mums who have had a epidural

Alysha - posted on 10/16/2009

i had an epidural with my son, it is not bad at all i was scared bcuZ i had needles but i was fine..it didnt even hurt.but i had nubain before gettin it.

Alison - posted on 10/16/2009

hi i was induced when i was 12 days late i had the pessary and the gel to help bring on the laour finnally my waters broke and labour started very slowly i had gas and air and pethidine but the contractions from the induction were so intense that i had no choice but an epidural you hear horror stories but honestly he doesnt hurt wen its going in and it works so well or did for me it took literally 20 mins n i was numb from te waist down i slept through my labour to te very end and pusing was fine the midwife told me wen and i didnt feel anything te only negative thing is that you ant get up and walk around and it takes a while to wear off if you need it go for it id have another anyday

Tawni - posted on 10/16/2009

I decided to get an epidural with my son before we even went to the hospital and I was SO happy I made that decision. My blood pressure kept going up because the contractions were hurting and I was a first time mo mso I was stressed out about the whole situation. The epidural let me relax, rest, and focus on my baby and not the pain. Like some of the other girls said, my nurse told me after I got the epidural to push my button if I needed more meds and it started to wear off too soon. But when I started dialating farther and getting closer to pushing she told me she would like for me not to push the button anymore so I could feel the contractions a little bit and feel when I needed to push. It was a little bit painful but not too much to handle, like the other girls said, just a lot of pressure and I didn't even feel the little tear I got :]

Kat - posted on 10/16/2009

I had to have an epidural as i was really poorly during labour, my body couldnt cope with the pain and i was violently sick everytime i had a contraction, i had really really high bp and was bordering pre-eclampsia. i no awful and if thats not bad enough the gas and air made me even more sick and my labour stoped, the doctor told me i needed to have an epidural i didnt want it but really didnt want a c section!! i was given the epidural and within about a minute the pain had gone!! i had cursed the whole was through said i was never going to do it again as soon as id had it i changed my mind!! as to knowing when to push they monitor your contractions on the monitor and tell you that your having a contraction and to push and if i used the wrong muscles the midwife told me. i pushed my daughter out in 50minutes and the midwife said that was quick considering id had an epidural. i say do it and i will be having one as soon as i get to labour ward next time lol. hope this helps!! good luck in advance

Rachel - posted on 10/16/2009

I had it with my lil boy back in august, it was the best thing ever! I loved that i didnt feel any pain and the nurse told me when to push and what not. The only bad thing about it was when i was trying to walk i couldnt feel my feet moving. Other then that it was a good experience!

Erin - posted on 10/16/2009

I didn't think that I would need an epidural during labor. I was doing fine with the pain from the pitocin contractions until I hit the 24 hour mark of labor...it was the exhaustion that I couldn't handle. My epidural was heaven! I was able to sleep through the rest of my labor so that I had the energy when it came time to push. When I was fully dilated, they turned my epidural off so that a little of the sensation comes back. Not bad enough that it really hurts but just enough that you can feel the pressure of the baby moving down. I will definitely have one with all my babies! But do what feels right to you...if you feel like you need one...get it!

Maggie - posted on 10/16/2009

I had an epidural with both of my deliveries and if you are worried about pushing they can turn it down really really low so it'll take the edge off but you can feel yourself pushing. I DID have a terrible spinal headache afterwards. It was awful and there is a chance you'll get it. Supposedly, it only happens to 1 out of 100 women so youre chances are pretty good you won't get one.

Natalie - posted on 10/16/2009

I had the Epidural and it worked wonders...the amount of pain you go through its like heaven when it kicks in...and obviously the midwifes tell u when to push but u still feel pressure and know that somethings there ( i did anyway) and pushing was absolutly fine...i would defo advise it to any other mums.and i have been totally fine after it aswell. - xxxx

Amanda - posted on 10/16/2009

I just had my fisrt child on Sept 1st 2009. I was scared to death that the pain would be too much, and i was worried about the thought of a needle in my spine. When i was in labor, the pain hurt so bad i took the epidural. I never felt anything when they put it in, and i never had any reactions or after effects of it. It was wonderful. I would highly recommend.

Ashley - posted on 10/16/2009

i had an epi. and it was great! i was also induced. i had no problems.. the only thing that bothered me was afterward my leg stayed numb for a while and it just annoyed me that i couldnt move it but besides that everything was fine! good luck!

Biljana - posted on 10/16/2009

i went into pre labour 5 days before my daughter came out i would have strong contractionas at night (5 mins apart) and nothing during the day. by the 5th day i was wornnnnnnnnnn out i went to the hospital and yet again they had stopped. I was told that they would break my waters and give me something to bring on the labour but because i was so out of it already they insisted that i hae the epi, i did and it was the best rest i had had all week, when the time came to pushing they brought out a big mirror and told me when to push my daughter was out in 10 pushes, less than 20 mins ;-) I believe that every situation is different, go with the flow dont say you'll have it and dont say you wont ;-)

Megan - posted on 10/16/2009

I had an epidural with my first and I hated it. I didnt like the feeling of it when it went into my spine, I still get shivers down my back just think of it. Also it didnt work very well. It only numbed half of me. I wont be having one again, but everyones experience is different some swear by them some dont.

Stephanie - posted on 10/16/2009

i got the epidural, it was beautiul i sat up in the bed readn a magzine and oushed daniel out no bother, id reccomend it to anyone

Carol - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epi in june with my second one it was much different than the 1st one. The meds they use now allow you to feel but to have no pain. I had all the sensation of labor but no pain was wonderful. with my first i had pain in my rump but could not feel a thing except that and felt robbed now i know what it feels like to have a baby! If you happen to have the older meds ( they may still use them in some places) the nurses tell you when to push based on the monitor for your contractions, BTW i was induced with both my children and had no probs in any area, dont freak it will be fine just listen to the ansetists and the nurses and do exactly as they say and you should have no problems!

Francis - posted on 10/15/2009

i had an epidural and i was able to push it took a little bit of time for me to get a little feeling back but they will tell you to push. They will help put your legs in the stirrups if you can't move them, all you have to do is tense your body up like you are trying to push something out, you may not feel the pushing that you are doing, but you should be able to push just fine. I pushed for over an hour and a half after getting an epidural before my baby swallowed maconium and they had to do an emergency C Section. Just try and relax and not worry as much as you can. You will do just fine.

Samantha - posted on 10/15/2009

I was induced and had an epidural. It was great! The nurses & doctor helped me with the pushing. I still felt the contractions just not as strongly. So when I felt one, they would guide me through the pushing. It was the best thing for me. Being induced made the contractions much more intense and the epidural was much appreciated.

Tori - posted on 10/15/2009

im so happy i got an epidural all the pain went away and i got to sleep for 2 hours but when i woke up i felt something weird down there like pressure and she was almost head out lol it feels like you need to take a poo really bad u wont feel the pain just pressure of her head pushing on u. and the doctor will tell you when to push at the same time you are having a contraction! there is nothing to be scared about... :) good luck and congrats on your baby! let me know how it goes k...

Sydney - posted on 10/15/2009

i got my epidural when i was 3cm. and it was amazing, i could see the contraction on the monitor but i didnt feel them, i had been in labor for 20 hours or so when the epidural stopped working- i was at 9 cm for three hours with no epidural- it was horrible pian (mostly in my back) and i ended up having to get a c- section. the drs thought my son was breech but turns out he was stuck on my pelvic bone. if the epidural hadnt worn off it would have been awesome but i would recomend it. chances are it wont fade and you'll be fine the drs will let you know when to push.

Jessica - posted on 10/15/2009

I had a epidural.. and i didnt ahve any problems with it.. i was induced at 39wks.. if ur induced i would suggust gettin the epi, because the the meds they give u to make u go in labor cause u to have more intense contractions.. and i dnt know about everybody but, i felt presser and told the doc i thought i was ready to push, so he checked and sure enought his head was crowing.. I felt presser every contraction, so i knew when i to push, but also the nurse will tell u everytime u have a contraction so u can push,, It is amazin cause u aint in pain and u can enjoy the experience..

Melany - posted on 10/15/2009

I started out with the plan of going all natural i was totally against getting any pain meds untill they gave me meds to make her come faster well they ended up giving me way 2 much and i didnt have any breaks between my contractions but a few seconds so i ended up having to get one done at first it only numbed one side so they had 2 come back in and put more through the tube they left in my back after that it was alot better and i knew when i needed 2 push because u still feel alot of pressure just not the pain. It all depends on the person and your pain level as long as u don't run into any problems and have a high pain thresh hold u prob don't have 2 worry about having one.

Alison - posted on 10/15/2009

i had to be induced with my 1st child and i had an epidural and i didnt have a very good experience with it...it dosent hurt as bad as everyone says and im a big baby when it comes to pain ..it scared me more than anything because i couldnt see what was going on. the reason why mine was so horrible though was because nothing took they only thing that went numb was my right hip and they also gave me whatever is the next up from an epidural and that didnt take either so just keep in mind just because you get one dosent mean it will forsure work

Sharonda - posted on 10/15/2009

Well, everyone has a story. Some good and some bad. I had to have a spinal when i got my cerclage and an epi when i had my c-section. Neither really hurt. The nurse got me to relax and by the time i arched my back and got into position, it was over and i didnt feel a thing. People told me the horror stories too. I was scared to death to have one.

Katt - posted on 10/15/2009

I got an epidural and I'm so glad I did. I'm terrified of needles but I just kept my eyes closed threw the whole thing. They numb the area first and you can't feel it at all, the IV they give you hurts more than the epidural itself. I thought I wouldn't be able to feel when I needed to push but I did very much so, which was great but some women can't. I could also feel when I needed to pee... But if you can't feel it they let you know. I had no side effects just a tiny bit of back pain but that could have been from giving birth.

Kristin - posted on 10/15/2009

The epidural was a life saver. I had back labor because the little guys was facing the wrong direction. He came out alert and crying. As for pushing, they tell you when and you just push like you are trying to poop.

Angelica - posted on 10/15/2009

when i was planning my daughter's birth i wanted an epidural,when it came time [3 months early] i wanted nothing to do with an epi. the nurses kept urging me to get one but i refused and my reasoning was beacuse ....it was going to hurt..im terrified of needles..well i finally gave in and got one..when they came in to put it in they sat me and i started telling them that it was too late..the nurses told me oh no i was fine..well they put it in [which does not hurt at all!] flipped me back up on the table,checked me and ran for the doctor because it was time! so my epidural didnt have time to kick in before she was born but as soon they left the room with her my legs went numb and i was feeling okay haha
no effects, just felt like a bruise on my back for about a week.

Jamie - posted on 10/15/2009

Well let me say I loved it. I was induced and it was a lot harder then my 1st and i had an epidural when I was about a 5 and 45min. later and about 3-4 pushs and she was out. so yes I loved it and nothing bad happened.

Pia - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural for my son. As Mayte said, they let it wear off towards the end so that you can feel your contractions to some extent.

If you want to have an epidural, have one, but if you are worried about the risks do a bit of research first and then decide whether you think it will be worth it. The way I got through the first 20 hours of my labor without an epidural was to just keep reminding myself that the pain wouldn't last forever. With or without one, you'll have your baby at the end of it:)

MAYTE - posted on 10/15/2009

I GUESS IT DEPENDS ON YOUR BODY AT THE TIME I HAD 2 EPIDERALS THE FIRST ONE WAS REALLY HARD I DIDNT EVEN KNOW IF I WAS PUSHING OR NOT...AND FELT SO MUCH PREASURE.. PLUS AFTER I HAD HIM THEY WANTED ME TO USE THE RESTROOM I COULDNT EVEN PULL MYSELF UP AFTER 2 HRS OF PUSHING THE SECOND ONE ONLY WORKED ON 1/2 MY BODY SO I STILL FELT EVERTHING....I HAD 1 NATURAL BIRTH NO PAIN MEDICATION AT ALL NOT BECAUSE I WANTED TO BUT CAUSE THE BABY CAME DOWN SO FAST THER WAS NO TIME FOR ONE AND IT WAS SO MUCH BETTER I WAS ABLE TO STAND 10MIN AFTER HAVING THE BABY I WASNT SORE AT ALL AND I COULD ACTUALLY SIT UP...BUT I DID HAVE ONE WITH MY LAST BABY SHES 2MONTHS AND IT ACTUALLY WORKED BUT AGAIN I HAD NO CLU E WHEN TO PUSH SHE CAME ON HER OWN...U KNOW BEING MY 4TH BABY LOL..WHAT U CAN DO IS GET IT BUT LET IT WEAR OFF TOWARD THE END SO YOU CAN ACTUALLY FEEL UR PUSHING...AND THE BABY COMES DOWN FASTER

Wyndi - posted on 10/15/2009

yeah i dont know how yall didnt feel anything when yall were having to push because i felt everything and it was the worst pain in the world. but i did get to sleep some after i got it.

Wyndi - posted on 10/15/2009

well i had an epidural, and am thankful i had one, but its been 3 months since i had my daughter and ive had back pains ever since. but i definitely recommend it. oh and you do feel when you are pushing, at least i did.

Kylie - posted on 10/15/2009

I was induced with my son, and had an epidural, and I was telling the midwife when I needed to start pushing (she wanted to argue with me till I made her check). You can still feel something, it's just not painful or as painful depending on how well it worked.

Summer - posted on 10/15/2009

I was induced at 39weeks and had planned on going through my labor without an epidural. I was induced at about 1:00am on July 10th and my OB broke my water at about 7:30am. My labor was okay but when it started to hurt real bad they gave me some pain meds which helped but after the second dose of pain meds I started throwing up. I fnally broke down and got an epidural which did give me some relief for a while, but did eventually wear off. I was hooked to a pump so was able to ask for meds through my epidural but all it did was numb my legs and I did still feel my contractions. I was in labor for 15 hours and will say that the epidural helpd for the first part of labor it helped but after in wore off it I would never of known that I had gotten one if it was not for the numbness in my legs. Also since just my legs where numb with the epidural I did have some anxiety with that it really started to freak me out after a while. One more thing for a few weeks after giving birth to my son I did have some lower back pain for a while. I asked my OB about it and he stated that it can happen. I would just say that if you can get by with just having pain meds or have a high tolerance for pain I would not do the epidural. If I have another child I will probably not get one.

Jasmine - posted on 10/15/2009

I loved the epideral and i will get it again. I had no problems at all!

Kelly - posted on 10/15/2009

Quoting Jennifer:

I had an epidural. It was wonderful. I took a prenatal class and they explained all options of birthing. With the epidural part they said even if you can't feel the pressures of wanting to push the dr is going to tell you when to do it. To push hard our dula said to imagine your blowing up the worlds toughest balloon. You know what that feels like when your trying to get the air into it. Use that experience to push your baby out and and you will use all the right muscles to get the job done. She also said that when the dr tells you to stop pushing to imagine a feather floating just above your face and to breath gently but rapidly just to keep the feather above your face. This really helped me get through my labour. It was 47 hrs and I was pushing for almost 5 hours trying to get the little guy out. He was 9.98 when he decided he was ready to see the world. I hope this information is helpful. Good Luck.

I thought my labor was long!  Wow.  47 hours?  I was in for 39 hours and pushing for 2 hours.  But that lil guy did a number on me.  But it was worth it! =-)

Jennifer - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural. It was wonderful. I took a prenatal class and they explained all options of birthing. With the epidural part they said even if you can't feel the pressures of wanting to push the dr is going to tell you when to do it. To push hard our dula said to imagine your blowing up the worlds toughest balloon. You know what that feels like when your trying to get the air into it. Use that experience to push your baby out and and you will use all the right muscles to get the job done. She also said that when the dr tells you to stop pushing to imagine a feather floating just above your face and to breath gently but rapidly just to keep the feather above your face. This really helped me get through my labour. It was 47 hrs and I was pushing for almost 5 hours trying to get the little guy out. He was 9.98 when he decided he was ready to see the world. I hope this information is helpful. Good Luck.

Kelly - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural and not a bad thing happened. I was able to relax and glad I did it. The nurses coached and when a contraction came, I had to push. You dont feel any pain, just pressure as the baby moves down the birth canal. Also, I didnt feel the 24 stitches that they gave me. There's another drug that they gave me before the epidural. I forgot the name of it but they give it to you through your IV and then a shot. WONDERFUL!

Lise - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural with my son. I asked for one right away but didn't get it fo 5 hours. Until i got it, it was the worst pain in the world!! I was in so much pain, and then once i got it i could focus and function again. I could feel pressure when the contractions came and it was the BEST choice i ever made to have one!

Georgina - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural as i had such a bad labour n it was put in wrong twice so i wouldn't recommend having one, also i was in labour for 36 hours n had gas n ai, 2 doses of diamorphine and my last resort was the epidural which i decided to have at last minute but like i said i wouldnt recommend it, but everyone has different effects from it butits the womans own choice to have it or not don't always take what others say because you don't know how it will affect you.

Catherine - posted on 10/15/2009

i had my first baby in may and when i was thinking about my birth plan i didn't want an epidural, my labour was very long and i first had gas and air which made me feel sick then i had the pethadine that made me feel terrible so in the end i had an epidural and it was the best thing in the world as i was so tired this really helped me relax and it was quite funny when the midwives were telling me when i'd had a contraction, if i have another child i will def be having the epidural first

Kristy - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural and heard so many terrible things about getting one and how unmotherly I would be to my child if I got one, But I decided to go for it and I wouldnt change a thing. I loved my labor.

Summer - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural, and it was great!!! I had no problems.... You will know when to push because you can still feel the pressure of the contraction when the baby is low enough, to start pushing, but opther then that you wount feel anything. you will know when to push.



I was induced and had a GREAT experiance.... I will do it again

Keara - posted on 10/15/2009

i had an epidural and it helped me so much... i am perfictly fine and the Dr. tells you when to push and when to stop

Jamie-Ann - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural and it was great. no pain but i did think it made it harder for me to push my son out, so had to have a forceps delivery which was not pleasant so definitely not let them use forceps again. good luck

Erin - posted on 10/15/2009

i just had my baby girl and opted to have the epidural and they induced me to get things going faster. the epidural for me didn't go so well. it was great at first for dulling my contractions but then only my left leg seemed to go numb and i had a lot of pain good news was my baby was born soon after it was just kind of freaky to wake up and not have feeling in one leg. this isn't very common and usually is relieved by rolling to the side where you still have feeling so that the epidural can flow to that side. i knew how to push and could feel enough to know when to. i was told by a ton of people though that epidurals are great so don't worry too much about what has happened to other people. good luck!

Trudy - posted on 10/15/2009

Quoting lisa:

I personally would not have an epidural. When the epidural is working they are right you dont feel any pain, but you also can not feel when to push. They do tell you when but it does not work very well at all. My first child i was in hospital at five thirty in the afternoon on the 4th of April and i had him at twelve the next afternoon on the 5th of April.I had my second child and was out within half an hour of being at the hospital and i did not have an epidural with him. I also had a numb right thigh for 7 mths with having the epidural. I was advised to have the epidural as i have epilepsy. It made it worse for me and longer and i had a fit threw the labour, they said it is suppose to make it less tiring for me but it did the opposite. In the end he had to be pulled by forceps as i was so tired could go no longer. I hope this helps and gives you some idea of what they are like, if you want to talk more just ask x

This has since changed they allow the epidural to have worn of totally before you need to start pushing it is hook up to a boost button, it just gives you a blast of pain relief which you can control yourself so when the midwife tells you that you are 10cm you dont press the button anymore, after anout 20-30mins you can feel contractions again and you obviously get the urge to push just as you would if you hadn't had the epidural at all, It is exactly the same as going without except it puts you out of any form of pain until you are 10cms, hence giving you time to rest and build your energy for pushing. I would advise it everytime, it was perfect, made my 12hour labour easy and almost enjoyable, I was on a monitor throughout the whole delivery which told me (even when numb) that I was  having a contraction and how strong it was. Brilliant idea, highly recommended!!!

Brooke - posted on 10/15/2009

I have not read anyone elses posts but... I loved it..

it was a huge help for me, i knew when to push and the midwife is there to help you with that.. you dont feel any pain, I slept through 3hrs of my labour. thank god for that!! lol

Trudy - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural when I had my daughter. i would definately do it again with any uture births, you cannot feel a thing, and it means you can get some sleep to prepare you for the pushing, they are now given on what is almost like drip where you control the dosage, when you feel a tingle coming back you press it so what they do is keeping checking how many cm's you are and when you are at 10 they tell you not to press your epidural button again, it soon wears off and you start to feel your contractions again so that you know when to push! It thought it was brilliant and nothing bad happened to me, it is a tiny think little tube, you dont feel it go in at all and it isnt sore, it has been known for it to take a while for them to find the right spot but it really doesnt hurt!

Kerren - posted on 10/15/2009

i had epidural and i would defo recommend them i couldnt feel a thing and my labour was 10 hours from when i first went into the hospital so it didnt slow things down i had abit of back ache after giving birth but think that was to do with carrying my baby aswell as the epidural but that went soon after, and the midwife told me when to push.

Shannon - posted on 10/15/2009

Hi, I had an epidural for both my kids, the first one worked like a charm couldn't feel a thing and the midwife told me when to push. the second one didn't work so ended up with nothing, it's really different every time and down to your personal choice and pain threshold, I recommend them if it works :)

Aniesha - posted on 10/15/2009

I had an epidural, & it was sooo good. Having said that though, next time I definitely want to try for a natural labour. I never actually got to the pushing stage, as my son was in the wrong position, so I could only get to 8cms. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to push, but the midwife described it as "some poos are harder to push out than others"! She said that they would prop me up so that gravity would help me to instead of laying flat on my back.
Also, I did have some quite intense back, neck, & head pain for a couple of weeks after delivery. I'm not sure if that was purely a side effect of the epidural, or if it had something to do with me laying so much on my back after the caesar. Just thought I'd mention that. All I could recommend is actually doing some book reading on it, coz otherwise you will get the horror stories thrown at you too. At least then you'll know the risks without hearing someone's personal nightmare, which I feel is a little more scary! A Labour Of Love by Gabrielle Targett is a wonderful book, which outlines all the pros & cons of every scenario. When I opted for an epidural, I knew the risks, but at that point, I really didn't care, lol. I tried the gas, but after a couple of hours, it stopped working for me.
Best of luck anyway!