Your Epidural Experience

I had it with my daughter, and then my boys were both c-sections.

I would do it again in a heart beat too. Childbirth is something else and there is no need, at least in my book, to go through it without pain meds if you don't have to.

I had one and it was great! I don't think you can ever predict how long or short labor will last. No side effects with me or the baby.

OMG....I have felt about 6 hours of actual, real labor (not the early labor pains...the real deal, end is near labor pains)...and personally, there is absolutely no chance in hell that I would ever, ever endure that through an entire birth. And I have a high pain thresh hold.

I had epi's with both kids. Zero problem with either. No episiotomy. I did have a 2nd degree tear...but honestly, I don't know anyone that had a vaginal birth that didn't tear. I can't say whether it made labor last longer than it would have otherwise, but given that with the epi all I had to do is lay around and wait to push...I watched an entire season of the West Wing while we waited. And with my first...13 minutes and 2 pushes later I had my son. Easy peasy.

(My DD, second, was caught on my pelvis, so that's a different story, but totally unrelated to having an epidural.)

Both of my kids were totally alert and healthy...there's a lot of people that will tell you that it's bad for the baby. If that were actually true, in this day and age, hospitals would not offer it for fear of being sued. Plain and simple.

Congrats and good luck!

I had an epidural, it was perfectly fine and would do it again in a second. Nobody expected DH to have his Achilles tendon repair without pain control - why shouldn't he want to experience the miracle of orthopedics naturally? I had the same feeling about child birth. My goals were not to have 'a birth experience'. They were to come out of it with a healthy mother and healthy baby.

We have one son and my labor with him was 36 hours long - same as it was for my mother with me.
I always planned to have an epidural, I had one and it was wonderful!
I went 16 hours before I had it.
I walked, did stairs, took a shower.
I was getting tired and to the point of tears.
I stayed at 3 cm for the longest time (even after they broke my water).
With the epidural I could rest - I even got some sleep.
And then when I was finally at 10 cm it only took 1.5 hrs of pushing.
Our son was 9 lbs 1.5 oz, delivered vaginally and I had a small episiotomy which was easily repaired.
I believe he would have been a c-section if I hadn't had the chance to rest up because I would've been too exhausted after 36 hrs to push.
For me it worked flawlessly.

My labor was very quick with the epidural. 3 pushes and she was out. I'm very glad I did it and did it for both. In fact, from water breaking to delivery, my first was 8 hours and my second 5. I had the same concerns and my dr. Said sometimes without an epidural women can get so exhausted that the forceps become necessary (that was my biggest concern - I didn't want forceps).

I'm glad I did it and I'd do it again.

Heck no, I don't regret it at all. Natural childbirth is overrated, imo. I tried it for a day or two, and it hurt like heck. Loved my epidurals.

I had a epidural with my first birth. It was a beautiful birth. I had a episiotomy which was not a problem, and needed a little help with a suction cup on baby's head. It was lovely. The second time I decided not to have an epidural. It was very painful, and not as enjoyable at all. I had another episiotomy anyway and my baby had a little wire monitor placed (screwed) into his scalp. The birth was no shorter, and a lot more painful than my first. After the pain and exhaustion I felt I didn't have the energy or will to bond in the first moments after birth.

After my second birth my mind was made up with the third. I definitely had that epidural. It was brilliant. It had worn off just that little bit allowing me to effectively push and do it all myself really well, without the wracking pain.

I've done it both ways, and my preference would be to have the epidural.

I did with both kids. Best invention ever! Went from sharp pain and feeling out of control to feeling totally in control. No regrets. I had no need to prove to anyone I could go without pain relief. Had my kids later, in my 30s, so I'd already proven my strength in other ways in life.

First time, I was completely numb and felt awesome. I could sit there and joke around with family until it was time to push. It took two hours to push our son, but I attribute that more to my inexperience. Second child, she was sunny-side-up, so even with the epidural, I still had a little pain/cramping. Maybe 10 minutes of pushing with her, despite the potentially difficult delivery (didn't need a c-section, which was expected given her position).

I had an episiotomy with the first and tore a lot with the second. I would choose an episiotomy in a heartbeat. Tearing took forever to heal. Both of my kids were big babies, so I would have needed an episiotomy or torn anyway, epidural or no epidural.

Can't recommend an epidural highly enough.

i had TWO with my first son. on the one hand it was kinda awesome. after hours of painful labor, it was a huge relief to have the pain gone. i just watched the monitor to know when to push. but really, it wasn't a great idea. the baby was groggy, it prolonged my labor, and made my recovery much longer than it needed to be. one would probably have been plenty.
don't try to convince yourself to do without. every labor is different, and if you are in distress, get help.
but i'll add that my second came so fast there was no time for meds (i had no intention of going natural) so while the pain was pretty intense, it was over with quickly, and the entire experience was much better. and the euphoria!
i'd recommend to go without if you can, use it if you must, but don't have two!
:) khairete
S.

I didn't have an epidural, and for me, natural childbirth was an amazing experience. Really, what was worse than the pain was the anxiety, since I kept thinking the pain was just starting and was going to get much worse. For 3/4 of my labor I thought that. By the time I got over that fear, when the pain was really at its worst, I was barely even aware of it any more, I was concentrating so hard. By the pushing stage, I was able to push so hard, there was no pain at all. And I am not "special" in any way, when it comes to stoicism and things like that. The pain, at its worst, is about 7 on a scale of 1-10; it doesn't go all the way up to a 10.

That said, I have two close friends who had babies around when I did. One knew all along that she wanted an epidural. She had one and was extremely happy with it. The other wanted to do natural childbirth, but it just wasn't meant to be. She had an extremely protracted labor and a huge baby (and she's tiny). She eventually had an epidural, and she loved it. No regrets at all. And no complications, for either of them.

So there's no right or wrong way to do this. Natural childbirth IS doable (and wonderful) if you want to do it. If not, epidurals are safe. As far as medical procedures go, they have very low complication rates.

I only have one child and I had an epidural and a c-section.
Epidurals are generally safe. Adverse reactions are rare. Why feel more pain than you have to?

I know everyone has different experiences but I have given birth twice, first time with an epidural, second time without. I regret the first epidural, after it was administered my labor stopped completely (I have read more since then and think I was given it much too late.) I was given pitocen and my son was eventually delivered by forceps. Not a procedure I would recommend at all. I decided to go with natural child birth with my daughter. Things proceeded much quicker, and admittedly with a lot more pain : ), but when she was here I felt so much better (than I had with the epidural) and was up and around within 20 minutes.
Good luck!

Didn't do epidural a in the 70s. Four kids without anything. First one was tougher because if back labor and her being Sunnyside up!
Right after they all were born jumped in shower, put make up on and was ready to conquer the world. Actually with 2nd had to drive us home from hospital. He was born during blackout of 77. My husband was NYC cop. Had not slept in two days, it was 105 degrees n city was in chaos. He got off enough time to meet his son and take us home. Problem was he was exhausted. So if the two of us, I was in better shape. Drug free is nice. However have seen my DIL in labor not even break a sweat with an epidural. Do what's best for you. Congrats.

I had a C-section with both and had an epidural with both.

Kiddo #1 - I had the epidural shakes and had to be strapped down on the operating table. I was awake and that was awesome. I do not regret that decision. I did labor for 18 hours prior to the shot. I would never do that again! There is a reason for drugs and this is one of them!!!

Kiddo #2 - I didn't have enough medication and felt the first cut. I pulled my oxygen mask off and yelled "ouch". The look on their faces was hysterical. Got more "stuff" and let me tell you, I didn't feel a thing for a day! It was great. They came and mushed on my tummy, didn't feel a thing! I was awake and I do not regret that epidural either.

Its your birthing plan. I think all birth is "natural child birth". The kid came out, right? Do what is right for you and your family. To me, epidurals rule!!!!

3 babies. 3 epidurals. I wouldn't do it any other way. It never slowed labor down for me. It had the opposite effect. With my first, my water broke at 39 weeks, but I had no contractions and I was dilated to 0 when I arrived at the hospital. They gave me pitocin which had me begging for the epidural, but they made me wait until I was 4cm's. That was at about 9 AM. They told me I would have the baby that evening. She was born four hours later at 1 PM. They were shocked that I progressed that fast with my first labor. My second labor was 7 hours start to finish, and I received an epidural upon arrival at the hospital at 3 cm. My third labor was fast and furious. I arrived at the hospital at 2 AM, was 7 cm's, got the epidural as soon as they could give it to me and had him at 6:30 AM.

As for the episiotomies, I would have needed them with out without the epidural. That doesn't make a difference.

I did fine without an epidural for the first 3 hours of labor at the hospital (not including laboring at home, which would add another 6 hours). Then I was put on Pitocin to speed things up (I developed pre-eclampsia during labor, and baby was getting stressed...) and made it about 3 more hours before I broke and got the epidural. I was SOOO glad I did! I handle pain extremely well (snapped two bones in my arm for a total of 4 clean breaks that required surgery to install 11 pins and 2 plates... Barely blinked an eye, walked myself into the emergency room, and took only one of the Hydros I was prescribed for pain.) but labor on pitocin completely did me in. I was in tears and not coping well at all when my doctor asked me if I was *really* sure I didn't want the epidural. Actually, the only person who's name I remember from my delivery was April the Anesthesiologist. :)

It was a huge relief... I had been in a (failed) induced labor for 10 hours a couple days before that, and my husband's family plus my dad had come into the state for the birth... So I really hadn't been resting as well as I should have. I went into labor very early in the morning, so was only running on about 3 hours of sleep... I went to the hospital and it was around 3:30pm when I got my epidural. I was able to take a nap after that, because I was utterly exhausted. I didn't reach the pushing stage until 6:00ish, and it took just over 3 hours of pushing before my dd was born at 9:18pm. (She was nearly 10 lbs... She actually crowned about 20 minutes in, and the doctor told me that it would only take a few more pushes... But she started thrashing and somehow managed to shoot herself BACK in which led to the extra 2.5 hrs of pushing. Stubborn little girl! Lol.) I was somehow able to tell when I needed to push... I'm not sure if I could feel something or just sensed it, but I barely needed the doctor's coaching at all. afterward, I was SUPER glad I got the epidural, because I had a nasty hemmorhage and my placenta would not detach, so the doctor had to go in after it and scrape it out, then pack me to stop the bleeding. I can't imagine what THAT would have been like (my husband likes to claim he was more traumatized by it than I was. Lol.) without anything to numb the pain- and the doctor had to act fast, as I was already passing out from blood loss when she went in so there would have been no chance to get pain relief at that point. Somehow, through all that I never tore and did not get an episiotomy so I was lucky about not having to deal with stitches. :)

My epidural itself went very well. I barely felt the initial shot; it took full effect, and I didn't experience any strange effects. I didn't even feel numb, just relief in the absence of the pain. I was given a button that I could push when I needed more medicine, and it felt like someone was tracing a cold finger down my spine... But in a good way. Lol.

My next delivery, I plan to try to go epidural-free... Buuuut I want to be told when I am reaching the point of no return, so I can assess my pain/risk level with my doctor, and decide whether to progress naturally or get the epidural.

I've had two epidurals and three all naturals (all too fast for an epidural). The first epidural was not done right and caused temporary back problems that lasted approximately a year to two years after giving birth. Thankfully it was not permanent. But the person administering it made the dose too strong. An epidural ideally will take away the pain but leave enough feeling so you know what's going on. I was completely numb from the waist down with the first one and couldn't even feel my legs. A friend in the room and my husband literally had to hold my legs up and move them for me during the pushing because I couldn't feel anything at all.

The second epidural was done perfectly. It took all the pain away, but I could still feel the movement of the contractions. This allowed me to work with, not against, my body's efforts. It was also good because my anxiety during that labor was so high I was actually causing it to stall, but the epidural made it possible to relax and stop stressing. Basically, as soon as it kicked in, I was able to progress rapidly and gave birth shortly after.

My advice/experience is that I prefer a natural birth (not because I'm super woman but because the recovery for me seemed to be faster on those births). But a well done epidural definitely has its place and should be used if wanted or needed.

Two babies - no epidurals. NOT BY CHOICE!! :)

I wanted, planned and demanded an epidural during labor, but I dilated too quickly with both and was told it would be too dangerous to have one. Thankfully, both labors were short (5 hours for the first, 2 hours for the second from start to finish). But it was still hard and I still required an episiotomy with my first.

The point is, you will hear many things- like epidurals mean a greater likelihood of episiotomies, but that's not always true as I have demonstrated. I had a "natural childbirth", but still required an episiotomy. So... take the information you have, but remember that none of it is an absolute.

Have a plan, but stay flexible in your thinking. A natural childbirth was not what I wanted at all, but it's what I got! And I would do it all over again to get my two kids. They are worth every second of the pain!

I hope your pregnancy goes well. It truly is the most amazing thing you will ever do! Enjoy this time!

I had an epidural with each of my two children. I don't regret it for a moment. My first labor was about average (14 hours start to finish). My second labor was also pretty normal (6 hours start to finish). The epidurals worked as advertised both times. I was not in pain, but could still push. The longest that I pushed was 15 minutes, so I don't believe that it weakened my pelvic muscles whatsoever.

I had an epidural with my first two and went all natural with my 3rd.

I had horrible back labor with my 1st and after 5 hours of laboring at home, asked for an epidural as soon as I got to the hospital, around 6am. After a short nap, my daughter was born at 2 pm, after an hour of pushing, about 14 hours after labor started. I had an episiotomy right as she was crowning, so I wouldn't tear.

With my 2nd, I labored at home and at the hospital for about 8 hours, but stalled in progress. I had an epidural at 6 am, took a short nap and let my body have a break, and was my son was born at 9 am, after 5 pushes. I had another episiotomy.

My 3rd was 10 hours of hard labor, mostly in the hospital, no pain relief or medications of any kind. I had horrible back labor again, but had a massage therapist friend with me massaging my back, which helped a lot. He was born after about 3 pushes and I had another episiotomy, but also tore a tiny bit.

While it was nice to know I could deliver drug-free and I'm glad I experienced it, I don't know if I will do it again when #4 arrives. It was painful, but that's not what brings me pause. I felt less present at #3's birth. I was so focused of pain management, during labor, during birth, and immediately following, that I didn't even cry when he was placed on my chest, like I did with the others. I just felt like I couldn't focus on the birth as much as I did when pain was being managed for me.

So, that's my story. In the end, you'll make your own choice and then all plans can still fly out the window when you're actually going through it.
Good luck with your pregnancy!

I had 2 with. The first I got the epidural as soon as I started feeling pains, I was induced, and it was amazing. The second I didn't get to the hospital until I was 5cm dilated and by the time the anesthesiologist got there, I was 8 cm (less than an hour.) I was crying and asking why they all hated me, I was in so much pain until it kicked in. I only regret not going in earlier.

I've had 2 babies, and 2 epidurals. I don't regret it a bit, my labors were easy, quick, and went exactly as planned. First one lasted about 11 hours, with 3 hours of pushing, second one lasted 5 hours with about 5 minutes of pushing. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

The epidural actually made my labor speed up. Within 30 min of getting it I went from 3 to 10 cm with my first and 5 to 10 cm with my second. It made my labor awesome. With my third child the doctor was delayed and so was my epidural. So I didn't get it in time and it was the most painful experience ever. Although some on here will try to scare you with horror stories and bully you into natural child birth, don't believe that it will slow down labor. When it relaxes a woman she is able to let go and therefore labor speeds up. And there is no harm to baby from getting one. I will also say these two things- there is no prize given for having a natural labor, and you wouldn't have surgery done or have bad menstrual cramps without having pain relied. Why should birth be any different?

My advice to all women is to try to go at it with out one. Make that your plan but allow yourself to be flexible. Ask your hubby to support that decision. But have a code word with your husband. So when you say "sunshine" he needs to support your decision to get the epidural.

I had complications with my epidural and ended up not being able to get numb. I also had a spinal headache afterwards.

Good luck and enjoy your baby!!

2 babies, back labor with both, no pain medicine with both. I have no regrets. Every drug has side effects and the potential for something to go wrong. My first child was born in distress and was so bad the head neonatal nurse asked medication I had taken during labor. She said if I had I might not have had a baby at all. My second child was born with no IV even. It went so smoothly the labor nurse said I should be on TV LOL. It's painful, no doubt about it. I decided getting rid of the pain might bring side effects that would be harmful to my babies or myself so I said no.

My sister is the biggest wuss I have ever met. Her first child she had an epidural and they had to use forceps to deliver her. Her second labor she chose no pain medicine and she had no problems at all. I decided right then and there that if she could do it so could I.

Best of luck to you.

One baby, no epidural. I was age 41. I went into it with no intention of using any drugs. I had 10 hours of labor total from the time my water broke, including over 3 hours of pushing. The pain was the worst up front. Once I got to the hospital and into a warm tub, it changed and I was able to focus and concentrate more. The pushing wasn't as painful, it was just hard work. I had no tearing or stitches. I had a midwife with me the whole time, no doctor.

The best advice I got before my birth was from an experienced doula. She said that the pain would increase in stages, and at each stage to give myself 30 minutes to adjust to the new level before making any decisions about drugs. But actually, after the first part at home, I didn't give drugs a thought, I was too busy doing what I was doing.

It may have been the most painful thing I've been through, longer though not as intense as a couple of sports injuries I've had. It most reminded me of the 3 1/2 hour test I went through to get my Karate black belt. That was physically and emotionally intense, and left me sore and bruised, too. The outcome to both experiences was worth the work and pain, though.

I gave birth 12/1994 to my daughter. I know many things have changed since my experience.

I was induced by breaking the waters around 7am walked around and such. By 10 am or so I don't recall exact times, I was given pitocen and by the time I hit the " norm" the epidural was given and it was no biggie. I had 2 hours of pushing before I finally got her out.

Long story short.., daughter was born at 6 pm sharp!

I delivered both our kids without an epidural, though I did use pain relieving drugs after about 6 hours of labor with the first one. My rationale was that I did not want to be stuck in a bed, unable to walk around or get into other positions to work with the labor, and in our relatively rural area, there is no 'walking epidural'. For my own psychological reasons, I had to have my mobility, so it was not an option for me.

The real issue was getting me into labor, as the induction did not take for about 12 hours. I did need that pain relief with the first, and I progressed through the last two centimeters of dialation while drugged, which was just fine. Actually, I think I could feel the labor pains through the drug at one point, maybe when they were wearing off and I was waking up. Anyway, I only pushed about 45 minutes once I was fully dialated.

With our second, labor was so quick and efficient that I barely made it to the hospital--I don't think it was even an hour from onset. By the time they got me into a room and checked me, I was fully dialated... no time for an epidural or option of any drugs, really. It took longer for them to set up the room and get the doctor in there than to push her out. That sweet girl took literally 2 hours 15 minutes from start to delivery :).

I do not regret not using an epidural at all. Sure, delivery was painful, however there are other medications one can use which don't have the systemic effects of an epidural. That's just my weighing of what worked for me, however. I will say that I did toss most of my birthplan out the window once we were in the thick of things, so while it's good to think about your preferences, it is probably wise not to get too attached to any of them. Ultimately, it's about ending up with a healthy baby, not as much about our experience along the way. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy, and a safe delivery.

Mine was great. It didn't cause any of those problems you mention. My labor was long but not because of the epidural. The hardest part was bending forward so the anesthesiologist could do it - my pregnant belly was straight out in the front so I didn't have much leverage for bending! But I kind of laughed of his instructions to bend forward, and he got it done. I had really good control of my body so when the monitors said a contraction was coming and I should push, I just sort of "aimed" the baby for where I thought I was supposed to, and the doctor & nurses encouraged me saying I was doing perfectly. I did need an episiotomy but I have no reason to think that had anything to do with the epidural.

I was up and walking pretty soon after the delivery - went to the bathroom and got cleaned up with the nurse's help just to be sure I wasn't wobbly. There were no after effects at all and I'm thrilled I did it.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I had an epidural with my first--2 hours of pushing which was exhausting! I couldn't feel much except some pressure. I lost a lot of blood and passed out soon after the birth. Not saying it was due to the epidural, but two hours of pushing takes a toll on the body. My back killed me for months afterward.
With my second, less than 2 years later, there was no time for an epidural. It hurt badly for about the last 30 minutes but I pushed him out in two pushes. The recovery was SOOOO much quicker and easier. No lasting back pain. If I had a third, which is not happening :) I would definitely skip the epidural.

I had an epidural with my first but not with my second.
With my first, I did fine up until I stalled at 8 cm and was given pitocin...also had terrible back labor. I was so relieved to get that epidural at the time BUT the awful part was that I ended up with a spinal headache as result of it that lasted 8 days...I couldn't do anything but lay flat in bed because if I lifted my head I was in so much pain. That's a pretty rare complication however.
With my second I did fine without the epidural, felt great right after delivery- but it was also my second birth which I think made it a little easier. For me, the pain level of the contractions never became worse, just the length of them. The final few pushes were the most painful but it was quick. If I were to have a third, I would definitely "plan" to go natural again.

I had epidurals with both of my children and loved it! If I could re-live any moment of my life it would be the labor and delivery of my children. I actually enjoyed the whole experience of labor, pushing, and delivery.

My first labor was 7 hours, with 18 minutes of pushing. My second was an induction and lasted 8 hours with 10 minutes of pushing. With both labors I waited until I was about 8 cm dilated to get epidurals. I think it really helps the labor process to go faster if you can be free to move around for as long as possible. Epidurals can slow down the labor process if you get them too early, but if you wait until you are farther along, then it's usually not a problem.

As far as tearing, not having an epidural can often make the tears worse, because most women can't control how hard they push when the pain is so intense. With an epidural, you can push the baby's head out slower at the direction of your provider, which minimizes tears. It also allows the provider more time to massage and stretch your perineum as the baby crowns. During prenatal visits, my midwifes advised me to start stretching my perineum in the weeks preceding labor. They said it helps minimize tearing if women (or their husbands) stretch the vagina/perineum to the point where it starts to be painful in the weeks preceding delivery. I tore minimal to none with my deliveries.

I had an epidural. I think my case is probably atypical, but I kid you not, I only felt the pain of 1 or two contractions during the birthing process.

one or two contractions late M night,
went to the gyn on Tues morning, he advised he suspected high leak.
I was admitted to the hosp on Tues afternoon.
Picotin was administered but no pain tues afternoon, evening, weds morning.
Weds noon, they moved me to L&D to further induce. more picotin, then they further broke my water. 1/2 an hour later, I got to experience pain with two contractions.
Epidural, another 40 minutes, and they said I was dilated enough, and would be turning down the epidural.
I must have coasted into that zone, because I labored without cues, and without pain. while I felt pressure and urgency with each contraction. Discomfort with crowning, but that is about it.

It was hard work and tiring, but in my case, nearly pain free. thanks in part to the epidural.

Best,
F. B.

My daughter has 7 kids and had epidurals with each. She sat up and pushed a couple of times and had the baby...it wasn't all that hard.

The only time she had issues was when she went in on the docs time schedule and was induced. I think babies should come on their own timetable and not scheduled when the doc has time.

I know that it's a personal choice about being induced, she only had one she didn't have the baby that day. She went home and they scheduled her another day.

I was like you with my first pregnancy and just assumed I would get an epidural. I'm no hero, why should I suffer when I don't have to? I was induced, and it was an extremely long, hard process. I got the epidural shortly after starting pitocin (which was the third induction method). My blood pressure was already high and the stress of a very long, totally unnatural labor just jacked it further, so I had to lie on my side to keep the pressure down. That makes the medication from the epidural pool on one side, so it was only working on half of my body. I won't torture you with the gory details, but after 72 hours of labor, I had a c-section. I made a lot of bad choices that ended in the section. Honestly, I am not sure if the epidural was part of the reason I ended up with the section or not.

With my second, I was determined to have a VBAC. I did a ton of research and found that my odds of delivering increased if I went drug-free. Terrified as I was, I decided to do my best not to have an epidural. It was very difficult to refuse it, but I stuck to my guns and delivered my second drug-free.

Bottom line- the epidural wasn't bad, pain-wise, and I suffered no ill effects other than horrible chattery teeth after the section.

The natural delivery was absolutely incredible. I never thought I was brave enough or strong enough to deliver a baby with no pain meds. If I can do it, anyone can, really, I am a huge wimp about pain! Well, I was :) Labor sucks either way, and pushing the baby out is so much hard work you don't really feel the pain. After the delivery, you are so high on endorphins you feel amazing.

I will say, if you are considering NOT having an epidural I would recommend taking classes of some kind to give you some education and coping skills. The moms that I have heard describe natural birth in negative terms are moms who didn't want to deliver naturally but an impatient baby had other ideas! I can't imagine doing it unprepared. That would be like a couch potato deciding the morning of to run the Boston Marathon. Of course it would be a bad experience!

With my son I wanted an all natural labor with no drugs. Ha. My labor lasted 39 hours and I was so exhausted. After pushing with no progress I ended up getting an epidural. I begged the guy to just give me a "little one" because I wanted to push and feel things. He was nice, but said it didn't really work that way. Well, whatever he did I could still push and feel...so I felt like I got an epidural light. But it didn't help...my progress was too slow and after hours they saw that my son was having a bit of distress and I was moved in to another room for a c-section. I don't regret it. The epidural was fine. It was really nothing compared to the many, many hours of labor. I can't really even remember it exactly. I remember a pinching feeling, but it was not a big deal. I didn't have any problems from it.

First baby: went in to be induced, got the epidural after having my water broken. It worked great, couldn't feel a thing. Pushed for three hours. Ended up with c-section (probably because my son was not positioned well). No tears, but no vaginal delivery.
Second baby: my water broke, got the epidural when I was nearly fully dilated (only took about four hours), it didn't work much at all. Pushed for an hour, realized my daughter was poorly positioned but that she was trying to turn, so waited for an hour to see if she would (again with the back labor). After an hour, pushed another hour, and she was out. No tears, probably because she sat there for an hour, so everything got good and stretchy. Or something.
Honestly, I was glad to have an epidural that didn't work the second time because I think it made it easier to know what I was feeling. Plus the labor was so quick that I probably could have gone natural. With my first It took forever, and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have managed it. It's so hard to know until you're there what is going to happen and how you're going to feel!

I had one with my daughter. It did not slow my labor (although I have heard it can/does) ... my water broke around 6pm - had an epidural by 8:30pm and then had my daughter at 12:45am. I don't remember any pain from the epidural going in .... I do remember when the initial wave of medicine went through my body I got all shaky. But then that subsided. And I was FINALLY able to sleep with no pain! I do remember that and I was so thankful. They thought I would not have the baby til morning but around 11:30pm I started feeling very uncomfortable (like my butt was falling asleep, like if i was sitting for too long on a long car ride or something) .. apparently that is a sign the baby is coming. They were shocked to see I was ready. I did have to push for about 45 minutes. I see where alot of people only had to push like a few times, and I am so jealous , lol. No side effects from the epidural after it was removed. I'm actually 29 weeks pregnant with my 2nd now (my first baby is almost 12 years old!) and I do plan on getting an epidural again. I hope it goes as smooth as the first time. From water breaking at home naturally to having the baby my labor was around 6 hours total.

I had an epidural the first time and it was in the wrong place. I could still feel my legs and the contractions but was having trouble breathing. I had alot of back pain for months after as well. I got an epidural with my 2nd and even though the process with that one was extremely tedious the epidural itself was ok. With my 3rd I planned to not get an epidural, but I did ask for one at some point, but they said it was too late. Overall, it seemed to be as easy without one as it was with. If I had another, I would forgo the epidural.

I had an epidural with my first 2 babies. They told me to go to the bathroom before they placed it in me...I ended up getting sick and never went...I had the epidural and it was wonderful...no pain and I got to help deliver my own baby! (The doctor had a mirror so I could see her coming out and once her shoulders and head were delivered the doc told me to reach down and get her out) Simply incredible!!! Any way, hours later I still didn't go to the bathroom and my bladder was overextended. To make a long story short...my bladder did not work for 10 days. The hospital sent me home with a leg bag catheter. Then I learned how to catheterize myself.. I had no problems with my next epidural but I made sure I went to the bathroom first and had the nurse catheterization me after delivery to make sure I didn't stretch out my bladder.
Baby number 3... No drugs and I felt so much better and recovered so much faster but I delivered her within 12 minutes of getting into my hospital room. If labor had continued I would have wanted an epidural.
Best of luck!!!

I had a scheduled birth with my first child. I labored on my own after getting Pitcoin and them breaking my water. It was very painful but I went about 1-2 hours. Then I got the epidural. You have to sit up on the bed, leaning over (your spine has to be curved like a C) and it's best to hug a pillow or something and have someone hold you (my husband did it). I was fearful of the pain and stinging sensation so I talked to my husband during it. It only took on one side of my belly so I had to roll around until it numbed everything. I did have a hard time pushing because I couldn't FEEL anything. So I ended up straining my neck muscles quite a bit! I also got sick and vomited while pushing. Total time from arrival at the hospital for birth with baby #1: 7 hours

With my second child, I labored at home for an hour then we dropped my daughter off with my parents and went to the hospital. Water broke once we got there and I felt like I had to push. They checked and I was ready to push - no epidural. Total time from first contraction until son was born: 3 hours 18 minutes (18 minutes after getting to the hospital).

Third child was breech. I went into labor naturally (again for an hour at home before going to the hospital). Water broke at hospital but they wanted to make sure baby was still breech before doing a C-Section. He was so I was wheeled in for the epidural. This time hubby wasn't in there yet so a nurse held me while I got the epidural. Pain wasn't bad - mostly a stinging feeling. Total time from first contraction until birth: 3 hours 30 minutes

Scheduled / epidural birth was definitely my longest, but was also my first so I don't know that it was necessarily the epidural or the fact that they broke my water and moved the birth along medically? I am not a fan of needles but the pain wasn't that bad (in comparison to the contractions). It's hard to sit in that position STILL when you are having contraction).

Congrats on your pregnancy!!

Two words: Get epidural!!!!!

I had 5 pain-free* child-births. Didn't even feel I was having a baby. Easy and wonderful. Quick, too. No problems.

*(I say get it for SURE because with one of mine, the epidural didn't work as well, and the pain that started to build was insane. Like want to die insane. It quickly ended once they provided more medicine and it settled more. At first it just worked on one side). I would NEVER want to have a child without an epidural, yikes!

I had an epidural with all my kids my first ,2 WITHOUT incident quick plus recovery time was minimal my baby I had an epidural c-section and tubal ligation . My c-section wadnt my first my previous one I was walking within 36 hrs it was my tubal ligation that took me out of being capabld fof a while my last epidural was rough also the needle brnt and almost broke in my back before they could fulling get it having to do it agsin wich caused an anxiety attack. I was super prepared for everything no missed prenatal appts a scheduled c-section pre-registered at the hospital but this was my first time at this hospital for delivery . Previously I misscarried twins there. So if your in Florida I do not recomend St marys hospital for delivery... my other children were all born at Jefferson hospital in Philadelphia where I lived most of my life, they are by far the best delivery , maternity, nicu and pediatrics hospital by far. I only ended up in Florida threw happenstance met my, now my husband and stayed married and had our daughter. Dvery bodys body is different. Every procedure has,risks .. epidurals r these days relitivley safe as aposed to a decade ago. There can be complications with any choice. Do you trust your delivery dr? U can speak with him or her wiegh the pros cons benefit s to risks and get as much info as possible its your choice. But in my opinion epidurals arent a big risk . Especially when it minsmizes the pain durring delivery or procedure( neccesarry for c-sections of course so if anyy stitching is warranted afterwards it wont hurt durring and within 24-48 hrs ul b on ur feet catering to ur beatiful baby and enjpying him or her. Motherhood to me is the most rewarding experience in my life. These molments are so precious. Enjoy them but take care of yourself first so you can be there to take care of your baby and when your at the hospital let the nurses help u. So u can recover faster I wish u the best

First epidural did not help the pain, 15 hours of baby's knee in my back and contractions every few mins. 4th degree tare. Second one worked. 6-7 hours of labor went so much smoother.

Yes, I did get an epidural about 16 hours after I checked into the hospital to be induced. My entire labor lasted about 22 hours. Not sure if it lasted that long because it was my first or because I had to be induced or because of the epidural or a combination of the three, but I don't regret it.

I thought my pain threshold was pretty high, but the labor pains proved me wrong when the doctor decided to take me off the epidural to help me "feel" the contractions better and know the right time to push. The pain was agonizing and I threw up in reaction to the pain. In the end, I ended up having a c-section because my daughter failed to progress below the minus 2 station after two hours of pushing.

I had an epidural for both my pregnancies. When I had my son, I was in horrible pain (not to scare you). With him I had back labor and I was miserable. I was in agony before they finally gave me the epidural. Very very miserable.

With my daughter, I still had the epidural, but I waited longer with her. The pain felt like really really REALLY bad cramps. Cramps that hurt so bad that I was curled up into a fetal position waiting for the wave to pass. With her, there was this small patch on my butt oddly enough that the epidural didn't touch, no matter how many times I rolled from one side to the next (trying to get the medicine to reach it) so I could still feel the pain but not to the same extent.

I have heard that the pain stops as soon as you have the baby but I didn't last that long to find out.

You've had a lot of responses, so I'll try to make mine short. I've had one with each of my pregnancies. The first one, my legs were so numb, my hubby and nurse had to actually move them for me! But I was numb! haha The second one, it worked just as it was supposed to with no problems whatsoever. The third, the guy was talking about how quick and good his record is and was proud that he beat his record time! Very unprofessional. This one did not work hardly at all. I felt pretty much the entire thing. By the time we realized it didn't take as it should have, it was too late to do anything about it. Very painful and my most complicated delivery (probably not related).

So there you have it: 3 cases, one person, 3 different experiences.

Best of luck and congratulations!

L.

You might prefer hypnosis to manage your pain, compared to medicine. I had two epidural free labors. The first with just traditional birthing classes and the second after a hypnobirthing class and they were night and day as far as comfort levels. I highly recommend hypnobirthing to help you relax and not feel as much pain. I still use some of the self hypnosis methods to relax to this day. The mind is amazing.

With both of my kids I didn't go into active labor after my water broke. I had some contractions with 2nd but pretty minor. I got my epidurals prior to having C-sections. The first one I got in the delivery room and only my feet got numb. I ended up under general anesthesia for the c-section. My second one I got a little before going in for the c-section. I couldn't feel anything when I was on my back. But because baby's heart rate would drop I had to lie on my side. I couldn't feel or move anything on the side I was lying on, but I could feel everything on the other side.

No, I do not regret it. I had an epidural on a pump, it was a pinch going in but not horrible, and it did not stall my labor and require me to push forever or get a c section. The only thing that was annoying was that it put my right leg to sleep and it was hard to get around without help for about a day. The epidural allowed me to rest (I waited quite a while, til the contractions were really strong) and allowed me to enjoy (as much as one can) the birth of my child vs being in a lot of pain. It was the right choice for me. My mother had two fast, drugless births (not by choice) and still talks about it.

I did have an episiotomy and if you want to avoid that, you should discuss it with your OB.