Hi, I'm NOT planning on having an epidural, because I want to have a water birth and the freedom to move about. I have had an epidural for pain management and it really isn't so scary, the needle in the spine part. The only scary part is that some women experience monster headaches or reactions to the anesthetic as a side effect, labor can slow down after an epidural, C-section is more likely, and the instinct to push can lessen. Do your own research and make whatever informed choice you feel comfortable with. I hope all goes well.

I had an epidural with my first and am planning on having one again. Getting it in was really not a big deal. I felt a pinch and burn like a bee sting with the initial numbing medicine. Then just a weird pressure or cramp like sensation during the remainder of the procedure (less then 15 min). Getting the epidural was far less painful then my contractions. Once it was in I didn't even feel it but I could feel the tape holding it in on my back.

My epidural was perfect. I slept from 4 cm dilated until 8 cm. After I was awake I knew when I was having a contraction because I could feel my belly tightening but it didn't hurt. I enjoyed my labor the relaxing and bonding with my DH as we excitedly awaited the arrival of our first child was fabulous. When it came time to deliver I felt a pressure sensation down below and knew my baby was coming. I pushed for 11 minutes during which I had full use of my muscles. I felt my baby come into this world, but it didn't hurt. My entire labor was less than 8 hours (much shorter than the average first time mom). I did not have any pitocin during my labor.

I remember reading a lot of scary stories on the internet and a lot of sites directly disagreeing with each other about epidurals . I think the best thing to do if you are interested in one is go to a birth class taught by someone who actually does epidurals and is up to date on information about them.

I don't think that epidurals are for everyone. I have friends that have delivered naturally and they would not trade their experience for anything in the world. I, on the other hand watched their birth videos, and I would not have enjoyed their labor at all! I much prefer the way I did it.

We are not all the same. We all have different personalities and preferences. You know yourself best. Do your research. Talk to the experts and make an informed decision that is right for you. I hope that you have a wonderful labor and delivery.

I have had 2 epis and will not do it again, the first one wasn't bad but the second one was not put in correctly and they had to adjust it I was feeling everything on the right and you can't get up and move around. I have had back problems ever since. I am going the no drug route this time. Everyone is different though, and that was my own personal experiences with it. Make sure you do your research and know all the risk and benitfits.

Drugs for me. noway i would try to go through it without anything.

I am not good with needles, even with a count down I jump. Any movement at all while they put in an epidural can cause paralysis. Both of my children were born with no drugs at all. I don't intend on having any drugs with this baby either. My labors are so fast that they don't have time for an epidural anyway.

2 months ago a friend of mine had her baby girl and she had an epidural, even though she didn't move, the technician made an error, she lost spinal fluid and wound up in sever pain.

I didn't have an epidural with my first baby. I don't plan on having one with this baby. Ii am six months along. My first one came too fast.....

After doing research, and finding that epidurals tend to slow labor and makes it harder for you to push, I am leaning more towards the no drug route. I also found that it affects the bond between mother and child after birth, being the main cause for postpartum depression :(
Epidurals counteract the natural hormone women produce during labor: oxytocin, also called "the love drug".
But the biggest inconvenience to me is not being able to move or walk around the entire time! Its proven that movement helps the cervix dilate quickly.

A friend of mine had an epidural, and her blood pressure dropped terrifyingly low, so they had to give her drugs to get it back up, but then it was too high and they had to keep giving her a whole bunch of drugs because the epidural messed with her blood pressure so much. She also was shaking uncontrollably during the majority of her labor. It was very frightening. Apparently both are pretty common side effects of epidurals. http://www.natural-pregnancy-mentor.com/epidural-side-effects.html

I would do as much research as you can, and make a decision that will benefit you the most! :)
Good luck!

there is a lot of debate and some people will throw out a story about this person or that or statistics, but I think it is a personal choice. My first had no intervention at all. I arrived at the hospital ready to push. The back labor was terrible, but I survived and the pain disappeared upon delivery. My 2nd I had pitocin after my water broke on it's own. I had demerol- hated how it made me feel. I had the epidural and it was wonderful. I had been up since 6am, labor started around 4pm and the epidural @ 10. I had a little nap and delivered at 12:30. My 3rd I wanted to go natural. I was induced, the pitocin contractions were awful. Labor was hard. Recovery was hard. Part of me wishes I had the epidural. I can't decide what I want to do this time around. My 1st labor wasn't too bad, my 2nd labor was much nicer, my third wasn't nice. I am pro both ways of going! LOL

I had an epidural with my first and had no problems with it. In fact, it was great! My labor never slowed and I didn't end with a c-section. I knew I needed to have an epi because I have no pain tolerance, and I definitly recommend them to everyone!

I cannot have an epidural due to scar tissues that I have in my spinal chord. I am going the route of IV drugs to manage pain, and hoping for the best.

I had epidurals for 3 of my 4 births.

The first, I did because I did not know any better. I had read a few books, taken a pregnancy class, and decided to rely on the good docs to guide me through everything. My first mistake was that I allowed them to augment with pitocin and then, the pain was too great. So, I asked for an epidural because that was what everyone did, without really thinking about it. The labour slowed, and by the time baby was born, he was quite blue, though otherwise alright.

The second, I was determined to go without. But at 9 cm, they scared me, telling me that the anesthesiologist was leaving for the night, and it was now or never. I suddenly was scared that I would not be able to manage, and then what? This was really irresponsible on their part, because I was already at 9 cm! Let me tell you, ladies, at 9 cm, you do NOT get an epidural. If you made it to seven, you can go without. And most likely, if you can hang on until 5 cm or so, you will be able to go without.

So, feeling scared and vulnerable, I succumbed. Instead of having him out in the next hour or so, it took another 3-4 hours. LABOUR did SLOW A HECK OF A LOT. And, I did not feel myself pushing him, really. I could still feel the contractions in a dull sort of way, but it is not as though it were a pain free birth. And was I ever mad at myself after that. Everything could have been over in 1 hour. Instead, I had unwittingly prolonged my agony by another 3-4 hours! Arrgh!

The third, I was adamant: no epidural. Except that this was an induction. My baby was sadly 2 or 3 weeks past dates. Pitocin was unbearable. My contractions were out of control. It is even noted in my chart, "hypercontractions", which in the worst case scenario can lead to uterine rupture, hysterectomy, etc. I asked if I could have an epidural, pleasebut only if they promised it would do NO HARM to my baby. I would rather die than to have something happen to my baby, I said. Of course, they appeased me. They told me there was no risk, no danger, even though about two hours earlier, the babys heart dropped to an astounding 50 beats a minute, and STAYED there, for a whopping 5 minutes, before recovering somewhat. Needless to say, I was terrified.

(If you want to read that birth story, you can see it in my journal, A Tragic Birth. You might need to be on my friends list to read it, so feel free to send me a request, if you like).

Well, I thought for a change the doc was a real doc, but again, he was just a resident. He took THREE tries before finally getting the big fat needle in. And then, when they put the fetal monitor back on, there was NO HEART RATE. Yup, that is right. One of the complications of an epi is fetal distress. After 20 minutes of fumbling around, trying to get the HR, a crash c-section was called. 12 minutes later (record time), he was cut out of me under general anaesthesia, and fighting for his life. He spent a whopping FOUR MONTHS in the hospital, even though he was a full-term baby. They just made one mistake after another mistake.

This experience has truly changed my life. It also made me an advocate for womens birthing rights. And it made me realize, for the first time, how it is best to not intervene with nature. Women have been birthing for thousands of years, without doctors. It really IS your body, your birth. It is up to YOU to call the shots.

When I became pregnant with my fourth, I was adamant for a vbac, unmedicated. That in itself is a whole other story. But let me just say, I doubted myself. By the time I was 7 cm, I really thought I could not go on. Thank God the doc was matter-of-fact and told me: You are already at 7 cm, OF COURSE YOU CAN DO IT!

So, now, I would tell anyone here, if you are at 7 cm, YOU ARE JUST ABOUT AT THE FINISH LINE. Just a few more breaths, and you will have your sweet baby in your arms. Hang on!

Keep in mind that most epidurals consist yes, of the anaesthetic, which numbs you waist down, but ALSO a narcotic, like demerol or morphine. The narcotic can make you feel queasy, drowsy, and definitely affect your baby. Also, if you are on an epi, your movement will be limited, unless you have a walking epi (but that has the same other risks and negative effects.)

Once you get an epi, your baby must be closely monitored, so they will keep you on the monitors the whole time, which will affect your ability to move, walk around squat, go up and down stairs to help move labour along, etc. Probably, this is at least in part why the epi will slow things down. Also, an epidural can stone your baby, affect his vitals, and affect his attempts at breastfeeding. The slowing of labour can then get them to give you pitocin, to move things along. It can cause failure to progress. It really is a vicious circle, which can also culminate in a c-section.

I urge you all to do your research carefully. In some cases, an epidural may be what you do need, in cases of extremely long labour, for example, so you can relax a bit, maybe even take a much needed nap. I would really advise AGAINST including an epidural in your birth plan, because if you do, even if you are managing quite well without pain relief, someone is liable to come in and say hey, time for the epidural now! and make you take it, when you otherwise would not have thought of asking for it. If you are n labour and feel the need to get it, trust me, nobody is going to refuse to give it you if you ask for it during labour; it is a way for them to make money!


I encourage anyone who would like to feel more empowered to simply view the movie by Rikki Lake The Business of Being Born, an amazing documentary on how giving birth in the U.S. is big business! Also, see Orgasmic Birth for more on home births as opposed to hospital births which tend to be filled with interventions that often, you and baby do NOT need. There are two fantastic books to make you believe that you CAN do it, your way. One is Pamela Englands Birthing from Within and the other is Ina May Gaskins Guide to Childbirth. One of the best things I read in that book was to ride your contractions. Think of them as being a big wave that you surf. Both books offer great alternatives to traditional pain relief, as well as ideas on how to overcome pain though your mind. Good luck and happy birthing to all!

I had an epideral with my first set of twins. it did not work!! took over five times for it to get placed properly. if i was having a vaginal delivery (it will most likely be a c-section this time) i would not get another epideral.

I had no plans to use any sort of pain reliever during my labor. However, I was induced with pitocin and the pain was more than I ever would have expected. I finally asked for an epidural, but I really with I hadn't. I was told that mine is a rare case, but my spine was very tight and they had trouble getting the epidural in. It took about half an hour of trying to hold still through terrible contractions and it hurt so bad while I felt him dig around to get it in. Also, I then had an allergic reaction to the medication and they had to shut if off an hour later because it felt like my throat was closing in. So, after all of that, I still had to feel everything AND deal with the issues of being drugged and having a slightly drugged baby.

But like I said, I was a rare case.

I personally think epidurals are magic. I had wanted a natural childbirth, but I ended up on pitocin and then ultimately having an epidural, after a gruelling 28 and no real progression. After the epidural I went from 6cm to 10cm dilated, I pushed three times and he was out safe and sound. My request was for a very weak dose, so I was able to stand and squat while delivering. Plus I could feel everything, it just wasn't painful. It was awesomeness in a vial... and I don't even remember the needle part. Good luck!!

I didn't get to experience vaginal but had a c-section and had to have a spinal block. It is nothing of what you think it would be. was terrified about it but it wasn't bad at all. you basically just feel slight pressure when the needle goes in and that's it!