Epidural problems

TrulyBlessed wrote: Has anyone had any problems with getting an epidural. If so, did you proceed to have another epidural with any children you had afterwards?

My epidural did not work with my last child and I'm scared to get another epidural. Some people say I shouldn't have any problem this time, but I'm just not sure.

msoulz replied: My first epidural worked too well and I couldn't feel a thing, which sounds not altogether bad, but I could not push well so we needed forecepts to pull him out. He was fine, I spent 45 minutes being stitched up.

The second was perfect - stabbing pain gone but I could still feel the pressure and knew how to push.

So my guess is it depends upon the anesthesiologist (sp?).

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I had an epi with my first. On the first try it only worked on one side, so they had to do it again. Then it worked, but I hated it. It took the pain of the contractions away so I could rest, so that was good, but when it came time to push I couldn't feel what was going on and didn't know when to push, and I think I pushed longer than I would have without it. (2 1/2 hours) And I was horribly uncomfortable because my... *ahem*... bottom was asleep and tingling the whole time. Then, even though I couldn't feel the contractions, the pain "down there" was AWFUL. I would rather have had the pain of the contractions and gotten him out sooner. With my second I didn't have any pain meds at all - just used the whirlpool tub to help relax. It was more intense, but it went way faster and was a lot easier in the long run. I had kind of planned on getting an intrathecal before I started pushing, but the whirlpool moved things along so fast that by the time I asked for it there wasn't time.

Anyways to answer your question, no I would NEVER have another epidural again! I don't know if I'll go drug free again next time, but it was way easier than having the epi.

aspenblue1 replied: I had issues with both of mine. If I had anther child I wouldn't bother. My last one didn't work at all and I basically did it all naturally.

sparkys2boys replied: Hmm I have never actually heard of it not working.. wow. Mine totally worked.

luvmykids replied: My epi with the twins was perfect....I slept through all the hard labor but could feel enough to push. The second time around it didn't work......at all, which sucked b/c I was completely relying on the fact that it would so I was very unprepared.

If I had another I wouldn't get one, but only because now I know I can get through it

moped replied: No problems here - loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Good epi experience both times. My second was a c-section though, so although I did labor, I was moved to OR pretty fast too.

My sister has three kids and her first epi was great. The second it didn't work at all. She said it was like going natural. So it does happen. Guess it does depend on the anesthesiologist.

Mommy2BAK replied: I had an epidural with both of my deliveries and I feel like it was kind of a waste of money, I was induced and by the time the pain got bad enough to actually need the epidural, it had already worn off. Its probably a hit or miss type of thing just hope for the best, lol. Good Luck!

moped replied:
Money?

You pay for it?

MoonMama replied: I don't know from personal experience because I had an all natural birth. However my best friend had one with her first and it was perfect, with her second it wouldn't take, and with her 3rd it took just fine again. She then opted to have #4 & #5 (twins) naturally for some reason. So it shouldn't be an issue I wouldn't think. GL.

TrulyBlessed replied: Well, it sounds like if I go completely natural it's more intense, but it may be quicker. I was told that my epidural may not have worked because I got it too late. I had her within an hour and a half of receiving the epidural. I have to admit that my recovery was a lot better than it was with my 1st child.

luvmykids replied:
The second time, the time it didn't work, my labor was super fast....of course that could be that it was my second shot at it but I really do wonder if the epi not working had anything to do with it.

Mommy2BAK replied:
haha yes, with Blakely we had to pay the whole $500, b/c insurance did not cover that. With Ayden I think we only had to pay like $40, we had a different insurance company and they covered most of it.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied: I would do all I could to avoid an epidural. They aren't as safe as everyone likes to believe.

But, I'll be giving birth at home with any other babies, so that solves that problem.

grapfruit replied:
Although, I'll keep an open mind, I have to agree that there's some danger. I've seen my friend have a horrible head ache for the next two days. It was so bad she couldn't even get out of bed. And the sad part is she ended up having to have a c-section anyway. They said the reason for the headache is b/c spinal fluid was leaking out of where they put the epi. To fix it they had to put blood there to make it clot? I'm not really sure. But she was horribly sick b/c of it....

But I've had friends that did fine w/it too....

jcc64 replied: I had one with my 3rd- the first two I went drug-free. My mom kind of talked me into getting it, telling me I would "enjoy" my labor more. Well, it was a pretty awful experience for me. The anesthe. took his time getting there, and by the time I got it, I think she was born 10 minutes later. I had a bizarre reaction to it soon after- with violent, uncontrollable shaking (that was practically like a seizure), tachycardia, high blood pressure, and profuse cold sweats to the point that dh had to change my gown every 10 minutes. He thought I was going to die- I couldn't hold my baby, couldn't even think about her, for the first 90 minues after birth.
Never again for me.

PrairieMom replied:
uh... yeah. you pay for everything. Here a epidural is $1000. insurance does cover it, BUT you know you are paying for it anyway.

I didn't have an epi with either of my deliveries. I didn't go drug free, I had a shot of stadol with each, and while it didn't do a thing for the pain, it helped me relax between contractions.

I would never have a epi with a normal delivery. (going naturally, not being induced or c-section)
I have heard way to many horror stories about complications from them to have one done. I have a friend who actually nearly died from having one.

Mommy2BAK replied: although great risks come along with an epidural, they can also be wonderful for others.

mommy~to~a~bunch replied:
Yes, that's true. And just because it worked great once for you, it could cause problems for you or the baby the next time. You just don't know. You have to decide if you want to take that risk. I personally don't.

PrairieMom replied: The thing that really gets me is that a lot of mommies that I know never even considered that they wouldn't get the epi. they just knew they would get it practically from the moment of conception. It wasn't covered in my birthing class because according to our teacher " you have probably already made up your minds about it so we won't bother talking about it"
So, the mothers in my class that don't have the benefit of hospital experience that I have weren't given the information on it.

What ever decision you make, just be informed about it.

mckayleesmom replied: With Mckaylee I had an emergency c-section....so I got the epideral because I wanted to stay awake...They waited 15 minutes or so and I could still move and it didn't take at all....So they had to completely knock me out.

With Russell...I had another c-section and when they first did the epideral....My legs went somewhat numb and I thought it was taking...they again waited about 15 minutes and I kept telling them I could still feel my toes...I even wiggled my toes for them....The stupid anestesiologist kept trying to convince me that I wouldn't feel them cut.....I completely lost it and my blood pressure shot through the roof....The nurse came over and gave me some kind of medicine in the breathing mask and the next thing I knew I was waking up and asked if I had a boy or girl. They said he wasn't out yet......Whatever she gave me kicked in the epideral, but it wasn't perfect. After they got Russell out I could feel them stitching and they had to give me more meds.

mckayleesmom replied: I have to honestly say that if I had to have another c-section....I would just tell them to knock me out up front.....That was the scariest experience. That anestesiologist had me believing that they were going to start cutting while I could still feel things.....At one point I even heard my doctor tell him to shut up and stop talking to me because he was making it worse and the fact that I could feel was not normal.

Boo&BugsMom replied:
Mine was the opposite way around. With the first, it worked wonderfully. I felt literally NOTHING! It was awesome. I was so calm, and Troy thought it was cool that I wasn't all like a crazy-woman! With the second, it gave me the shakes and the chills, and it wore off right before I started pushing. Lovely. If I had a 3rd (which we wont unless we say "oops") I wouldn't be getting one. I'd probably go for some other pain management method or another type of pain reliever, but now I'd be too afraid of the epi. I think it depends on what you really want. I tried the natural approach with both at first, but then the pain made me cave in.

TrulyBlessed replied:
I didn't know you had the choice to be knocked out for a c-section. If so, I think that is what I would do too. I'm scared to death to have a c-section.

After reading what all of you have experienced, I think I am really going to try to go natural this time, especially since I had one good and one bad experience with the epidural.

I appreciate all of you sharing your experiences because it is giving me a lot of good information on the possible outcomes. Thank you so much for sharing!