other options, and you should explore those as much as possible. I think it's great that you're having a doula. My dh was great, but I was confused when the things that worked for other people during labor didn't work at all for me. The only thing that I liked was breathing and sitting in the jacuzzi. After a while, though, even the water seemed to make things more painful. So, maybe a doula could've suggested non-typical things that would've helped. Of course, the back labor was from a posterior baby. So, the most important thing is to go into labor with a well-positioned baby. Keep repeating to yourself that you don't want an epidural.

 

[Belle]

You might want to find out in advance if its even available in the hospital where you're planning on giving birth. I was a doula for a mom who requested a "walking epidural" and the anesthesiologist very rudely said "we don't have those, I only have one kind of epidural"

 

[lyttlewon]

Many places try to leave you as much feeling as possible with the epidural so you can feel your natural urges to push etc. Most of the time even though you can feel your feet etc you are hooked up to other monitors. I don't see walking around to be more than maybe going to the bathroom. Right after they are administered they monitor your heart rate and the baby's heartrate to make sure there is no reaction to the epidural.

 

[PiePie]

no experience, but my birthing instructors (both the hospital one and the independent one) said it's a big crock because most women can't move their legs, so you do lose mobility.

 

[KsMum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuntG I don't have experience with this particular kind but my first thought was: why would you willingly have someone puncture your spine, accepting all the associated risks of the puncture, plus the effect of the narcotic on you and your baby, for something that is just going to knock a bit off the top?

Because I wanted one. So there.

I had something like a walking epidural, where it was adjustable, and I could still feel my legs, and could move them around, but could not really walk. It felt like if I had been sitting crossed legged too long. You know that "my legs asleep" feeling. So although I probably could walk, but I wasn't very steady. After the birth I was up walking about an hour or so after (didn't try earlier than that since I was nursing and just bonding with the baby)
But at the point that I got the epidural, I was very happy to just chill out in bed and rest for a bit. I had spent the last 18 hours or so bouncing, walking, kneading, and really just needed to chill.

I could still feel pain, but it absolutely helped to take the edge off. I'd get it again if I need it next birth.

 

[gcgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AuntG and thus fetal blood pressures. Think twice. Explore other options.

Maybe you didn't read my whole post. I already said I don't plan on an epidural. I am looking for INFORMATION, so I can make INFORMED CHOICES.

Thanks for your response. Good to know about the port. And just so you know, opiates make me sick, so none of those are in my birth plan either.

 

[Bird Girl]

I've had two epidurals, one with each labor. Both of them were at pro-natural hospitals, and both were light on the anesthesia. However, in neither case was I allowed to get off the bed, and in neither case could I have supported my own weight on my feet. I could move around, and I could feel the urge to push with each contraction. In my first labor, I pushed in a squatting position, but I needed my DH and the nurse to help me get my ankles up by my bum. I could then hold the grab bar, and adjust my position however I needed. In my second labor, I could get my feet into position by myself, but my midwife wanted the baby to labor down on his own, to avoid another perineum tear, and so I didn't push in the same way.

Both of my babies had APGARs of 9 and 9, and both came out calm, with a beautiful, interested look on their faces, not at all drugged. And I have wonderful memories of both of their births, not agonized memories of pains that I could no longer cope with.

I know that many moms here had beautiful births without pain relief, but I think it's important to realize that pain relief can be a valuable part of a beautiful birth experience, and not necessarily a step onto the escalator of interventions that lead to c-section. In neither of my labors did the epidural slow down my progression, and I had no aftereffects once the medication was turned off. Also, epidurals do not involve a puncture of the spine--the medication goes into the dural space, hence the name. One can receive a spinal block, but that's more for surgury or some kind of extreme pain management--not a part of pain relief in labor.

 

[georgia]

Please remember that here at MDC:

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

Water can be a tremendous pain reliever, if you're interested in learning more about pain relief options in the hospital

 

[AuntG]

The epidural area is part of the whole spinal canal.

The dura is what covers the spinal cord and all those nerve roots in the spine that branch out to the rest of the body. The epidural space -- epi meaning in close proximity to -- is what covers the dura. This is where the injection goes -- only micrometers away from your spinal cord.

I did read OP's entire post and I saw that you didn't actually want one, but were merely asking for information. But others read here too and if I can get only one person to think twice about blindly receiving an epidural, then I feel like I have contributed to the world in a positive way. Everyone has their platform.

There are certainly other methods that help one cope with the pain, that don't temporarily paralyze or compromise one's health or the health of the baby.
However, if you know all that, and you don't mind the risks or being in the situation where your hapless body must be manipulated for you, then as with anything, you have every right to do so.

 

[AuntG]

Sorry, Georgia, you posted while I was writing or else I would have left it

 

[AlexisT]

"walking" or "mobile" epidural is something of a misnomer. It is lower dose, and a different mix of drugs, than the full epidural (which is still used for CS births). You can feel enough to push, or should be. You can shift position to some degree. But even the consultant anaesthetist at my hospital (my OB asked if I was considering an epidural for my birth, I said I really didn't know, and she had a look at my back and said she wanted the anaesthetist to see me because she thought I might be "difficult". So I got quite a spiel on epidurals.) said that women can't get up, they can just shift around a bit rather than lying there dead. She also warned that each top up reduces feeling, so if you have your epidural too early on, you'll get multiple top ups and be pretty darned numb by the end.

All epidurals, regardless of the drug mix, can be topped up; that's the advantage of an epidural over a local block. (The disadvantage is that a spinal block is effective more quickly. The two may be used together in a technique called combined spinal-epidural for caesarean births.)

I had a CSE for my emergency CS, and based on that experience I would try to avoid an epidural for my next birth. Of course, if you've been in labour for some unholy amount of time and are so tired you can't think straight, that epidural may be necessary. And it's certainly better than a general for CS! But IMO, an epidural should not be the first port of call for pain relief. It can slow down labour, it may cause some BF problems, and you may get a dural tap which will give you a nasty, nasty headache.

Be aware that with an epidural you will require an IV line because of the risk of your BP dropping, and probably foetal monitoring (AIUI).

 

[gcgirl]

Thanks posters - you basically confirmed my suspicions - that a "walking" epidural should be in quotation marks for a reason.

Having intellectual curiosity is what led me to explore all my birthing options and decide on as natural a birth as I can manage. It's also what makes me want to be as prepared as possible for any eventuality - a daunting task. I don't see how "reminding" me of natural birth options changes the intent of my original question. Duh - that's why an epidural is not in my plans. I still want to know everything I can before the big day because if there's anything I've learned about life, it's to expect the unexpected.

 

[lilylove]

I had a 'walking epidural' when I was in labor with my first. I had not really thought it through so just kind of went along after it had been suggested a few times. I really didn't think about what comes with the epidural. Even with a walking one most hospitals will insist on starting an IV and constant fetal monitoring. And there was of course no actual 'walking" I could kneel with support after they had turned it down. It was not what I had wanted or expected. I highly recommend reading Henci Gower's book "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth". I read it when I was expecting my second baby, and I really wished I had read it before I gave birth to my first.

 

[gcgirl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lilylove I highly recommend reading Henci Gower's book "The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth". I read it when I was expecting my second baby, and I really wished I had read it before I gave birth to my first.

Thanks for the tip. I've read it, and the Dr. Sears book, and Active Birthing by Janet Balaskas. I'm hardly uninformed. I would recommend all those books also.

 

[lilylove]

That's great

 

[Bird Girl]

I'm sorry, but was the quote directed at me in order to keep me from posting about my epidural experience? I would never describe my first birth as natural, but my second definitely was--with a midwife and everything, and I chose to include an epidural as part of that experience. Does the definition of natural include only homebirths? Only births with no medication (ie--any pitocen and you're out of the club?) I had no idea the rules for natural childbirth and informed consent were so strict. Hmm. No wonder there's an "epidemic of epidurals."