Hi all. I’m mA preggers with our 2nd child and I’m considering opting out of the epidural this time. Just wanted to know how many of you have delivered babies (w/o the epi) and what is the experience like? In my 1st delivery, they had to use a vaccuum and the epi combined sort of numbed my bladder and I had tto have the tube put inside repeatedly for a week, and it was an extremely painful experience given that you’re already all cut and sewed.
So I’m kinda considering going without it b/c chances are that the same will happen and they will have to put in the tube again. I spoke with my OB who highly suggests that I stick with the epi since she can obv judge that I can realistically NOT endure pain. I just wanted to know if anyones done that (like had the epi, and then didn’t have it the next time), how much do the other anesthetics help?
Re: epidural on 2nd pregnancy
being a doctor i wont suggest u 2 go 4 epidural.it relievez pain no doubt but it gt certain S/E which includes bakache,urinary probz,body achez,bulged out belly n spinal headache.if u think u cant bear pain at all dan u can go 4 it but only an expert anaesthetist coz it pricks in2 a very sensitive area.i would strongly recommend dat u bear da pain coz in longer run epi wud create probz 4u,
Re: epidural on 2nd pregnancy
I got an epidural for my first one and I had the catheter (tube) only for 6-7 hours, they took it out after I delivered... I don't know why you had to get it put in for a week, were there other complications?
I'm definitely going for an epidural with my second one too, unless the baby comes too fast :) and despite what blue wingz above has said, I didn't experience any of those side effects except for a headache for the first day. I know my pain threshold is not too high, so no way will I try to go through labor all natural. Its been 4 years since I had my daughter and mashaAllah I've been fine, have experienced no long-term side effects of the epidural.
On the other hand, I have a friend who went through 2 pregnancies and delivered both of her babies without any pain medication, forget epidural, she didn't even ask for anything else and her second delivery (according to her) was definitely more painful as the baby was bigger..... she still did it all natural.
Go with your instinct..... you can ask for an epidural later (you can get it upto 7 cm I think, not sure though so ask your OB/GYN) if you feel that the pain is too much, I remember I was yelling when I was 6 cm dilated and I was like GIVE ME AN EPIDURAL RIGHT NOW.
Re: epidural on 2nd pregnancy
being a doctor i wont suggest u 2 go 4 epidural.it relievez pain no doubt but it gt certain S/E which includes bakache,urinary probz,body achez,bulged out belly n spinal headache.if u think u cant bear pain at all dan u can go 4 it but only an expert anaesthetist coz it pricks in2 a very sensitive area.i would strongly recommend dat u bear da pain coz in longer run epi wud create probz 4u,
with all due respect, if you're a doctor as you say, then i would at least expect you use correct spelling and grammar. your explanation of not using an epidural goes out the window, when i have to read your sentences more than twice to understand what you're saying.
bhenjee - tbh, it's up to you on how much pain you can handle. yes, there are side effects to the epidural, but the epidural can also make labour a lot easier. do you have a birth plan in mind?
Re: epidural on 2nd pregnancy
From my experience of working as an anesthetist for two years, i would definitely recommend going with an Epidural. The bladder complications you experienced could be due to prolonged labour or use of a vacuum pump. Epidural, when inserted properly doesnt affect the bladder control much. I had it for both my kids and it went all fine. Still you can discuss with your ob doctor,preferably an anesthetist and get the Epidural catheter inserted first and take the drug dose only when you feel the pains getting unbearable because the catherer insertion needs proper positioning of the backbone which is attained better when the patient is in less pain and can bend the back better. It is documented to slow down the labour progress but makes it painless! I have even seen women going to sleep while the labour progresses :)
Re: epidural on 2nd pregnancy
Blue wingz : what you have listed are the complications of an Epidural, more commonly seen with a spinal anesthesia though, rather than 'SE' i.e. Side effects. Complications can or cannot happen to everyone. Everything used in medicine has possibilities of complications. Even an intramuscular injection in the butt can turn into a nasty gluteal abscess at times but would that make you tell everyone to avoid the shot and bear the disease/pain instead? Please dont misguide with limited knowledge on a procedure :)
Great advice, and thanks for sharing guys! Yeah I spoke with my OB and she totally suggests that I stick with the epidural. I guess I've judged that the pain relief is far more than the discomfort of having a catheter inserted. and yeah, in my first pregnancy I didn't exactly have a long labor, but I had a vacuum delivery and I believe that kinda affected my ability to pee.
I haven't had any other long term side effects. My swelling went away in a few days, and thankfully I haven't had any back pain either. So yeah, I'm sticking with the epi!
And another point bluewingz .. why would a hospital hire an incompetent anesthetic... they all know what they're doing.
being a doctor i wont suggest u 2 go 4 epidural.it relievez pain no doubt but it gt certain S/E which includes bakache,urinary probz,body achez,bulged out belly n spinal headache.if u think u cant bear pain at all dan u can go 4 it but only an expert anaesthetist coz it pricks in2 a very sensitive area.i would strongly recommend dat u bear da pain coz in longer run epi wud create probz 4u,
You're a doctor......really?
Re: epidural on 2nd pregnancy
I got an epidural with my first one and wanted to opt out the 2nd time but honestly I couldn't bare it! I took it and loved my labor/delivery! I had no complications MA. I heard that it makes your labor long but I was in labor for less than 4 hours!