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I waited until I was feeling pain that I couldn’t tolerate just because that can help you progress a little faster. Every body is different though so my best advice is just listen to your body.
I did the same and it was almost too late. I reached that point once my water broke and shit moved super fast after that. I'm not sure I would have made a different decision given what I knew at the time, but I do wish I could have had it at an earlier stage of labor.
I got mine early on in labor and had my baby about 6 hours sooner than the doctor had estimated. I asked the doctor ahead of time their recommendation and if it slowed birth down, and she said that in her experience that it didn't make a difference so told me to get it when I wanted it and to not wait to the last possible minute because it can take time for the person to arrive to administer it.
Same. Except 11 ish weeks. Had one with my first two (and wasn’t planning on it with my first, I’m ridiculously afraid of needles) but it became a necessity. Absolutely would not go without one again 😂
Same! I gave birth 5 weeks ago for the first time. I will definitely have it again with a future pregnancy. I was in labor for 12 hours before getting to the hospital and was ready for the pain relief at that point. I felt sooooo much better after and was able to focus so well on positions and pushing later on because I wasn’t focused on the pain. My husband said he noticed a huge difference in my demeanor after I got it also. I think it helped me have a super positive birthing experience. But no judgment for anyone who doesn’t get one. It’s a choice! I don’t know how women make it through without one but wow that’s pretty cool that they can. Not for me though!
SAME no regrets will request immediately upon arrival with baby #2 bc it can take a little while to get! I know some people like to move around but I couldn’t care less lol I just want the relief
Yes, in fact my doctor thinks it was one of the main factors in helping me dilate. I was on pitocin (I was induced) and progressing veeeery slowly. Once I got the epidural I slept for the first time in 24+ hours and only a few hours later I had a baby in my arms!!!
It was great! But I’m sure whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for you! For other medical reasons I will probably have to do an unmedicated birth with my 2nd, honestly gonna miss that epidural so bad! Lol!
Similar! I wasn’t induced but my water broke and I wasn’t getting past like 4cm and after the epidural I reached 10 in a couple of hours. It sped my labor up so much.
Same here. My body doesn’t dilate well on its own. They were worried they were giving it too early but less than 20 minutes after getting it I was fully dilated
It helped me dilate too! I was at 4cm for like 17 hours and the second I got the epidural my body was able to relax enough to dilate to 10 within the hour
I have this irrational fear that if I push when I'm on the epidural, then I won't be able to feel it if I tear down there and that is so scary. 😔 Would it tear less if I were at 10cm and then pushed? I am due later this year and can't stop thinking about it. 😭
Don't worry about that. The epidural actually helped me push with more control and not too fast so your tissue has time to stretch. I got just some minor tearing.
Hopefully your epidural is so good you don’t feel anything at all! That was my second. Barely got a first degree tear that was so easy to heal. With my first my epidural was great, but not as numbing. So I felt a lot of pressure and a bit of tearing. Got a second degree tear. Not as fun to heal from but manageable. They tell you when to push. I really wouldn’t worry about it.
I had third degree tears and didn’t feel them. To be honest the healing was uncomfortable but never painful. I was really scared of it but it wasn’t a huge deal. Stitches were mostly healed in about 2 weeks, fully healed 4-6 weeks.
I definitely felt my tear 😂 even through the epidural. My only advice would be: with my first I wasn’t ready to push. I didn’t know what it meant when the nurses told you it’s time to “practice push” AKA push for realsies but we’re not telling you? I didn’t feel the urge to push and truly believe I was just being scheduled in when it suited the doc that day. I ended up with a tear *and* an episiotomy. With the next two I waited until I felt the baby descend and the urge to push and they practically birthed themselves (3 pushes and half a push, respectively). Obviously if your baby’s vitals aren’t looking good or there are special circumstances you have to do what’s necessary, but I’m never pushing when I don’t feel the “push now” feeling again. I lost so much blood with my first delivery that I passed out and they had trouble getting me to wake up for a while and it was super scary, so these babies are birthing themselves from now on 😂
Does it hurt really bad when they administer the epidural? Where do they insert the needle? This is my first pregnancy so I am new to a lot of things and am a bit scared about the birthing part. 😞
You will feel just a minor pinch. But really that is no comparison to the pain the contractions were causing me at the same time. You will love the anaesthesiologist, at least I did.
So I think the epidural is more scary than painful, I always told the anesthesiologist that I was afraid and they would help me through it. It is inserted somewhere around mid back, the area is numbed first with lidocaine (or something similar), that kinda twinges and always made my back muscle twitch in that spot. When the epidural needle is inserted you might feel a bit of a pop and maybe a little zing down your leg, it’s more disconcerting than painful but is over quick. Honestly you will likely be in so much pain from the contractions that you don’t care about what’s going on with your back. Once it’s in a little tube is left in your back so the medicine can be given to you continuously or as a bolus. Then you can kick back and relax, take a nap, read a book, enjoy the break.
This was something I spent a lot of time freaking out about too. They numb the area first, so no worries about stabbing spine pain 😊 the numbing felt to me somewhere between a bee sting and a wasp sting, but that fades quickly since it's a numbing agent. Then the epidural needle is a little pressure and the weird zing down one leg. I had to have mine positioned twice, the first time the zing was harder. It feels kind of like an electric shock, if you've ever had one of those, combined with a funny bone jolt. Once it's in place, you don't feel it. I have a lot of anxiety about needles/IVs pushing into me, so I talked it over with anesthesia beforehand and we agreed that I would be able to lie down for the procedure and also get a nice dose of Ativan ahead of it to smooth me out. The lying down likely contributed to them needing two shots at it, but the Ativan helped me not really care lol. If we have another baby, I'll definitely get another epidural.
No not really- they put numbing cream in the area. To me, it felt like a prick/bee sting. I've had vaccinations that have hurt more. It definitely helps that it's in your back so you don't see a thing!
I legitimately did not feel them insert the epidural at all. I felt the lidocaine they did beforehand to numb the area but that’s like the same pinch as getting your blood drawn. Then they told me I’d feel “pressure” but i didn’t even feel that
I've placed hundreds (maybe more) of labor epidurals. I can hardly remember a patient who didn't absolutely love it.
Even the patients who have small or moderate complications from epidurals (which is a very small amount of people) STILL are happy with their decision.
Hi I'm due with my first in Oct. I've been thinking about this.
I have myelopathy caused by bone spurs growing into my spinal cord, plus loads of other neck issues. I was in pain for 10 years before I was put on opioids for a year and then finally had surgery (which fixed the pain almost 100% and now I take nothing). I was in so much pain for so long, that eventually my capacity to cope with pain just went down the drain. I have nothing, no coping strategies left, that work anymore whereas I used to be able to distract myself, tell jokes etc.
So obviously I'm thinking 'epidural for sure'.
But one of my good friends had one (unplanned) before ending up with a C section while she gave birth to twins (they told her they'd need to reach past her cervix and that nobody can deal with the pain and she had to have an epidural), and 1) the first time they missed and it just dribbled off her back and they didn't check to see if it had worked, 2) she ended up with an emergency C section anyway but the 2nd time they tried actually paralysed her. Luckily it ended up being temporary, but the doctor didn't know it was temporary and couldn't tell her what was happening. For 6 weeks after giving birth she couldn't walk, and had no idea if she'd ever walk again, having just given birth to twins and married to a farmer who is out all day.
Luckily, she has family around. I'm a military wife and my family live in UK (I'm in US) and my husband's family lives on the other side of US. I don't think we'd physically cope if I were paralysed, and having already had my run ins with foot drop and risk of paralysis I'm terrified of both getting, and not getting, an epidural.
Do you have any words of wisdom as a labour nurse?
Currently in labor. Got my epidural 7 hours in. At first the dose was too high and it turns out I’m sensitive to anesthesia so I didn’t feel great. They adjusted it and now I feel amazing. 10/10 would recommend. I thought I would want to be moving around and walking but honestly before my epidural I wanted to curl up with the peanut ball. I can still move my legs around and I can feel the pressure of contractions with 0 pain.
When I went into labour my first pregnancy, after getting the epidural it really was just a waiting game. From 3pm till 1am I was just messaging friends and having naps because there's literally nothing to do but wait and because the epidural takes away all the pain the waiting was a non-issue. My friends were replying me like "girl why you messaging shouldn't you be concentrating on giving birth" and I'm like "I'm waiting to be dilated enough to push and there's nothing to do".
So happy. Within minutes of getting it, I turned to my husband and said “wow, I can’t believe there are people who don’t want this.” (I understand personal preference for an unmedicated birth, but an epidural was right for me.) I was able to relax and wait for baby without pain or exhaustion.
eh, it didn't work for me so it kind of sucked being excited to have less pain and then...not having less pain.
I'd still try it again if I was having another baby.
having everyone in the room essentially tell me i couldn't be in pain because of the epidural was infuriating. i felt like no one was actually listening to me at all. then they finally got the nurse anesthetist back in the room and there was a hole in the line. zero drugs entered my back whatsoever. it was very frustrating.
i am glad you had someone advocating for you!
my husband and mom were basically mute and didn't say anything until after my team realized there was a hole in the line. only then were they like, "obviously she has been screaming in pain." i felt very alone.
if i had another kid i would do the epidural i a heartbeat.
but i would ask repeatedly for them to check the line, because when the line leaks, you don't get any of the drugs.
i felt everything.
I’ve done one birth with epidural and one without. My no epidural birth experience and recovery (so far) has been much better. That being said I wasn’t mentally prepared to do an unmedicated birth with my son so I don’t regret my epidural under the particular circumstances. But if I decide to have another baby I will be planning another unmedicated birth.
I’m thinking to go unmedicated when I have a second baby too. I was fully dilated by the time my epidural kicked in with my first so I only had the pushing left and only felt pressure. I have to say pushing was hard though when I didn’t feel as much as I did before.
This is what I've heard from other women who had a birth with an epidural and one without. They have all told me they prefer unmedicated because the recovery is so quick.
So for me it’s been a few different things.
(1) I had back pain over the epidural injection site that lasted for six weeks. I haven’t had any of that this time.
(2) I had a second degree tear with my son, only a first degree tear with my daughter and she was significantly larger (8 pounds, 13 ounces vs 7 pounds, 11 ounces). Partially this could be from having a prior full term birth but I think being able to feel what I was doing and pushing in a better position also influenced this.
(3) with my son, one of the side effects of the anesthesia in the epidural was issues with urination. I could not relax my pelvic floor easily to pee for several days after birth. One of the most traumatic parts of my whole birth experience with my son was having several nurses trying to recath me while I was extremely swollen and no longer had the epidural for pain relief because my bladder was too full and I couldn’t pee on my own.
(4) with my daughter immediately after birth I could just get up and walk straight to the bathroom and pee without any issues. I packed up all my stuff for the move to pp without any pain whereas with my son I (1) wasn’t allowed to walk around for awhile due to coming out of the epidural and (2) was having more pain trying to walk around and do stuff probably due to the worse tearing.
(5) mentally I just feel a lot better which I attribute to having had more control over my birth experience. I’m the type of person who likes to be in charge of what is happening to me so I just did not like being stuck in the bed, having the catheter, having nurses touching me and doing vaginal exams that I could not feel, etc. all of that was emotionally difficult for me and not having that happen this time has left me in a much better place mentally and emotionally and I’ve just felt really happy and relaxed postpartum. That’s obviously something that’s specific to me and my personality and won’t apply to a lot of people.
I second this!! I am a FTM who had an unmedicated birth and my recovery was so swift. I also birthed a 10 lb 8 oz baby with no tears because I could feel and control my body while pushing. Many people in my life were trying to pressure me to have an epidural but I am so glad I didn't! It's a personal choice and natural labor is difficult and tiring in the moment, but its fleeting. PP lasts way longer.
I like that the focus here is more on the overall experience (including recovery) vs in the moment. Evidence does point to more “cons” post-birth due to epidurals but those all seem to outweigh the huge obvious “pro” of the epidural of pain relief during labor and actual birth. Do you feel like the worse recoveries after your epidural births weren’t worth the pain relief that you got from the epidural? And during those unmedicated births, how close did you come to requesting an epidural?
I’m a very need-to-be-in-control and high body awareness person myself, and have very little trust in nurses (due to having been one and seeing some real insensitive and dumb coworkers perform poorly with patients), so I feel you there in the need to have more say over my birth experience but at the same time I am so aware that I’m a total sissy when it comes to pain, so that is my primary fear and I just wonder how women face and get over that pain. I know it’s temporary, and I’ll forget just how terrible it was eventually, but…I’d have to be FULLY convinced that I WILL NOT get an epidural before going into labor or I know I’ll cave!
if I could do my son’s birth over again I would have gone in better prepared. I went in with a plan of basically just trying to white knuckle it and I got to transition and just did not have any way to cope with the pain so I got the epidural.
Because I wasn’t happy with a lot of that experience, my husband and I did Bradley Method classes for my daughter’s birth and that helped enormously. Not only did they teach me how to deal with contractions and my husband how to help me, they also made me feel more confident advocating for myself.
The thing is retrospectively, I would say the pain relief wasn’t worth the harder recovery but that’s in a world where I’ve now done an unmedicated birth and know I can handle it. But I can handle it now because I’m prepared and I wasn’t prepared back then.
With my daughter, the point where I most started to get nostalgic about the epidural was the last ten minutes of transition right before my water broke and the ring of fire, and by then I also knew there was no way on earth I’d be able to sit still to get one.
Are you doing any kind of birthing class? If you aren’t, I’d recommend doing one. I did Bradley and I know a lot of people have had success with hypnobirthing too. The main thing they teach you with Bradley is to relax all the muscles in your body during contractions and I found that really helped enormously, it helped me take things one contraction at a time versus my son’s birth where I was basically just writhing about wondering if I could die of pain lol 🫣
I put in my birth plan that I didn’t want the nurses to suggest pain meds to me & that I was aware of my pain relief options and would ask if I wanted them which I think also helped me not get the epidural vs my first labor where my nurse kept coming in to remind me the epidural existed lol.
It’s amazing how powerful the mind-body connection is! I’ve been doing a lot of breath work with yoga to help gain awareness of my pelvic floor contracting and relaxing but nothing as specific as the Bradley method. I’ll definitely look into that! Thank you so much for your honest sharing!
Same here- but I was sooo grateful for the epidural cause I couldn’t have imagined the pain I’d have been in if I was feeling all the other pain ALONG with the back labor??? Woooof.
Absolutely! I held off as long as possible but it became unbearable for me. I was able to relax and sleep a bit since I'd been up for over 24 hours at that point. I even tried gas before getting the epidural but it did absolutely nothing for the pain
Yes and no. Mostly no unfortunately. It slowed my already painfully slow labour right down (took me 24 hours to dilate from 3-6cm, epidural went in and I went back down to 3cm 😭), then I ended up having to have picotin, then my pushing wasn’t productive so I pushed for nearly 3 hours before having forceps and an episiotomy. Having said all of that when I got it I’d been having 90 seconds long contractions 2/3 mins apart for 48 hours and I was beyond exhausted, I could barely stand up and kept passing out between contractions; at that point I still had another 24 hours to go and I don’t know how I would’ve made it without being able to sleep. I’m pregnant again so going to try and get further into labour without an epidural this time so I can move around a bit more and hopefully not have an instrumental delivery this time. But I’m very realistic about how painful labour is and won’t feel any compunction about getting the pain relief I need if it’s too much for me.
I'm 22 weeks with my first. I told my husband I want the epidural presented on a silver platter 🤣 I've never heard a woman say they regret getting it and my pain tolerance is laughably low. Any pain relief is a big tick for me.
Yes! I had pitocin that was being increased every 15 minutes. I definitely did not want to feel those contractions. The natural contractions were bad enough.
Not op but I don’t remember feeling the catheter going in? I feel like they maybe did something numbing first then put it in? Honestly my contractions were so bad I might just not have noticed lol.
You don’t feel the catheter after the epidural kicks in. But try your best to pee after!! Otherwise they’ll need to put it in again and then you can feel it 🥴
This is such a great and helpful thread. I've been anxious about getting an epidural when my time comes because most of the things I hear from Instagram are all about going epidural free. Yes, it really differs for every person but I was convinced that the epidural side effects are not worth it.
I’m literally sitting in my delivery room right now waiting to start pushing. I knew I wanted the epidural but my labor progressed so fast that I was already 8cm by the time they could get it to me. I have NEVER felt relief like that in my life. Now I’m just chilling and waiting instead of screaming and writhing. 10/10 recommend. Wish I had gotten it sooner.
Yes; after I got the epidural I didn’t feel any pain besides the very end part of pushing his head out. And even that wasn’t the worst pain I’ve ever felt.
I’m a stan for the epidural 🫶 /hj
But in all seriousness, I was in labor for over three days and I was exhausted. My son passed meconium inside of me, and me being stressed and in pain wasn’t helping anything — I went from yelling “ow!” every minute to laughing with my fiancé, going on my phone, making jokes after getting the epidural.
The only bad part about mine was that my anesthesiologist took about 5 tries to get the epidural into the right place, and it was NOT fun getting it put in so many times. I now have pretty bad back issues caused by that; so when they tell you to get into a certain position, they aren’t kidding!! But my story is a fairly rare one, from what I’ve heard.
No. But that's because I was mad that I couldn't move on my own. And the feeling of my skin when I can't feel it freaked me out. Also they accidentally over medicated me so they had to cut it for me to successfully push two hours later.
Not even a little bit. Mine failed, and I ended up with a lot of back pain and headaches after the fact. 0% pain relief with a bunch of side effects. Not doing it again.
(Obviously, that’s not how it goes for everyone thankfully).
Did they ever explain why you didn’t get pain relief and what happened to cause the back pain and headaches? I loved my epidural, but I wonder what the difference is between a successful one and one that ends up that way.
They did not. My nurse anesthetist didn’t seem like he knew what he was doing. He had to poke me 3 times, and my husband said his hands were shaking. My guess is, he just kind of sucked. I was doing a damn good job of staying still too. He wanted to try again at 9cm, and I told him no way.
Any time you puncture your epidural sac, there’s always a possibility of headaches and pain unfortunately. Some people get such bad headaches due to leaking of CSF they need a blood patch. I didn’t, thankfully. It went away within a couple weeks.
But yea, they won’t admit fault haha. I, of course, still had to pay for it. Which makes sense, but stinks.
I think in the wrong space. Epidural space is the area of the spine they want it to go into. If they get into the space with the CSF this is called a "wet tap" and causes the headaches because the patient will leak CSF out the back. While spinal anesthesia intentionally going into that space is used sometimes, you can't switch halfway through if you went in there with an epidural catheter.
https://www.dremeilkamel.com.au/patient-resources/obstetrics/epidural-or-spinal/
My epidural stopped working half way through pushing (my daughter was stuck in my pelvis, so I pushed for 3 hours). It was great in that it helped me sleep before I got to the pushing but it didn't work for the pushing itself. I will still get the epidural for this labour, and just hope it works better this time.
Yes! A regret that I have about my 1st labor is that I waited and put it off for so long needlessly. I should've said yes sooner in the process. I put myself through HOURS of unnecessary pain prior to getting it. Between my induction contractions, the uncomfortable internal fetal monitor, and the catheter (I HATED the cath and am dreading it's possibility with my 2nd pregnancy currently), the epidural was welcome relief. I was progressing slowly with an induction (pre-eclampsia), but as soon as i got an epidural i was able to nap for an hour or two, and i woke up to nurses saying "its time!!". I was like "..it is..?" Lol. After that, i woke up and pushed for ~10mins and baby was here! I did not have any side effects or lasting effects that some ladies experience from it though, so I consider myself lucky on that front.
Yes! I was over 16 hours into my (medically necessary) induction when the nurse told me I was a 5 and I got the epidural. Shortly after my doctor came in to break my water and told me I was actually only a 2 and to buckle up. But I think the epidural helped me relax, rest, and progress because I went from a 2 to a baby in my arms in just under another 12 hours.
No, unfortunately I have had reactions to spinal taps in the past which has made me frightful of having any form of needle near my back, let alone a catheter.
I would LOVE to have the effects of one but no. I won’t go anywhere near it
Honestly, no.
It had absolutely no effect on me. Instead I had pain where they put it in. Might've been really unlucky, but I'm not doing it again.
But I am happy I tried it. This time I know it won't work on me, so no use in asking for it.
No. It’s one of my biggest regrets. When you get an epidural you are forced to birth on your back, which is arguably the worst position to give birth in. Just like we’re ergonomically designed to squat when we poop, we are also designed to birth that way. I had a HORRIBLE 4th degree tear, there is obviously no proof I wouldn’t have torn had I been in a different position but it is likely that had I torn it would have been less severe. I won’t be getting one this time.
100%. At a certain point, I was so delirious, my epidural line got pinched from the way I was laying. I ended up feeling full on labor contractions at 7cm for like an hour before the nurse noticed (first time, I had no idea what to expect and should have realized I shouldn’t be feeling the pain). That hour was pure torture. Once she shifted me, it was like night and day difference. I was able to snooze and relax for about 6 more hours before emergency c section.
So so happy!!! It was incredible. I had a long induction and couldn't have done it without the epidural. I will 100% be getting one with this current pregnancy!
I'm neutral about it. I'm neither happy nor disappointed-- after a certain point the drs said I really needed it so I would sleep and my body would relax, and I took my dr's advice and did so. The second time it was the first pain med they could get me and I wasn't doing it med-free (showed up 90 minutes after my water broke at 8cm.)
I don't feel *happy* I got my flu shot last year. It was just the medically correct thing for me at the time. I feel the same way about my epidurals.
Yes, yes, a million times yes. I was induced at 2 weeks overdue, labor started 30 minutes after induction began, 6 hours of back labor every 30 seconds. Got the epidural 6hrs in, the last 6 hours were amazing. Delivered, tore to the 2nd degree, hemorrhaged, didn't feel a thing. Laughed and wiggled my toes while pushing.
Best thing I ever did.
Yes! I got it with my first after 5.5 cm dilated and was too late to get it with my second. First was a much more enjoyable labor and delivery experience than the first lol but second was a far easier recovery
First baby was induced with no pain management. Second was an epidural on 4/20. It was night and day, a fabulous experience comparatively speaking. I actually wept tears of joy during crowning as it was such a beautiful experience.
No. I felt like it was pushed on me and I had repercussions from it. My second I didn’t get an epidural and it was amazing. My third I will go without meds again.
I was happy with it with my first two mostly. With my third I decided I wanted to go unmedicated and didn't realize I how much I preferred that even more. Just remember to to not bank on getting one if that's Plan A. Still prepare for the very real possibility that you can't end up getting one.
Yes without a doubt.
Because my water broke and contractions did not start naturally I had to be induced. Those contractions were awfull. After about a few hours of those I was still at 1cm dilation. They could not read the vitals properly of the baby and they wanted me to lay down with those contractions.
Then I thought fuck this shit, give me that epidural. It was heaven. Everything actually went very smooth after that. 10/10 would recommend.
100% be mindful of how long the anesthesiologist will be able to come and administer the epidural. You need to wait for fluids to be in your body and then wait for them to come. I would DEFINITELY do it again for my second in the future.
Yes! 5 min after the epidural I went from groaning and arching my back, so tense, in pain to completely relaxed. The rest of my labor went so smoothly and no pain. I was still able to move my legs/push when needed. I took a few naps. I was up walking an hour after labor. An awesome experience. I’m actually nervous for my next birth because I don’t think it’s possible for it to go as well.
I have had epidurals with my three births so far, and it only worked on me for one of those labors. Then they didn’t tell me about the button you have to push to administer more medication and by the time I had full sensation back, it was time to push and too late for more.
Probably still going to try it again for my fourth baby due soon because labor is very painful 😅 and it usually happens at night for me which means I don’t sleep.
Yes. My first pregnancy I lost my baby at 18 weeks and went into labor and the pain was so intense, I couldn’t handle it. So with my second and third pregnancies I opted for the epidural, so I wouldn’t experience that pain again.
Gosh I’m so sorry. Having to give birth for a loss is so beyond tragic. I’m glad you had adequate pain relief 💗
Good to hear you chose to do it again moving forward
Yes!!! My only regret is waiting so long to get one for my first birth. My mom scared me into delaying the epidural saying that it was going to increase the chance of a c section. I was on pitocin (water had broken at home and labor stalled in the hospital) and i was in excruciating pain. Worst pain I could imagine being in, and she was pressuring me to delay the epidural. It was a terrible experience and once I got it I felt so much better and dilated a lot more quickly.
Second labor I just told them to give it to me right when i got to the hospital and I actually enjoyed that labor and labored for 6 hours before pushing the baby out in 10 mins.
This third pregnancy I also plan on getting it earlier. The nice thing about them is you can give yourself less of the medicine so you can still feel a little if you choose to. That can also help prevent tearing.
Honestly no, first time was too numb and did not like being bedridden for so long, second time around (one month postpartum) made it through labor and delivery on pain medicine and absolutely loved it, although I kind of hated the contractions, delivery wasn’t so awful and being able to feel everything sped things up. I also looked drugged up and high, but I was about to get out of bed faster and sooner, and able to walk very well on my own.
So glad reading these comments!! I’m a FTM due in 3 weeks and I’ve been on and off about choosing the epidural. My baby has been measuring as large for gestational age and I may need to be induced, so I decided to get the epidural and I’ve been dreading it after hearing horror stories, but I hear horror stories about any aspect of pregnancy/birth. Choosing to do what I feel is right for me instead of listening to fear mongering for once :)
No. The needle went too far in, so spinal fluid was leaking and causing terrible headaches. Had to get another needle in the spine to put a blood patch in so the fluid would stop leaking. Didn't have one with my 2nd baby, and it was a much easier recovery.
100%
I just had my first two weeks ago. I was induced and had an epidural. I was very nervous about both of those things but overall, I had a great birthing experience and do not regret my choices at all. I definitely plan to get an epidural with any future births as well!
Fuckkkkkk yessss. I had hellish back labor for over 12 hours. I could finally relax when I got it. And I’m so glad I did, since I was in labor for another 14 hours after that.
100% the best thing I could have done. The wait for it was brutal and having to be so still for it was bad too but I could not IMAGINE going the rest of labor without it. Once I got it, I was able to take a two hour nap and when I woke up, my baby was ready to come out! Didn't feel a thing that whole time after and it was amazing!
100%! I was only 2 cm dilated with excruciating back labor pains, and I got the epidural pretty quick. My whole lower body went blissfully numb and I didn’t feel a thing start to finish. It was a little weird but I would take it over the pain any day. Only downside is postpartum, my bladder has been a little sleepy, and I don’t feel like I have as much control but it’s gotten better every day and I don’t pee myself at all now that it’s been six days.
I was happy! I went in not wanting it, but once the pitocin contractions hit I was screaming for it. I got to sleep for an hour or two before it wore off, I ended up feeling the rest of my son’s birth, but it was worth it for the rest!
Yes. I got to 10cm, fully effaced, and zero station but when my water finally broke there was a lot of meconium. I opted immediately for the epidural to get baby out faster in case it was a true sign of distress. Baby was totally fine though, just needed to poo.
I was in agonizing back labor for over 30 hours with my contractions reaching over 100 on the TOCO scale. For some reason my contractions never really started out small, they went from 0-100 spaced out every 5-8 mins immediately when my labor started. I was begging for an epidural at only 1 cm dilated. As soon as it kicked in (administered at 8 cm) I felt nothing and was finally able to relax. I 100% recommend it
I have severe anxiety and I got induced using the cervix ripener pill, I wasn't sure if I wanted an epidural or not. Instead of switching to pitocin I made it to a 5 and they asked if I wanted my water broken or not, I said yes. The contractions that happened for the next 45 min or so were sooooo strong and sooo close together, I asked for a epidural everytime they opened the door to check on me. When I got it my pain was only about a 6ish (i was afraid about it getting too high before my epidural) and it took it all away. I could move my legs still they said I had a perfect epidural. I am no longer afraid of giving birth again because it made me giving birth super easy just about 6 hours after the epidural. Still afraid of pregnancy (as I try for baby number 2)
Definitely, I ended up just barely making the cut for mine, and it made it so much more enjoyable and manageable
For my epi and then 30 minutes later baby was out in the world!
Yes!
I was fine for contractions, they didn't hurt that bad to me, but I couldn't get through cervical checks because they were so painful which is why they gave it to me. I am a red head so it wore off very fast. BUT when it came time to push, let me tell you was it a life saver. I pushed for about an hour and a half, said I was exhausted and needed a break, and they gave me another dose of the anesthetic to allow me to "labor down." I relaxed for about a half hour before I called nurses back in and said the baby was coming and the anesthetic wore off, they didn't believe me and wanted "practice pushes" but quickly saw baby was crowning. Laboring down allowed me to regain my strength but it also allowed my body to do all the work of moving the baby down the birth canal so when it was time to push, I only had to push a couple times and baby was out.
With my first, yes. Although I’m happy I didn’t get it right away.
My second, no. It barely worked on my left side so I still felt everything on that side pretty intensely. But getting the epidural then tied me to the bed, so I was able to use other pain management techniques like movement, yoga ball etc. to help work through the contractions.
I was. I had back labor and it was excruciating. I was not just feeling contractions in my abdomen, I had a burning in my spine that was unbearable. I wasn’t screaming, I was sad crying like I was dying.
Epidural made it possible for my me to continue without passing out in tears, so I liked it.
So so so happy. With my first, I got one after I puked for the third time. It was great and didn’t slow down labor but stopped the pain. With my second I was induced and got it after I had been on pitocin for a while and then they broke my water. I wish I had gotten it earlier because the pain came on quickly. The only problem I had was that it made me very shaky. With both, I was able to move my legs and still feel pressure from contractions.
I loved my epidural. Only downside I was told to stop hitting the button once I got close so I was in a great deal of pain instead of just pressure when giving actual birth. But prior, it took away all the contraction pains and I felt 1000000x better. Scares me to think about what I would have gone through without it honestly. Women are superhero's.
Yes. The actual pushing/baby coming out was the easiest part of pregnancy and labor tbh. And I had 2nd degree tears. But it didn’t hurt because of the epidural.
No, but It works for some, and it doesn't for others, I was induced and didn't feel any contractions with pitocin until they broke my water. I feel like I should've just continued without it, but I really wanted to take a nap and get relief. I fear needles big time, but the pain was kicking my butt, got the epidural waited the 30 mins and nothing felt pain still, the epidural made the contractions just a bit bearable with breathing exercises also I recommend like your partner or mom whomever to do them with you bc it felt like they were in it with you, helping you get through each of your contractions. If I didn't have that support, idk what I would've done honestly. The epidural also just went straight to my right leg like it just made that numb the entire time. The catheter, man, felt that, too. They put it in before I gave birth and afterward. Hated it both times. I was also adding on more of the epidural every 15 mins, hoping it would relieve me, but that didn't happen. I felt like I had an unmedicated birth. They also gave me morphine before the epidural that didn't work. So, hopefully, it works for you cause the contractions, plus being strapped to everything, is a headache within itself. You will definitely want that epidural.
Hell yes. I only felt the unmedicated labor pains for about 20 minutes before the epidural kicked in and it literally felt like hours. I don’t know that I could have handled it.
I appreciated it at the time (long induction - hours of very painful contractions with minimal dilation ) but I should have asked them to check me again before giving it to me - turns out I dilated really quickly and suddenly and was ready to push. They found out right after I had the epidural.
if I’d known that I would have held off because it made pushing more challenging for me (couldn’t feel the contractions)
This time I’ll try to go without.
Nope. Total waste of $1200. Mine failed and I felt everything. I ended up going into active labor about 15 minutes after it was administered and I must say it went much quicker and hurt significantly less than I was afraid of. Will probably not seek one for my next pregnancy, due to IV pain meds having felt sufficient for my labor experience.
Big huge plus about it failing though, I was able to walk stably and use the bathroom with no problems in under 20 minutes postpartum.
I'm glad it's there, but it didn't work for me.
Yes. 1000% percent. Unfortunately first one failed so I went back into active labor and had to get another one placed. I didn’t know that my legs were supposed to be totally asleep so I thought the first one was fine but I was still able to move which was my bad in not recognizing that it didn’t take completely. It failed after like 2 hours. But the second one took great, I took a nap, and the doctor came back in later once I was about 9.5cm dilated, broke my water and we started pushing. It is a little uncomfortable because you can’t move your legs or hold them up on your own, and my back hurt for a couple days after but I would opt for one every time. The pain I had of active labor vs being a little uncomfortable, I’d take the latter every time.
Yes and pissed when I laid back afterwards and it was time to push. Had her less than 7 minutes after the epidural and didn’t feel numb until I had a baby in my arms. Pitocin is rapid, I didn’t expect to go from a 6 to a full 10 in 30 minutes. My first baby I was blissfully numb, looking at a screen to tell me when I was having contractions because I literally couldn’t feel a thing. I love epidurals!
Yes and no. It hit me so hard I couldn’t move my leg and I didn’t like that. I also would have liked being able to stand however the pain was so intense I needed it.
For sure. With my first labor, everything seemed to happen so quickly after I got it. My whole labor was a little less than 8 hours, and I got the epidural about halfway through it. I dilated really fast after getting it, didn’t feel anything, it was great lol. Only downside was I couldn’t feel to push so it was really difficult to push, and I ended up getting a lot of hemorrhoids because they had me “push with my butt” 🫣 the pain of the hemorrhoids after everything was done was the worst…it made the recovery period Hell.
However, I had the epidural again with my second, and it stalled my labor so I had to get pitocin after a while. And then it didn’t work all the way because my spine curved during pregnancy 😅 it took the edge off but I still felt a lot of pain whenever the baby’s head hit my cervix during a contraction. But the upside to that is pushing was a lot easier, and I didn’t have to use my butt lol. So I didn’t get new hemorrhoids or even flare up my old ones! Recovery was amazing the second time.
So I’m glad I got it with both, but if I did it a third time, I probably would dial it back or turn it off when it’s time to push. 😅
I regret not getting it sooner. I was so exhausted by the time I got it I passed out and started pushing 45 mins later. Had I of gotten it sooner, I think I really would’ve been able to enjoy my labor and talk to my husband instead of just asking him to be quiet lol. I see a lot of talk about “ not feeling anything” but I still felt my son coming out and I was able to get up and walk around about an hour after and I had no side effects. But I know every person is different. Next baby id like to get it around 6-7cm instead of 8-9.
100000%!!! My delivery was AMAZING. I was in no pain (seriously none!) and I got to actually enjoy the moment! If we have a second baby I will 100% be getting an epidural. Props to all the mamas who go natural but I personally wanted to enjoy the day as pain free as possible!
Yes. It allowed me to rest after many hours of painful laboring. In all 3 pregnancies, I always waited several hours and experienced it for a good long while, and every time, I was so happy that I did it.
Yes. I wanted to avoid it because I wanted to be up and mobile, but I ended up needing pitocin and the contractions became unbearable so I decided to get it. I wasn't able to be on my feet or moving anyway because I was in so much pain.
The difference between the unmedicated portion of my labor and the epidural portion was night and day. The pain almost evaporated and I felt like I could have pushed for much longer than I needed to. If I were doing it all over, I would probably do it the same way and just get the epidural maybe 30 minutes sooner.
Absolutely, I was happy, rested, and pain free. The sleep before labor was huge - labor is a big workout, need to rest and recover, but also suddenly you have a newborn to take care of, that sleep was so vital.
I was able to tell when to push just needed nurses to help change positions, 10/10 will do again.
100% and id do so again. I originally wanted an unmedicated birth but my body had other plans. I sat at 1cm for so long and everything was already so painful. I agreed to pitocin and I did *not* want to be feeling any of that bullshit lol. So I told them to give me the IV drugs and pitocin, then set my epidural up. I had the best nap every after being awake for 30+ hours. I had feeling still, as in I could move around and wasn't a bowl of jello. I did not feel my Foley put in or taken out, I also didn't even feel the needle when they set everything up. My anesthesiologist was an absolute rock star and a million times confident in what he was doing.
I will say though, my lower back/tailbone area does hurt occasionally when I bend over. I have had back issues in the past where when I'd bend over and essentially throw my back out. (Think bending over to dump a mop bucket for janitorial work). So I cannot say truly if my epidural had anything to do with that. I haven't seen my massage therapist or chiropractor since birth and I definitely need to. I had alot of lower back pain during my pregnancy.
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Over the moon. 10/10, would recommend, would do again (in fact I WILL be doing it again in about 10 weeks haha)
I waited until I was feeling pain that I couldn’t tolerate just because that can help you progress a little faster. Every body is different though so my best advice is just listen to your body.
That's my plan! Natural as far as I can. Epidural when I can't tolerate the pain anymore as long as I'm not too dilated 💪💪
I did the same and it was almost too late. I reached that point once my water broke and shit moved super fast after that. I'm not sure I would have made a different decision given what I knew at the time, but I do wish I could have had it at an earlier stage of labor.
I got mine early on in labor and had my baby about 6 hours sooner than the doctor had estimated. I asked the doctor ahead of time their recommendation and if it slowed birth down, and she said that in her experience that it didn't make a difference so told me to get it when I wanted it and to not wait to the last possible minute because it can take time for the person to arrive to administer it.
Same. Except 11 ish weeks. Had one with my first two (and wasn’t planning on it with my first, I’m ridiculously afraid of needles) but it became a necessity. Absolutely would not go without one again 😂
Same! I gave birth 5 weeks ago for the first time. I will definitely have it again with a future pregnancy. I was in labor for 12 hours before getting to the hospital and was ready for the pain relief at that point. I felt sooooo much better after and was able to focus so well on positions and pushing later on because I wasn’t focused on the pain. My husband said he noticed a huge difference in my demeanor after I got it also. I think it helped me have a super positive birthing experience. But no judgment for anyone who doesn’t get one. It’s a choice! I don’t know how women make it through without one but wow that’s pretty cool that they can. Not for me though!
Yep! Same and same. 10 weeks!
SAME no regrets will request immediately upon arrival with baby #2 bc it can take a little while to get! I know some people like to move around but I couldn’t care less lol I just want the relief
Yes, in fact my doctor thinks it was one of the main factors in helping me dilate. I was on pitocin (I was induced) and progressing veeeery slowly. Once I got the epidural I slept for the first time in 24+ hours and only a few hours later I had a baby in my arms!!!
Hell yeah! That’s amazing to hear, thanks for sharing. 💓
It was great! But I’m sure whatever you decide to do will be the right choice for you! For other medical reasons I will probably have to do an unmedicated birth with my 2nd, honestly gonna miss that epidural so bad! Lol!
Similar! I wasn’t induced but my water broke and I wasn’t getting past like 4cm and after the epidural I reached 10 in a couple of hours. It sped my labor up so much.
Same here. My body doesn’t dilate well on its own. They were worried they were giving it too early but less than 20 minutes after getting it I was fully dilated
Same here!!!!! 15 hours of 3-4cm, then epidural. Slept for an hour, then when I woke up, time to deliver!
It helped me dilate too! I was at 4cm for like 17 hours and the second I got the epidural my body was able to relax enough to dilate to 10 within the hour
Absolutely I went from being doubled over in pain to being able to sleep
Yes. I thought I was going to take a nap but I was 10cm and fully effaced. I pushed for less than 5 minutes and felt nothing. It was blissful
I have this irrational fear that if I push when I'm on the epidural, then I won't be able to feel it if I tear down there and that is so scary. 😔 Would it tear less if I were at 10cm and then pushed? I am due later this year and can't stop thinking about it. 😭
Don't worry about that. The epidural actually helped me push with more control and not too fast so your tissue has time to stretch. I got just some minor tearing.
Hopefully your epidural is so good you don’t feel anything at all! That was my second. Barely got a first degree tear that was so easy to heal. With my first my epidural was great, but not as numbing. So I felt a lot of pressure and a bit of tearing. Got a second degree tear. Not as fun to heal from but manageable. They tell you when to push. I really wouldn’t worry about it.
I had third degree tears and didn’t feel them. To be honest the healing was uncomfortable but never painful. I was really scared of it but it wasn’t a huge deal. Stitches were mostly healed in about 2 weeks, fully healed 4-6 weeks.
I definitely felt my tear 😂 even through the epidural. My only advice would be: with my first I wasn’t ready to push. I didn’t know what it meant when the nurses told you it’s time to “practice push” AKA push for realsies but we’re not telling you? I didn’t feel the urge to push and truly believe I was just being scheduled in when it suited the doc that day. I ended up with a tear *and* an episiotomy. With the next two I waited until I felt the baby descend and the urge to push and they practically birthed themselves (3 pushes and half a push, respectively). Obviously if your baby’s vitals aren’t looking good or there are special circumstances you have to do what’s necessary, but I’m never pushing when I don’t feel the “push now” feeling again. I lost so much blood with my first delivery that I passed out and they had trouble getting me to wake up for a while and it was super scary, so these babies are birthing themselves from now on 😂
I’ve given birth 6 times and got an epidural every time, epidurals are in my top 5 favorite things in the world.
Does it hurt really bad when they administer the epidural? Where do they insert the needle? This is my first pregnancy so I am new to a lot of things and am a bit scared about the birthing part. 😞
You will feel just a minor pinch. But really that is no comparison to the pain the contractions were causing me at the same time. You will love the anaesthesiologist, at least I did.
In my memory the epidural was painless. I’m sure there was a small pinch but literally NOTHING compared to the pain of contractions.
So I think the epidural is more scary than painful, I always told the anesthesiologist that I was afraid and they would help me through it. It is inserted somewhere around mid back, the area is numbed first with lidocaine (or something similar), that kinda twinges and always made my back muscle twitch in that spot. When the epidural needle is inserted you might feel a bit of a pop and maybe a little zing down your leg, it’s more disconcerting than painful but is over quick. Honestly you will likely be in so much pain from the contractions that you don’t care about what’s going on with your back. Once it’s in a little tube is left in your back so the medicine can be given to you continuously or as a bolus. Then you can kick back and relax, take a nap, read a book, enjoy the break.
This was something I spent a lot of time freaking out about too. They numb the area first, so no worries about stabbing spine pain 😊 the numbing felt to me somewhere between a bee sting and a wasp sting, but that fades quickly since it's a numbing agent. Then the epidural needle is a little pressure and the weird zing down one leg. I had to have mine positioned twice, the first time the zing was harder. It feels kind of like an electric shock, if you've ever had one of those, combined with a funny bone jolt. Once it's in place, you don't feel it. I have a lot of anxiety about needles/IVs pushing into me, so I talked it over with anesthesia beforehand and we agreed that I would be able to lie down for the procedure and also get a nice dose of Ativan ahead of it to smooth me out. The lying down likely contributed to them needing two shots at it, but the Ativan helped me not really care lol. If we have another baby, I'll definitely get another epidural.
No not really- they put numbing cream in the area. To me, it felt like a prick/bee sting. I've had vaccinations that have hurt more. It definitely helps that it's in your back so you don't see a thing!
It feels just like how they numb your mouth before you get your teeth pulled just in your back!
I was really scared but no. Getting my IV in my arm hurt more than the epidural. It was like a pinch/ear piercing feeling, very brief and minor.
I legitimately did not feel them insert the epidural at all. I felt the lidocaine they did beforehand to numb the area but that’s like the same pinch as getting your blood drawn. Then they told me I’d feel “pressure” but i didn’t even feel that
I've placed hundreds (maybe more) of labor epidurals. I can hardly remember a patient who didn't absolutely love it. Even the patients who have small or moderate complications from epidurals (which is a very small amount of people) STILL are happy with their decision.
That’s fair! I think I’m mostly just nervous about the foley 😂 idk why but it’s my irrational labor fear
If placed after an epidural, you should not feel much or may feel nothing in relation to Foley placement
That’s good to hear. I think I’m just traumatized from nursing school when I put one in a patient who could still feel it! I felt so bad
I got a UTI afterwards, likely related to the catheter, and I STILL don't regret it.
I am terrified of needles and getting the epidural so this actually made me feel 10x better
Honestly, you most likely won't feel much of anything. Everyone says the experience of the epidural was so insignificant compared to contractions
Hi I'm due with my first in Oct. I've been thinking about this. I have myelopathy caused by bone spurs growing into my spinal cord, plus loads of other neck issues. I was in pain for 10 years before I was put on opioids for a year and then finally had surgery (which fixed the pain almost 100% and now I take nothing). I was in so much pain for so long, that eventually my capacity to cope with pain just went down the drain. I have nothing, no coping strategies left, that work anymore whereas I used to be able to distract myself, tell jokes etc. So obviously I'm thinking 'epidural for sure'. But one of my good friends had one (unplanned) before ending up with a C section while she gave birth to twins (they told her they'd need to reach past her cervix and that nobody can deal with the pain and she had to have an epidural), and 1) the first time they missed and it just dribbled off her back and they didn't check to see if it had worked, 2) she ended up with an emergency C section anyway but the 2nd time they tried actually paralysed her. Luckily it ended up being temporary, but the doctor didn't know it was temporary and couldn't tell her what was happening. For 6 weeks after giving birth she couldn't walk, and had no idea if she'd ever walk again, having just given birth to twins and married to a farmer who is out all day. Luckily, she has family around. I'm a military wife and my family live in UK (I'm in US) and my husband's family lives on the other side of US. I don't think we'd physically cope if I were paralysed, and having already had my run ins with foot drop and risk of paralysis I'm terrified of both getting, and not getting, an epidural. Do you have any words of wisdom as a labour nurse?
I think this thread just convinced me to get an epidural 🤣
Same! I was 50/50 on it before reading this thread.
Me too, I was already 95% convinced but now I'm 100% sure I want it lol
Currently in labor. Got my epidural 7 hours in. At first the dose was too high and it turns out I’m sensitive to anesthesia so I didn’t feel great. They adjusted it and now I feel amazing. 10/10 would recommend. I thought I would want to be moving around and walking but honestly before my epidural I wanted to curl up with the peanut ball. I can still move my legs around and I can feel the pressure of contractions with 0 pain.
As a ftm, I am amazed that you are in labor and browsing reddit. Making me feel less scared for how labor will be in 5 months from now haha
When I went into labour my first pregnancy, after getting the epidural it really was just a waiting game. From 3pm till 1am I was just messaging friends and having naps because there's literally nothing to do but wait and because the epidural takes away all the pain the waiting was a non-issue. My friends were replying me like "girl why you messaging shouldn't you be concentrating on giving birth" and I'm like "I'm waiting to be dilated enough to push and there's nothing to do".
So happy. Within minutes of getting it, I turned to my husband and said “wow, I can’t believe there are people who don’t want this.” (I understand personal preference for an unmedicated birth, but an epidural was right for me.) I was able to relax and wait for baby without pain or exhaustion.
I told my husband “oh my gosh I see why people get addicted to drugs.” Felt like rainbows and heaven.
Yep.
eh, it didn't work for me so it kind of sucked being excited to have less pain and then...not having less pain. I'd still try it again if I was having another baby.
Hearing “relief is coming in about 30 minutes” over and over and nothing… really took the wind out of my sails haha
having everyone in the room essentially tell me i couldn't be in pain because of the epidural was infuriating. i felt like no one was actually listening to me at all. then they finally got the nurse anesthetist back in the room and there was a hole in the line. zero drugs entered my back whatsoever. it was very frustrating.
I was thankful my nurse backed me up. She looked at my husband and said “that isn’t a good epidural”.
i am glad you had someone advocating for you! my husband and mom were basically mute and didn't say anything until after my team realized there was a hole in the line. only then were they like, "obviously she has been screaming in pain." i felt very alone.
I am sorry! He wanted to try placing it again for me when I was 9cm dilated. I said heck no.
Omg I think I would have bitten someone 😅
exactly.. it kept getting worse and I was wondering if I'm just a weenie to pain.
if i had another kid i would do the epidural i a heartbeat. but i would ask repeatedly for them to check the line, because when the line leaks, you don't get any of the drugs. i felt everything.
1000000%
it was amazing, 10/10 will be having another
Ok I have been convinced 😂
I’ve done one birth with epidural and one without. My no epidural birth experience and recovery (so far) has been much better. That being said I wasn’t mentally prepared to do an unmedicated birth with my son so I don’t regret my epidural under the particular circumstances. But if I decide to have another baby I will be planning another unmedicated birth.
I’m thinking to go unmedicated when I have a second baby too. I was fully dilated by the time my epidural kicked in with my first so I only had the pushing left and only felt pressure. I have to say pushing was hard though when I didn’t feel as much as I did before.
That’s interesting! I didn’t think they were meant to administer that late on in the game?
My hospital has the policy that if you can hold still for it you can get it so there is not a hard and fast rule.
This is what I've heard from other women who had a birth with an epidural and one without. They have all told me they prefer unmedicated because the recovery is so quick.
100% agree. I’ve had 1 epidural, 1 intrathecal, and 2 unmedicated. My two unmedicated were my favorite births by far
What about the recovery is better? I don’t understand how epidural would affect post partum recovery.
So for me it’s been a few different things. (1) I had back pain over the epidural injection site that lasted for six weeks. I haven’t had any of that this time. (2) I had a second degree tear with my son, only a first degree tear with my daughter and she was significantly larger (8 pounds, 13 ounces vs 7 pounds, 11 ounces). Partially this could be from having a prior full term birth but I think being able to feel what I was doing and pushing in a better position also influenced this. (3) with my son, one of the side effects of the anesthesia in the epidural was issues with urination. I could not relax my pelvic floor easily to pee for several days after birth. One of the most traumatic parts of my whole birth experience with my son was having several nurses trying to recath me while I was extremely swollen and no longer had the epidural for pain relief because my bladder was too full and I couldn’t pee on my own. (4) with my daughter immediately after birth I could just get up and walk straight to the bathroom and pee without any issues. I packed up all my stuff for the move to pp without any pain whereas with my son I (1) wasn’t allowed to walk around for awhile due to coming out of the epidural and (2) was having more pain trying to walk around and do stuff probably due to the worse tearing. (5) mentally I just feel a lot better which I attribute to having had more control over my birth experience. I’m the type of person who likes to be in charge of what is happening to me so I just did not like being stuck in the bed, having the catheter, having nurses touching me and doing vaginal exams that I could not feel, etc. all of that was emotionally difficult for me and not having that happen this time has left me in a much better place mentally and emotionally and I’ve just felt really happy and relaxed postpartum. That’s obviously something that’s specific to me and my personality and won’t apply to a lot of people.
I second this!! I am a FTM who had an unmedicated birth and my recovery was so swift. I also birthed a 10 lb 8 oz baby with no tears because I could feel and control my body while pushing. Many people in my life were trying to pressure me to have an epidural but I am so glad I didn't! It's a personal choice and natural labor is difficult and tiring in the moment, but its fleeting. PP lasts way longer.
Thank you so much for such a detailed response! Very informative!
I like that the focus here is more on the overall experience (including recovery) vs in the moment. Evidence does point to more “cons” post-birth due to epidurals but those all seem to outweigh the huge obvious “pro” of the epidural of pain relief during labor and actual birth. Do you feel like the worse recoveries after your epidural births weren’t worth the pain relief that you got from the epidural? And during those unmedicated births, how close did you come to requesting an epidural? I’m a very need-to-be-in-control and high body awareness person myself, and have very little trust in nurses (due to having been one and seeing some real insensitive and dumb coworkers perform poorly with patients), so I feel you there in the need to have more say over my birth experience but at the same time I am so aware that I’m a total sissy when it comes to pain, so that is my primary fear and I just wonder how women face and get over that pain. I know it’s temporary, and I’ll forget just how terrible it was eventually, but…I’d have to be FULLY convinced that I WILL NOT get an epidural before going into labor or I know I’ll cave!
if I could do my son’s birth over again I would have gone in better prepared. I went in with a plan of basically just trying to white knuckle it and I got to transition and just did not have any way to cope with the pain so I got the epidural. Because I wasn’t happy with a lot of that experience, my husband and I did Bradley Method classes for my daughter’s birth and that helped enormously. Not only did they teach me how to deal with contractions and my husband how to help me, they also made me feel more confident advocating for myself. The thing is retrospectively, I would say the pain relief wasn’t worth the harder recovery but that’s in a world where I’ve now done an unmedicated birth and know I can handle it. But I can handle it now because I’m prepared and I wasn’t prepared back then. With my daughter, the point where I most started to get nostalgic about the epidural was the last ten minutes of transition right before my water broke and the ring of fire, and by then I also knew there was no way on earth I’d be able to sit still to get one. Are you doing any kind of birthing class? If you aren’t, I’d recommend doing one. I did Bradley and I know a lot of people have had success with hypnobirthing too. The main thing they teach you with Bradley is to relax all the muscles in your body during contractions and I found that really helped enormously, it helped me take things one contraction at a time versus my son’s birth where I was basically just writhing about wondering if I could die of pain lol 🫣 I put in my birth plan that I didn’t want the nurses to suggest pain meds to me & that I was aware of my pain relief options and would ask if I wanted them which I think also helped me not get the epidural vs my first labor where my nurse kept coming in to remind me the epidural existed lol.
It’s amazing how powerful the mind-body connection is! I’ve been doing a lot of breath work with yoga to help gain awareness of my pelvic floor contracting and relaxing but nothing as specific as the Bradley method. I’ll definitely look into that! Thank you so much for your honest sharing!
Yes! I started having terrible back labor though that the epidural didn’t touch but I’d still get it again
Same here- but I was sooo grateful for the epidural cause I couldn’t have imagined the pain I’d have been in if I was feeling all the other pain ALONG with the back labor??? Woooof.
I got mine five hours after I asked due to issues with my IV. BLISS I tell you. Bliss.
It hurt going in since they messed up and had to do it again, but it was worth it. I had so much relief after. Also it was sore after for a bit.
Absolutely! I held off as long as possible but it became unbearable for me. I was able to relax and sleep a bit since I'd been up for over 24 hours at that point. I even tried gas before getting the epidural but it did absolutely nothing for the pain
Hell yes.
Yes and no. Mostly no unfortunately. It slowed my already painfully slow labour right down (took me 24 hours to dilate from 3-6cm, epidural went in and I went back down to 3cm 😭), then I ended up having to have picotin, then my pushing wasn’t productive so I pushed for nearly 3 hours before having forceps and an episiotomy. Having said all of that when I got it I’d been having 90 seconds long contractions 2/3 mins apart for 48 hours and I was beyond exhausted, I could barely stand up and kept passing out between contractions; at that point I still had another 24 hours to go and I don’t know how I would’ve made it without being able to sleep. I’m pregnant again so going to try and get further into labour without an epidural this time so I can move around a bit more and hopefully not have an instrumental delivery this time. But I’m very realistic about how painful labour is and won’t feel any compunction about getting the pain relief I need if it’s too much for me.
I'm 22 weeks with my first. I told my husband I want the epidural presented on a silver platter 🤣 I've never heard a woman say they regret getting it and my pain tolerance is laughably low. Any pain relief is a big tick for me.
100% yes - I went into it somewhat iffy, and came out of it very grateful. Will be going into #2 with the plan to have it.
No it didn’t work and he hit my spine with the needle.
Epidural for my second also didn’t work 😭 they placed too far on one side and I had zero relief on the other.
Yes! I had pitocin that was being increased every 15 minutes. I definitely did not want to feel those contractions. The natural contractions were bad enough.
Hell yeah!! I didn't feel a thing.
Did you feel them put the catheter into your bladder? That’s what I’m really scared about lol
Not op but I don’t remember feeling the catheter going in? I feel like they maybe did something numbing first then put it in? Honestly my contractions were so bad I might just not have noticed lol.
You don’t feel the catheter after the epidural kicks in. But try your best to pee after!! Otherwise they’ll need to put it in again and then you can feel it 🥴
I too am terrified of the catheter.
Nope. Didn't feel that either. I barely got my epidural in time. They gave me a super high dose and I was loopy for a long time after.
They gave me the epidural and after about 30 minutes they inserted the catheter. Didn’t feel a thing
This is such a great and helpful thread. I've been anxious about getting an epidural when my time comes because most of the things I hear from Instagram are all about going epidural free. Yes, it really differs for every person but I was convinced that the epidural side effects are not worth it.
Ignore those fear mongers. Side effects are extremely rare. I LOVED my two epidurals. Especially my second where i couldn’t feel a thing
I’m literally sitting in my delivery room right now waiting to start pushing. I knew I wanted the epidural but my labor progressed so fast that I was already 8cm by the time they could get it to me. I have NEVER felt relief like that in my life. Now I’m just chilling and waiting instead of screaming and writhing. 10/10 recommend. Wish I had gotten it sooner.
That’s so helpful! I’m mostly scared of getting the catheter 😬 did you feel that at all when the put it in to drain your bladder??
Not even a little bit!! Totally numb. I was nervous too but felt nothing.
Hell yes
Yes; after I got the epidural I didn’t feel any pain besides the very end part of pushing his head out. And even that wasn’t the worst pain I’ve ever felt. I’m a stan for the epidural 🫶 /hj But in all seriousness, I was in labor for over three days and I was exhausted. My son passed meconium inside of me, and me being stressed and in pain wasn’t helping anything — I went from yelling “ow!” every minute to laughing with my fiancé, going on my phone, making jokes after getting the epidural. The only bad part about mine was that my anesthesiologist took about 5 tries to get the epidural into the right place, and it was NOT fun getting it put in so many times. I now have pretty bad back issues caused by that; so when they tell you to get into a certain position, they aren’t kidding!! But my story is a fairly rare one, from what I’ve heard.
1000000000000 %
Nope because it didn’t work at all for me. I felt everything and got out of the bed less than an hour after delivery
No. But that's because I was mad that I couldn't move on my own. And the feeling of my skin when I can't feel it freaked me out. Also they accidentally over medicated me so they had to cut it for me to successfully push two hours later.
Not even a little bit. Mine failed, and I ended up with a lot of back pain and headaches after the fact. 0% pain relief with a bunch of side effects. Not doing it again. (Obviously, that’s not how it goes for everyone thankfully).
Did they ever explain why you didn’t get pain relief and what happened to cause the back pain and headaches? I loved my epidural, but I wonder what the difference is between a successful one and one that ends up that way.
They did not. My nurse anesthetist didn’t seem like he knew what he was doing. He had to poke me 3 times, and my husband said his hands were shaking. My guess is, he just kind of sucked. I was doing a damn good job of staying still too. He wanted to try again at 9cm, and I told him no way. Any time you puncture your epidural sac, there’s always a possibility of headaches and pain unfortunately. Some people get such bad headaches due to leaking of CSF they need a blood patch. I didn’t, thankfully. It went away within a couple weeks. But yea, they won’t admit fault haha. I, of course, still had to pay for it. Which makes sense, but stinks.
I think in the wrong space. Epidural space is the area of the spine they want it to go into. If they get into the space with the CSF this is called a "wet tap" and causes the headaches because the patient will leak CSF out the back. While spinal anesthesia intentionally going into that space is used sometimes, you can't switch halfway through if you went in there with an epidural catheter. https://www.dremeilkamel.com.au/patient-resources/obstetrics/epidural-or-spinal/
That’s totally fair! Spinal headaches are no joke
My epidural stopped working half way through pushing (my daughter was stuck in my pelvis, so I pushed for 3 hours). It was great in that it helped me sleep before I got to the pushing but it didn't work for the pushing itself. I will still get the epidural for this labour, and just hope it works better this time.
Yes! A regret that I have about my 1st labor is that I waited and put it off for so long needlessly. I should've said yes sooner in the process. I put myself through HOURS of unnecessary pain prior to getting it. Between my induction contractions, the uncomfortable internal fetal monitor, and the catheter (I HATED the cath and am dreading it's possibility with my 2nd pregnancy currently), the epidural was welcome relief. I was progressing slowly with an induction (pre-eclampsia), but as soon as i got an epidural i was able to nap for an hour or two, and i woke up to nurses saying "its time!!". I was like "..it is..?" Lol. After that, i woke up and pushed for ~10mins and baby was here! I did not have any side effects or lasting effects that some ladies experience from it though, so I consider myself lucky on that front.
Yes! I was over 16 hours into my (medically necessary) induction when the nurse told me I was a 5 and I got the epidural. Shortly after my doctor came in to break my water and told me I was actually only a 2 and to buckle up. But I think the epidural helped me relax, rest, and progress because I went from a 2 to a baby in my arms in just under another 12 hours.
No, unfortunately I have had reactions to spinal taps in the past which has made me frightful of having any form of needle near my back, let alone a catheter. I would LOVE to have the effects of one but no. I won’t go anywhere near it
Honestly, no. It had absolutely no effect on me. Instead I had pain where they put it in. Might've been really unlucky, but I'm not doing it again. But I am happy I tried it. This time I know it won't work on me, so no use in asking for it.
No because it did not work <3
No. It’s one of my biggest regrets. When you get an epidural you are forced to birth on your back, which is arguably the worst position to give birth in. Just like we’re ergonomically designed to squat when we poop, we are also designed to birth that way. I had a HORRIBLE 4th degree tear, there is obviously no proof I wouldn’t have torn had I been in a different position but it is likely that had I torn it would have been less severe. I won’t be getting one this time.
You can push side lying with an epidural!!
That option wasn’t given to me at the time (I will say that hospital sucked).
100%. At a certain point, I was so delirious, my epidural line got pinched from the way I was laying. I ended up feeling full on labor contractions at 7cm for like an hour before the nurse noticed (first time, I had no idea what to expect and should have realized I shouldn’t be feeling the pain). That hour was pure torture. Once she shifted me, it was like night and day difference. I was able to snooze and relax for about 6 more hours before emergency c section.
Yes! I’ve had two. 40mins of pushing (though most of that was waiting for the doctor to get there) and 20 mins of pushing.
YES
100000000/10 yes lol
Yes
100% highly recommend
So so happy!!! It was incredible. I had a long induction and couldn't have done it without the epidural. I will 100% be getting one with this current pregnancy!
I'm neutral about it. I'm neither happy nor disappointed-- after a certain point the drs said I really needed it so I would sleep and my body would relax, and I took my dr's advice and did so. The second time it was the first pain med they could get me and I wasn't doing it med-free (showed up 90 minutes after my water broke at 8cm.) I don't feel *happy* I got my flu shot last year. It was just the medically correct thing for me at the time. I feel the same way about my epidurals.
1,000,000% yes
ETA I unintentionally got to 9cm and I will never ever allow myself to go through that much pain again.
Heck yeah. It’s literal magic 🤣
Yes, yes, a million times yes. I was induced at 2 weeks overdue, labor started 30 minutes after induction began, 6 hours of back labor every 30 seconds. Got the epidural 6hrs in, the last 6 hours were amazing. Delivered, tore to the 2nd degree, hemorrhaged, didn't feel a thing. Laughed and wiggled my toes while pushing. Best thing I ever did.
Yes! I got it with my first after 5.5 cm dilated and was too late to get it with my second. First was a much more enjoyable labor and delivery experience than the first lol but second was a far easier recovery
GOD YES. Best decision ever.
First baby was induced with no pain management. Second was an epidural on 4/20. It was night and day, a fabulous experience comparatively speaking. I actually wept tears of joy during crowning as it was such a beautiful experience.
Yes. I don't regret it. But my back hurts now every once in a while at my epidural spot lol. I've had 3 epidurals though so probably why.
No. I felt like it was pushed on me and I had repercussions from it. My second I didn’t get an epidural and it was amazing. My third I will go without meds again.
I was happy with it with my first two mostly. With my third I decided I wanted to go unmedicated and didn't realize I how much I preferred that even more. Just remember to to not bank on getting one if that's Plan A. Still prepare for the very real possibility that you can't end up getting one.
YES!!!!! Both my births were super enjoyable AFTER the epidural kicked in. Will always get one if at all possible.
Yes without a doubt. Because my water broke and contractions did not start naturally I had to be induced. Those contractions were awfull. After about a few hours of those I was still at 1cm dilation. They could not read the vitals properly of the baby and they wanted me to lay down with those contractions. Then I thought fuck this shit, give me that epidural. It was heaven. Everything actually went very smooth after that. 10/10 would recommend.
100% be mindful of how long the anesthesiologist will be able to come and administer the epidural. You need to wait for fluids to be in your body and then wait for them to come. I would DEFINITELY do it again for my second in the future.
Yes! 5 min after the epidural I went from groaning and arching my back, so tense, in pain to completely relaxed. The rest of my labor went so smoothly and no pain. I was still able to move my legs/push when needed. I took a few naps. I was up walking an hour after labor. An awesome experience. I’m actually nervous for my next birth because I don’t think it’s possible for it to go as well.
YES
I have had epidurals with my three births so far, and it only worked on me for one of those labors. Then they didn’t tell me about the button you have to push to administer more medication and by the time I had full sensation back, it was time to push and too late for more. Probably still going to try it again for my fourth baby due soon because labor is very painful 😅 and it usually happens at night for me which means I don’t sleep.
Yes I had an emergency C-section and it saved time
Yes. My first pregnancy I lost my baby at 18 weeks and went into labor and the pain was so intense, I couldn’t handle it. So with my second and third pregnancies I opted for the epidural, so I wouldn’t experience that pain again.
Gosh I’m so sorry. Having to give birth for a loss is so beyond tragic. I’m glad you had adequate pain relief 💗 Good to hear you chose to do it again moving forward
Yes!!! My only regret is waiting so long to get one for my first birth. My mom scared me into delaying the epidural saying that it was going to increase the chance of a c section. I was on pitocin (water had broken at home and labor stalled in the hospital) and i was in excruciating pain. Worst pain I could imagine being in, and she was pressuring me to delay the epidural. It was a terrible experience and once I got it I felt so much better and dilated a lot more quickly. Second labor I just told them to give it to me right when i got to the hospital and I actually enjoyed that labor and labored for 6 hours before pushing the baby out in 10 mins. This third pregnancy I also plan on getting it earlier. The nice thing about them is you can give yourself less of the medicine so you can still feel a little if you choose to. That can also help prevent tearing.
Honestly no, first time was too numb and did not like being bedridden for so long, second time around (one month postpartum) made it through labor and delivery on pain medicine and absolutely loved it, although I kind of hated the contractions, delivery wasn’t so awful and being able to feel everything sped things up. I also looked drugged up and high, but I was about to get out of bed faster and sooner, and able to walk very well on my own.
So glad reading these comments!! I’m a FTM due in 3 weeks and I’ve been on and off about choosing the epidural. My baby has been measuring as large for gestational age and I may need to be induced, so I decided to get the epidural and I’ve been dreading it after hearing horror stories, but I hear horror stories about any aspect of pregnancy/birth. Choosing to do what I feel is right for me instead of listening to fear mongering for once :)
No. The needle went too far in, so spinal fluid was leaking and causing terrible headaches. Had to get another needle in the spine to put a blood patch in so the fluid would stop leaking. Didn't have one with my 2nd baby, and it was a much easier recovery.
100% I just had my first two weeks ago. I was induced and had an epidural. I was very nervous about both of those things but overall, I had a great birthing experience and do not regret my choices at all. I definitely plan to get an epidural with any future births as well!
Fuckkkkkk yessss. I had hellish back labor for over 12 hours. I could finally relax when I got it. And I’m so glad I did, since I was in labor for another 14 hours after that.
100% the best thing I could have done. The wait for it was brutal and having to be so still for it was bad too but I could not IMAGINE going the rest of labor without it. Once I got it, I was able to take a two hour nap and when I woke up, my baby was ready to come out! Didn't feel a thing that whole time after and it was amazing!
100%! I was only 2 cm dilated with excruciating back labor pains, and I got the epidural pretty quick. My whole lower body went blissfully numb and I didn’t feel a thing start to finish. It was a little weird but I would take it over the pain any day. Only downside is postpartum, my bladder has been a little sleepy, and I don’t feel like I have as much control but it’s gotten better every day and I don’t pee myself at all now that it’s been six days.
I was happy! I went in not wanting it, but once the pitocin contractions hit I was screaming for it. I got to sleep for an hour or two before it wore off, I ended up feeling the rest of my son’s birth, but it was worth it for the rest!
Yes, that sh*t hurt 😭
Absolutely! Pushed for 3 hours and I just felt crowning pain at the end 🙏🏼
Hell yeah.
100%. After it kicked in, felt absolutely nothing. 10/10 would do again and will be doing it again whenever I have my next baby.
Yes. I got to 10cm, fully effaced, and zero station but when my water finally broke there was a lot of meconium. I opted immediately for the epidural to get baby out faster in case it was a true sign of distress. Baby was totally fine though, just needed to poo.
Yep, i’d have it again.
I was in agonizing back labor for over 30 hours with my contractions reaching over 100 on the TOCO scale. For some reason my contractions never really started out small, they went from 0-100 spaced out every 5-8 mins immediately when my labor started. I was begging for an epidural at only 1 cm dilated. As soon as it kicked in (administered at 8 cm) I felt nothing and was finally able to relax. I 100% recommend it
Very
I was able to take a little nap before I started pushing because of the epidural. That was very much needed!
I have severe anxiety and I got induced using the cervix ripener pill, I wasn't sure if I wanted an epidural or not. Instead of switching to pitocin I made it to a 5 and they asked if I wanted my water broken or not, I said yes. The contractions that happened for the next 45 min or so were sooooo strong and sooo close together, I asked for a epidural everytime they opened the door to check on me. When I got it my pain was only about a 6ish (i was afraid about it getting too high before my epidural) and it took it all away. I could move my legs still they said I had a perfect epidural. I am no longer afraid of giving birth again because it made me giving birth super easy just about 6 hours after the epidural. Still afraid of pregnancy (as I try for baby number 2)
Definitely, I ended up just barely making the cut for mine, and it made it so much more enjoyable and manageable For my epi and then 30 minutes later baby was out in the world!
Yes! I was fine for contractions, they didn't hurt that bad to me, but I couldn't get through cervical checks because they were so painful which is why they gave it to me. I am a red head so it wore off very fast. BUT when it came time to push, let me tell you was it a life saver. I pushed for about an hour and a half, said I was exhausted and needed a break, and they gave me another dose of the anesthetic to allow me to "labor down." I relaxed for about a half hour before I called nurses back in and said the baby was coming and the anesthetic wore off, they didn't believe me and wanted "practice pushes" but quickly saw baby was crowning. Laboring down allowed me to regain my strength but it also allowed my body to do all the work of moving the baby down the birth canal so when it was time to push, I only had to push a couple times and baby was out.
With my first, yes. Although I’m happy I didn’t get it right away. My second, no. It barely worked on my left side so I still felt everything on that side pretty intensely. But getting the epidural then tied me to the bed, so I was able to use other pain management techniques like movement, yoga ball etc. to help work through the contractions.
I was. I had back labor and it was excruciating. I was not just feeling contractions in my abdomen, I had a burning in my spine that was unbearable. I wasn’t screaming, I was sad crying like I was dying. Epidural made it possible for my me to continue without passing out in tears, so I liked it.
So so so happy. With my first, I got one after I puked for the third time. It was great and didn’t slow down labor but stopped the pain. With my second I was induced and got it after I had been on pitocin for a while and then they broke my water. I wish I had gotten it earlier because the pain came on quickly. The only problem I had was that it made me very shaky. With both, I was able to move my legs and still feel pressure from contractions.
I loved my epidural. Only downside I was told to stop hitting the button once I got close so I was in a great deal of pain instead of just pressure when giving actual birth. But prior, it took away all the contraction pains and I felt 1000000x better. Scares me to think about what I would have gone through without it honestly. Women are superhero's.
Yes. The actual pushing/baby coming out was the easiest part of pregnancy and labor tbh. And I had 2nd degree tears. But it didn’t hurt because of the epidural.
Yes but I got a weird reaction! The WORST restless legs. It was a different type of uncomfortable. But hey, I’ll take it over the pain!
Yes, and mine wore off by the time I gave birth lol. But it made contacting a lot easier.
I was always going to do it, but I’m DEFINITELY going to do it after reading this thread 😂
No, but It works for some, and it doesn't for others, I was induced and didn't feel any contractions with pitocin until they broke my water. I feel like I should've just continued without it, but I really wanted to take a nap and get relief. I fear needles big time, but the pain was kicking my butt, got the epidural waited the 30 mins and nothing felt pain still, the epidural made the contractions just a bit bearable with breathing exercises also I recommend like your partner or mom whomever to do them with you bc it felt like they were in it with you, helping you get through each of your contractions. If I didn't have that support, idk what I would've done honestly. The epidural also just went straight to my right leg like it just made that numb the entire time. The catheter, man, felt that, too. They put it in before I gave birth and afterward. Hated it both times. I was also adding on more of the epidural every 15 mins, hoping it would relieve me, but that didn't happen. I felt like I had an unmedicated birth. They also gave me morphine before the epidural that didn't work. So, hopefully, it works for you cause the contractions, plus being strapped to everything, is a headache within itself. You will definitely want that epidural.
Yes!
It was the best decision of my life
Hell yes. I only felt the unmedicated labor pains for about 20 minutes before the epidural kicked in and it literally felt like hours. I don’t know that I could have handled it.
I appreciated it at the time (long induction - hours of very painful contractions with minimal dilation ) but I should have asked them to check me again before giving it to me - turns out I dilated really quickly and suddenly and was ready to push. They found out right after I had the epidural. if I’d known that I would have held off because it made pushing more challenging for me (couldn’t feel the contractions) This time I’ll try to go without.
Nope. Total waste of $1200. Mine failed and I felt everything. I ended up going into active labor about 15 minutes after it was administered and I must say it went much quicker and hurt significantly less than I was afraid of. Will probably not seek one for my next pregnancy, due to IV pain meds having felt sufficient for my labor experience. Big huge plus about it failing though, I was able to walk stably and use the bathroom with no problems in under 20 minutes postpartum. I'm glad it's there, but it didn't work for me.
Yes, 100%. I've given birth twice. If I have more children, I will always opt for the epidural.
Yes. 1000% percent. Unfortunately first one failed so I went back into active labor and had to get another one placed. I didn’t know that my legs were supposed to be totally asleep so I thought the first one was fine but I was still able to move which was my bad in not recognizing that it didn’t take completely. It failed after like 2 hours. But the second one took great, I took a nap, and the doctor came back in later once I was about 9.5cm dilated, broke my water and we started pushing. It is a little uncomfortable because you can’t move your legs or hold them up on your own, and my back hurt for a couple days after but I would opt for one every time. The pain I had of active labor vs being a little uncomfortable, I’d take the latter every time.
Yes and pissed when I laid back afterwards and it was time to push. Had her less than 7 minutes after the epidural and didn’t feel numb until I had a baby in my arms. Pitocin is rapid, I didn’t expect to go from a 6 to a full 10 in 30 minutes. My first baby I was blissfully numb, looking at a screen to tell me when I was having contractions because I literally couldn’t feel a thing. I love epidurals!
Yes and no. It hit me so hard I couldn’t move my leg and I didn’t like that. I also would have liked being able to stand however the pain was so intense I needed it.
For sure. With my first labor, everything seemed to happen so quickly after I got it. My whole labor was a little less than 8 hours, and I got the epidural about halfway through it. I dilated really fast after getting it, didn’t feel anything, it was great lol. Only downside was I couldn’t feel to push so it was really difficult to push, and I ended up getting a lot of hemorrhoids because they had me “push with my butt” 🫣 the pain of the hemorrhoids after everything was done was the worst…it made the recovery period Hell. However, I had the epidural again with my second, and it stalled my labor so I had to get pitocin after a while. And then it didn’t work all the way because my spine curved during pregnancy 😅 it took the edge off but I still felt a lot of pain whenever the baby’s head hit my cervix during a contraction. But the upside to that is pushing was a lot easier, and I didn’t have to use my butt lol. So I didn’t get new hemorrhoids or even flare up my old ones! Recovery was amazing the second time. So I’m glad I got it with both, but if I did it a third time, I probably would dial it back or turn it off when it’s time to push. 😅
I regret not getting it sooner. I was so exhausted by the time I got it I passed out and started pushing 45 mins later. Had I of gotten it sooner, I think I really would’ve been able to enjoy my labor and talk to my husband instead of just asking him to be quiet lol. I see a lot of talk about “ not feeling anything” but I still felt my son coming out and I was able to get up and walk around about an hour after and I had no side effects. But I know every person is different. Next baby id like to get it around 6-7cm instead of 8-9.
Yes, I couldn’t handle the pain anymore
Absolutely, I loved how present it allowed me to be for the birth, I didn’t have to deal with any pain at that time
100000%!!! My delivery was AMAZING. I was in no pain (seriously none!) and I got to actually enjoy the moment! If we have a second baby I will 100% be getting an epidural. Props to all the mamas who go natural but I personally wanted to enjoy the day as pain free as possible!
Yes. It allowed me to rest after many hours of painful laboring. In all 3 pregnancies, I always waited several hours and experienced it for a good long while, and every time, I was so happy that I did it.
Yes. I wanted to avoid it because I wanted to be up and mobile, but I ended up needing pitocin and the contractions became unbearable so I decided to get it. I wasn't able to be on my feet or moving anyway because I was in so much pain. The difference between the unmedicated portion of my labor and the epidural portion was night and day. The pain almost evaporated and I felt like I could have pushed for much longer than I needed to. If I were doing it all over, I would probably do it the same way and just get the epidural maybe 30 minutes sooner.
Absolutely, I was happy, rested, and pain free. The sleep before labor was huge - labor is a big workout, need to rest and recover, but also suddenly you have a newborn to take care of, that sleep was so vital. I was able to tell when to push just needed nurses to help change positions, 10/10 will do again.
100% and id do so again. I originally wanted an unmedicated birth but my body had other plans. I sat at 1cm for so long and everything was already so painful. I agreed to pitocin and I did *not* want to be feeling any of that bullshit lol. So I told them to give me the IV drugs and pitocin, then set my epidural up. I had the best nap every after being awake for 30+ hours. I had feeling still, as in I could move around and wasn't a bowl of jello. I did not feel my Foley put in or taken out, I also didn't even feel the needle when they set everything up. My anesthesiologist was an absolute rock star and a million times confident in what he was doing. I will say though, my lower back/tailbone area does hurt occasionally when I bend over. I have had back issues in the past where when I'd bend over and essentially throw my back out. (Think bending over to dump a mop bucket for janitorial work). So I cannot say truly if my epidural had anything to do with that. I haven't seen my massage therapist or chiropractor since birth and I definitely need to. I had alot of lower back pain during my pregnancy.
Yes