I dont know much about labor epidurals I just know about the one I got for my c section. I know that I was completely numb from the shoulders (under my arms so I could use them) to my toes....

But I do know about the poke.... first off you dont really see the needle especially if you dont want to. second its kinda cold to the touch and there is a lot of preasure. BUT they use a much much smaller needle to numb the local area befor inserting the larger needle. Its not really any worse then a shot at the dentist office and the meds kick in pretty quick as they are going in so you dont feel the discomfort for long.

I dont think they let you monitor the meds your self. I could be wrong but from what i know of them it wouldnt make sence because of the chance of too much meds and then not having the feeling enough to push or use your legs during delivery. But am sure that if you have one they monitor it close to make sure you have the right amounts so that your not in pain but you can function....

I know if I was having natural childbirth it would probally be the first thing on my birth plan.... lol.. but IM a wuss anymore to pain

Hi hun. I birthed without pain meds, so I know nothing by experience!! What I do know is what girlfriends have told me... For the most part, the needles have been quite easy to insert. You just have to sit super still (so - between contractions!) I have known a few that took a while, but if you decide you want it I do not think you will care so much waiting for them to get it in. Needle pain is really not one you will notice during labour (not because the pain is too intense! Just that you really are focued within at this time...) Many women had it only half work (so one side of their bodies only was numbed) and most could not feel anything below their breasts. So no getting up and walking around... because of the epi most of my girlfriends then needed episiotomies, a couple needed c-sections due to the epi (don't let that scare you if you need the pain relief, it happens sometimes so just be aware but don't be afraid!! Epis can slow down labour, that is what happened to these women they stopped progressing. Most birthed their babies though!). You also need to stay on the bed, legs strapped up birthing on your back (which is actually the worst way to birth for tearing/episiotomy as it presents the smallest opening and does not allow your contractions to be as effective due to how the muscles work. Squatting and standing are the best) and you will have a constant feotal monitor attached to your abdomen. Have you considered trying pethedine or morphine shot first? I used nothing and will be doing the same, you just don't know until you get there... If you have a shot and it is not enough, you can still have the epidural! But you may find you just don't need it like I did :) Labour does hurt, but it is quite a natural feeling pain (sounds odd, you will see what I mean lol) and I found once I hit the point where I was considering pain relief, suddenly I could cope just fine and got into my rhythym. Pain relief would have only disrupted that for me :) They all said they could not feel when being asked to "push" the baby, delaying all the births a little. And none could get up and walk after... some of my girlfriends spent hours being able to get up, catheterised and unable to shower or hold their babies as the meds had effected them so much. But I'm sure there will be many happier experiences out there!! I would honestly give thought to trying to gas, then a shot first. You could have an experience like ours and find you need nothing at all!! It is good to be prepared for any outcome xx

And yes, you do get to control it yourself you have a little button you push when you need more. It has a self limiter on it, so you can't get too much. What you cannot control is for how long the meds stay in your system and render you stuck to the bed, and also if it takes at all or only on one half. There were only three women I know who could not have one as they just could not get the needles into them. It is not common though :)

Ruth, I want so badly to go all natural but I don't know if I can do it. I am just thinking about how intense my period cramps used to get. I had to take motrin 800 in elem. school because I was in that much pain; tylenol and midol did nothing for me! LOL So I am imagining labor being like 10x worse than that and I am wondering if I can hang. I want to do it natural though!

another point to consider, you mat have a faster labor and find that you CAN take the pain for 5 hours or so!!
I found the first time was the hardest for me because I just kept thinking, oh my god it's just gonna keep getting worse! I freaked myself out a little. But I kept going just a little longer without it and the next thing I knew, it was time to push!! The second time was definatly easy for me!! I knew I could obviously do it, and understood just how bad it was going to get!! And remember, the most excrutiating part is the 9-10 cm range, and that is usually the fastest!!
There are also other drugs that you could try first that they run through the IV, which you'll have anyways!! I don't know about how well they work but I've had a few friends who managed with the IV pain meds alone.
And Ruth is right, what is a needle prick in the middle of labor? Really almost unnoticable! I had a nurse who took 6 tries to get my IV in and I didn't even know till the next day when my hand was all sore! :)
You'll get furthur into your labor naturally if you have the mindset that you WILL do it!! And then if you don't go all the way, so what? At least you know you tried!! And you may surprise yourself with what you can stand. I didn't find my contractions like cramps, it's a totally different pain. Nothing can ever give you a comparable experience.

Hi Believe,

I agree with Ruth, and also encourage you to see this other discussion that I started, "Do epidurals increase the rate of c-sections?" for some more info.

I suggest to any mom to try the natural route first, and if she really cannot handle the labour, then ask for an epidural..to avoid unnecessary intervention, slowing down birth, etc.

Too many women just think that an epi is routine, that there are no complications, that it is 200% safe, etc...just like another vitamin, or something. Often, they may not even give you proper info (as in my case) or ask for written consent....

THis is not to scare you, and i have had 3 epis with 3 births. I wanted to go natural with #2, but chickened out when they said it was my last chance, the anesthesiologist was leaving for the evening...and I saw how it slowed the labour, and did regret after having gotten it, since I was almost done ayway....

WIth the third, I was desperate, as I was being induced, and the baby was in distress, adn they were giving me high doses of pitocin, which was unbearable. If baby is in distress, an epi is actually contraindicated....

After my last epidural, I ended up with a crash c-s....

Anyway, here is the link:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/Pregnancy/forum/8153822-do-epidurals-increase-rate

Just read up as much as you can, and if you reallly find that you need it, then get it. Good luck with the pregnancy and your delivery!

I had a great experience with an epidural.
I knew I didn't want to be in agony when my little guy was making his appearance. After a couple of days of contractions 5 min apart, my waters broke while I was having a nice hot bath (I definitely recommend this). We went into hospital and I tried the gas and air and the morphine but the G&A made me feel sick and the morphine made me feel very sleepy and I wanted to be alert to meet my boy. After 6-7 hours of labouring in hospital I was dilated enough to be given the epidural (it was in my birth plan so I didn't have to beg or plead like a friend who had put that she didn't want one). I didn't feel any discomfort when it was set up (the injection of morphine stung more!).
I had to ask the midwife to top it up for me (I didn't have a button to press myself) and was allowed a top up every 30min. But I let it go 60-90min between each one so I could feel the contractions and stand up for a bit to help labour along for the next few hours. I did have a fetal monitor so I knew the baby was OK and a catheter so I didn't have to go to the loo (this didn't hurt at all as it was put in after a top up and removed before delivery).
I asked for a bit of pitocin right at the end just because I was dilating slowly (I think I'm just slow as I'd already been having 5min apart contractions for 36h). I was told when to push because the midwife gave me an extra top-up just before pushing. I hadn't wanted this but it did mean that I was in no pain whatsoever when my boy was handed to me and I held him while I was stitched. My right leg was a bit numb but I was able to walk across the hospital the next day and get up to look after my baby etc.
For me it was great! After two nights with too much pain to sleep, the part of my labour with the epidural was far more enjoyable and went much faster than the first bit without an epi.

If I do this again, I will have the epidural in my birth plan again and use it when I feel I need to. Just because you plan to have it doesn't mean you have to and I know some people who are told that they won't need one feel really guilty afterwards if they do. For most people labour really hurts although we were told that about 1/40 are luckier and don't have much pain at all. See how you go and keep your options open!

Also check with your hospital because the fine detail will be different at different hospitals.

Good luck :)

well from my experance i think if this is ur frist baby defo go for the epadural i had one on my frist dont worry u wont see the neddle and its nutn more than a prick with a bit of pressure when ur in pain and in labor u wont be thinkn of the pain of a neddle ,it will help you and u wont feel any pain,second time round for me i had my baby ith in one half hours of arriving so i didnt get a chance to have an epadurail ,i dont think il have one this time round as i find ur more incontral of ur labour and of course labour is a bit faster without it but i would defo get it if its ur frist baby ,i guess u will know wat u want to do one the day so try not to worry about it

I've had 3 epidurals - first for my c-section and then my 2 VBACs. The 2nd one only gave me partial relief - the 3rd was HEAVEN! They didn't let me walk with my 2nd, but that was because they had broken my water, not because of the epi. On my third I asked to delay breaking the water (I was induced every time) so that I could walk about. I did that until I was too tired and then went to the bed and asked for my epi. The needle isn't bad - you'll be so glad once it's done that you won't care about it anyhow. The doc that did my last one had it in and working in about 20 seconds. I didn't have any residual numbness - and I was able to feel the pressure to push,and had some feeling (mostly pressure) during my delivery. Pushed my 3rd baby out in 13 mins, so it didn't slow me down at all.

The main thing I would say is, don't let your fear of a small needle poke scare you from getting pain relief if you need it.

Please please please know that you do not have to have an epidural for pain management!! There are many drugs that they can give you to take away your pain that go straight into your IV.

And regardless of what other people may say - you have a good chance of being completely numb below the waist from an epidural. Unable to walk, unable to pee, unable to feel your pushing.

I know it sounds like I'm talking you out of it, but I believe that you shouldn't be forced to do something that you are unsure of.

The good thing is you have a lot of time to research the best pain management practices for you.

needles may be painful, and i had epidurals with 2 of the 3 of mine but for me nothing compared to the feeling of pain that i was in when i gave birth to my middle child. Kudos to all of you who can do it all natural...it will not be me agin that for sure..it was like pain that i had never felt in my entire life....i would have and epidural again...and will

You are actually being really smart by looking into this stuff early.
The more information you get the better decision you will make. You will also be more comfortable with your decision and able to handle any changes that come into your plan!
My advice is based on my experience and not so much facts & statistics.
With my first, I had back labor, when I called the on call doctor he said it wasn't labor (even though I was a week over and scheduled to be induced the next day). I labored at home with pretty serious can't stand/ can't sit pain from about 5pm-9:00pm changing position, walking around the house, using the hot shower and counter pressure applied by my DH. I arrived at the hospital at 10, by time they checked me in and checked things out I was immediately moved into the delivery room and baby was born at 1am. I had no time for any meds.
Back pain is horrible, but honestly the pain was gone the second he was delivered.

With my second I had pitocin which brought on hard contractions fast. I was already tired because I had been up since 6am so by 10pm I chose to have the epidural. My DH helped me focus through the contractions while the needle was inserted (I also hate needles!). I was nervous because you hear so many things, but it wasn't so bad. I don't remember too much of how the needle felt but remember feeling the cold medicine go in, that was weird! I had relief from the contractions and was able to have a short nap before I delivered at 12:30 am. I was not so numb I coudn't feel my feet it was just relief of the contractions. I didn't have trouble moving to get comfortable, I didn't have any trouble pushing, and after holding the baby and nursing the baby and spending time with the baby I was able to walk to the bathroom.

Here is the thing. I have had two different experiences and I don't consider either one a negative experience, but this time around I am hoping to try it med free again just because I know that is what my body was designed for and it feels right to me.

My back labor was hard, but because I labored mostly at home it was manageable. If my DH was more prepared at that time I think it would have been a lot easier to handle. (never underestimate the power of a good coach!) With my second, I thought the epidural was what I needed at that time. My DH was a wonderful coach the 2nd time around and helped me to be relaxed but I was tired & the pitocin really made those contractions bad.
Do a lot of research on relaxation options. There are many books out there that can help you learn exercises that will help in labor and the birthing classes offered at most hospital are a big help too- whether or not you opt for the epidural you will need an informed coach by your side!
Rather than thinking about the pain, think about what you want to happen when you deliver. There is so much more to labor and delivery than just the pain, but honestly it IS work and there IS pain involved but it is the best pain you will ever experience in my opinion! Watch the baby delivery shows :0) they are helpful even though every woman handles labor differently!

I know you are worried because you have intense period pain, but don't let that control your decision. You can always go into labor telling your nurse you want to try for a med free labor but you want her to keep you informed of the windows of time when you can or cannot have an epidural or other relief meds. My nurse was the best, she gently let me know what was available without being pushy.

Congratulations by the way!

i had an epidural as well. wasn't planning on it, but for me, the pain was just too great. everything went fine. i'm due with my son in january, will try to tough it out but we'll see.

Oh I fully understand bad periods hun!! I have endometriosis - the pain level is the same as labour, but no painkillers have ever helped the endo... The specialists gave up. I am looking at a hysterectomy after this baby because of how severe it gets!! Whichever way you birth, the important thing is healthy mum and healthy baby. I hope you in no way feel as though I was suggesting you birth naturally because I did?? I told you as the info I gave was from my girlfriends, not my own experience. Let's just hope that your awful periods have somewhat prepared you! :) Severe period pains are awful, you have no idea how long they will last and when they will flare up badly. Same can be said for labour (as in we don't know how long it will last) but at least we are working towards something so precious!! Makes it far easier to cope with then dreadful periods, honestly. I would much prefer to labour each month than have my endo periods. Labour is a little more intense, but it is over so much quicker!! And it is for something good, not just a defect in our bodies... I think it may make all the difference to how you cope xx

Oh and my daughter got stuck (we were being prepped for a c-section as she went into distress and I could not get her out... thank God He helped us through it!) so I had full back labour, needed to be manually dilated repeatedly, and she was born spine to spine. Which all make for an unpleasant birth. But I loved it!! :) And I am happily planning the same again... I also had braxton hicks that were at the level of labour. It scared me as I thought they were meant to be painless, and I would not be able to handle labour. But I did. We all find out at the time whether we can cope or not. Well, we all CAN cope as we have to! If we don't have access to pain relief, we have to deal with it!! But in many countries we do have access, which is there for women who decide they will do better with it. I would suggest speaking to your midwives they are great at giving info (rather than judgement!) and booking in for one of the "pain relief and complications in labour" classes. They go through methods of pain relief from relaxation techniques taught by a physio to different pain meds. They also explain the risks involved, which would be good to know before the day. I think these classes would help you feel much more comfortable and knowledgeable. It's a good idea to be prepared as much as possible, and that means knowing the risks beforehand to help you make your choice at the time :)