[lady_jezebel]

I'm pregnant & assumed that epidural would be the way to go @ delivery. My doc feels certain that there are more effective ways of pain control -- deep breathing, self-hypnosis, etc... What are your opinions on this? Do epidurals have potentially major complications? From what you've observed or personally experienced, would you recommend an epidural?

I'm 33 yo and this is my first child.

[ERNurse752]

I'm not an OB nurse, but I found a couple references that explained some things about epidurals.

The most important thing I wanted to say was that make sure your doc is going to listen to you without pushing his/her personal beliefs onto you, whether you want an epidural or not. It should be your choice if it's medically appropriate in your situation.

I'm sure you'll get a lot more good advice from our OB nurses though.

Good luck!

http://www.healthpages.org/AHP/LIBRA...V/epidural.htm

http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/2/3608_919.htm?lastselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}

(edited to make link work!) (grrr...it still won't, so just copy and paste the 2nd one!)

[lady_jezebel]

Thanks for the info. Even though I'm an RN, I feel completely lost with OB decisions. The information you provided was helpful.

[ERNurse752]

Yeah, OB is a whole other world! Glad I could help a little bit. You're welcome!

[L&D_RN_OH]

Yes, there are risks with epidural use. And yes, I think there are better ways to deal with pain than analgesia. But, that is a personal opinion. Some pts labor w/o pain meds and do just fine. Others, have a hard time dealing with pain, and opt for the epidural. And still others, think they don't want an epidural, but may be encouraged to get one due to their inability to relax enough to let labor happen.

I think you need to assess youe own pain tolerance before making a final decision. I wouldn't pick an epidural because it isthe "easy"way to labor, because in all actuality, being tied to the bed hooked to monitors is not easy. I would recommend taking a childbirth ed class, one not offered by the hosp. Explore your options. You will not be able to get an epidural with the first contraction so you should have an alternate plan until then. You may find that you are handling labor well andmay not need an epidural when you thought you might.

Good luck!

[KaroSnowQueen]

I am 43 and have given birth to 3 kids. All of them I had an epidural with. I would never do it any other way. You can't get one until you are more than 5 cm dilated, but my Lamaze breathing worked fairly well until that point. I am a big baby when it comes to pain tolerance and the stories of these women who go natural just totally amaze me! My personal recommendation is yes, by all means, if you think the pain is too intense, get an epidural!!!

[Spidey's mom]

By all means take a good birth class and ask lots of questions. But remember, you can always attempt a delivery without an epidural and then assess whether you want to try an epidural.

I had three children without pain meds and my last with an epidural. I'm with KaroSnowQueen . . . .the epidural wins hands down.

steph

[lady_jezebel]

thanks everone for the input!

[sagelola]

I've had 3 children...the first one with an epidural and the last two without.

From my own personal experience, I did not like the epidural...it was bad. What happened...I was 18 yo, and NO ONE told me what labor was like (I kid you not!), so I really didn't know what to expect. This child was induced (all 3 were, actually), so that was pretty intense. The damn epidural itself HURT like hell when they were putting it in. Well, it had been in for awhile and I couldn't feel anything....then I just started to feel a lot of pressure down low in my pelvis...I had no idea what that was, and told the nurse I hadn't urinated recently and maybe that was the cause....she did an in and out cath to help me because I couldn't do it myself, and then decided to check my cervix (which hadn't been done for awhile...can't remember how long now, but it seemed like a couple of hours?)...low and behold! I was fully dilated. That pressure I was feeling?? yeah, it was time to push...no one told me what to expect, the meds weren't lowered or anything....It was just a horrible birthing experience for me.

So...the last 2 I wanted NOTHING other than to be in complete CONTROL of the situation and to be able to recognize what my body was telling me to do. Those experiences were far better for me personally.

Now, I understand that everyone is different, so I say, if you cannot handle it than get an epidural...I would first see how it goes, as some of the other posters have said.

[SmilingBluEyes]

Keep an open mind. Educate yourself and see how it goes. That is my advice to ANYONE expecting or laboring who is undecided on pain control methods. There are SO many; don't box yourself into one way of thinking.