Epidural or not

i has an epi. i was also worried that mothers who had an epi (or any drug) will affect their newborn's ability to suck for the 1st few days. hence i was hoping a i didn't need an epi.

my contractions started at 10.30pm the night before (it felt like heavy menstrual cramps), i slept thru most of it. then woke up at 7am feeling the contractions 7 mins apart. went to Matilda at 12 noon. the nurse asked me to go down to the caf to have lunch, so i did. pausing to bite on the tuna fish sandwich every 5 mins to breath.... went to the labor room at 1pm. nurse checked i was 3cm dilated. she said i'm having back labor so if i need an epi let her know. at 3.30pm i said i couldn't stand it anymore so i asked for an epi. the inhouse (at Matilda) anestetic came at 4.20pm (this was the longest hr of my live!!). he was good, no painful when he jabbed me at the back (that back labor was tearing me apart), took a nap until 5.30pm, needed another dose of epi at 6pm, started pushing at 6.30 & baby was born at 7.30 using a suction cup. little Jas was nursing at 8pm as my ob was stitching me up. we left the labor room at 9pm, me in a wheelchair, daddy holding little Jas.

i was walking the next morning as if i rode on a horse the night before for 4 hours (inner thighs & under there was hurting a little) but i was walking by myself to the loo. (of course i took panadol round the clock the 1st day!)

i did have lower back pain, but my chinese doc said it was because of my weakened kidneys from bearing & having a baby. after taking ch med for 6 mths the back pains went away.

so i think it depends on the person and the baby. on the whole my experience was tiring, but i will still try not to have an epi the next time around.
 
btw, i had 3 friends who didn't have an epi (nothing). one chose au naturelle, the other 2 was having their 2nd, so no time for epi. their child was nearly born in the car!! they all said the pain was tearing them apart alive, and they screamed down the bldg. but both still want a 3rd child.
 
Every woman's body responds differently to labour and drugs.
While some have no side effects and great things to say about epi's, someone else will tell you about their emergency c-section or forceps delivery, or worse, I have a friend who suffered for 2 years with back pain and headaches from nerve damage.

My labour was completely drug free and I used the Hypnobirthing method.
It was comfortable with little pain, except for the moment of crowning where next time I'd go for a local anesthetic to numb the perenieum!
I also had no tearing because I could feel where the baby was and do things gently.
The next day, it was like I hadn't even given birth, there were no drugs in my system, no surgery to recover from and no stitches.

My advice is see how your body responds to YOUR labour. You can always change your mind and have drugs if you need them.
The midwives were constantly offering drugs in the beginning, ( I gave birth at QMH ) but soon realised I didn't need them.

Personally I prefered 10hrs of discomfort (not pain, as it's amazing how quickly the endorphins, which are stronger than morphine kick in)
so that I could have a completely alert baby and no recovery time.
 
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Matty, what i did was also hypnobirth. maybe i didn't meditate everyday to tell my baby's head to turn so her head was facing the wrong direction, hence i had extremely painful back labor. i it was quite difficult to push her out, although i could feel all of my contractions therefor able to push with them, i still needed a suction to assist to turn baby's head for her to exit. my ob didn't pull her out with the suction, she just helps turn her head.

the breathing techniques of hypnobirth was excellent. but did you have a coach? cos i bought the books & CDs thru internet & had to practice it by myself & understand the instructions by myself. if you had a coach, where did you find her/him? i will try hypnobirth again next time around.
 
Thanks everyone for sharing yoru experiences. They are most helpful and give me a little more comfort.

I am also interested in hypnobirth, but not sure if I would be able to do it since I am not even good at doing meditation during yoga. I always end up losing my concentration and peeping at others!!
 
bubbly, altho my hynobirth didn't exactly succeed (cos i did need epi, the point of practicing hynobirth was to have a drug-free delivery). but it still helped me slept thru most of my contractions, and when i arrived at the hospital, the nurses didn't know that i was already so far off in labor cos i was so calm. she was shocked when she checked that i was 3cm dilated.
 
Hi Joannek

I did a Hypnobirthing course with Annerley Midwives.
I stayed at home until I was 8cm and my husband coached me.
I also had Louise from Annerley midwives popping in and out to check on me.
At QMH it was just me and my husband, who was brilliant.

My baby was also in a bad position at the beginning of labour and I used different positions (hands and knees, sitting on birth ball) to move him which worked well.

You really need to practice the techniques as early as possible in pregnancy so you become completely comfortable and confident with them. You also need a supportive companion.
My husband said all the right things at the right times to keep me relaxed.

With the exception of medical emergency I wouldn't do it any other way.

Another woman that was in my class didn't even realise she was in labour for the first 10hrs! She thought she had an upset stomach and cramps and was using the techniques to help with that.
She didn't make it to QMH and had to go to a closer hospital to deliver!
 
i was hoping hubby would be my coach but he doesn't want to be (cos he didn't believe it would work!!). so hopefully with annerley's success rate i can convince my husband to give it a try next time.
 
I once attended a lecture given by Michel Odent, the doctor who started water births in France. He suggested that we shouldn?t have any men present when we give birth and that it is traditionally the role of other women to help the new mother.

This seems a little extreme in today?s society but I can understand where he is coming from. My husband was interested to be at my births but wasn?t into actually helping. If your husband doesn?t feel confident as a coach it would be better to find someone to help you who is. Maybe having a doula to assist you at the birth would be more helpful.

Best wishes,
SARAH
 
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