I have a healthy 10 month old son however, my delivery was diffiuclt. The first epidural I recived didn't seem to take and the second one gave me an allergic reaction. My heart beat felt fast and it was as if I was having tunnel hearing. It only lasted 2-3 minutes and the doc. was there to test my reaction to the medicine before administering the full amount. Having said that, I was wondering if anyone else had a problem with their epidurals? I'm planning to get pregnant in the next few months and am already feeling nervous about the delivery. Just wondered if anyone had this experience or one like it?
L.
L., I had three children and didnt use anything except stadahl(SP). it really doesnt take the pain away, but it makes you not care that you have the pain. Tho I didnot have much pain. felt like bad cramps. I had 8lbsers and a 9.7lbs. so I think you should just try something else. There are other alternatives.
Why not just skip the epidural ? It's not necessary. MANY of us gave birth without them, and we are here to tell about it. ;o)
I dont know if I had an allergy, but I had an epidural with both babies, and my blood pressure dropped dangerous low with both epidurals and they had to give me ephedrine through my IV to get it back up which made my heart feel like it was going to pound out of my chest. After both epidurals I also itched soooo bad. Just a slight obsticale, but it wouldnt stop me. =) It was a little unnerving, but nothing my doctor couldnt handle. Good luck!
Both my sister & I have had difficulties with epidurals. Our father also had problems with one during back surgery.
Extreme pain during the procedure....& for months following for all of us. According to my doctor, the formation of my spine is at odds with the standard norms.
As for allergic response, none for all of us. With my 3rd child, I did chose to go "natural" to avoid issues with the epidural. Good Luck!
L., I am sorry that you like some others had a hard time with your epidural experience. More than likley you were not allergic to it, all that happened with the test dose was routine procedure. Epidurals go into your "epidural space" thats right next to your spine and if it is wrong BAD things can happen so I respect the demands placed on mothers during the procedure. Ringing in the ears a metalic taste and numbness down one leg are indicators that it probably is not right. Also your position afterwards effects the dosing. You can try it the next time, just the same.
Alittle bout me I had my first with nothing, my second I had an entrathical(one time dose, and my third I had a C-section. The third was far worse than the first 2 put together.
I say medication during delivery is like breastfeeding. YOUR CHOICE!!! the reward is the same in the end. Mothers are not special nor supper heros for doing non medicated. Trust me every pregnancy and delivery is differant!
Getting the epidural for me was the most horrible experience to have when delivering mostly because the dr who did it was a complete and total jerk. He kept saying if I didnt he would just leave. Even the nurses were biting their tongues he was so rude. It took him 30 minutes to get through it and he kept threatenng to just leave if i didnt <fill in the blank demands>. For that reason alone I will *never* have another one.
Otherwise, once it kicked in I had the WORST case of itching throughout the whole delivery. My mom had to keep scrubbing my feet with washcloths because I couldnt reach them to scratch, and while pushing I was scratching my face the whole time. I did have a massive headache 2-3 days after delivery, but not sure if that was the epi or the codeine withdrawal.
Not sure what I will do next time (if ever), but not an epidural!
Try going without an epidural. Look into hypnobirthing, The Bradley Method, and water births. I also would recommend getting a doula. If you're worried about the epidural I would do everything possible to avoid it. Good luck!
Hi L.!
I received my epidural when I was right at 4 cms. I was in so much pain that they gave me an epidural and a spinal tap so that I would have immediate relief. Unfortunately, the spinal tap gave me a spinal headache. These are very severe headaches and I the pain was horrible. I didn't realize you could get headaches from these so I didn't get any relief for about a week after I was home with my son. So my first week home with my new baby was ruined by the terrible pain. With that said, if they offer you a spinal--say no! Just bear with it for the 20 minutes it'll take the epidural to kick in. I had no allergic reactions to that. Good luck!!
check into more natural options for delivery. epidurals are often not necessary. after the reaction you described I would be set against another epidural. go to http://www.peacefulbeginnings.wordpress....
or http://www.birthjunkie.wordpress.com/ I have a friend that is a delivery nurse and she says many of the local doctors are using more natural methods for delivery. Usually if you work with nature the results are less painful and easier to recover from. Best of luck. Enjoy the research. Do what is best for you.
Talk with your obgyn. What about a spinal?
If you research much, you'll see there are A LOT of issues that can happen from epidurals. A book I liked (with a lot of references) is The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer. It talks about a lot of the options and the pluses and minuses of them. I ended up delivering all 3 of mine with no medical intervention so far, and though there are circumstances where epidurals are really needed, I think generally we can make it through without, and there really are benefits of natural birth. It's certainly an option to consider, it has no side effects except natural pain and is reversible (you can always get something if you feel you need it). I wish you luck. I hope your next delivery is not one to dread.
K.
