Epi Question - Stops working at 9 cm?

[Redlady]

My cousin just recently (1 1/2 months ago) had her first baby, and I'm 13 wks preg. w/ my first. She said something to me that I had not heard before, so I thought I would ask the experts.

She had an epi given at 4cm with wonderful, virtually pain-free results. She went to 10 rapidly, pushed for 2 1/2 hours and had a vag. delivery w/ no complications. She said that around 9 cm, the epi "stopped working" and one of her nurses told her that was norm.

My cousin went on to elaborate that it wasn't because they dialed down the meds, it was because it's just a fact that epi's stop being effective at 9cm.

Now, I'm just a nursing student, and I have zero experience in OB, but that's the first time I've ever heard that. I've heard of the epi's being turned off or dialed down so that the pt. could feel contractions and be more effective at pushing, but never that they just "stop working" at 9cm.

Is she experiencing birth amnesia? Making random stuff up to make herself feel better? Or is this a normal occurance. Just curious!

[Heather, R.N.]

I've had two eipdurals. With my first son, I received it about an hour before he delivered and it worked wonderfully. I didn't feel a thing and actually laughed the whole time... With my second son, I asked for an epi long before he delivered, but the lab took their sweet time with my labs, so it took forever for me to get it. I was a 6 when the anesthesiologist came in and by the time he was finished inserting the epi- 5 minutes, I had dilated to a 10. It was very tumultuos and did not work AT ALL until about 2 hours after he delivered (they removed all parts of it and everything)... The pain actually got WAY worse. The anesthesiologist and my OB both told me it was because the baby crowned in the process and was blocking the effects... So, I don't know??!! I know it didn't work for me, but it ended up being *kinda* cool since I got to feel when I needed to push. One push, actually!!!

[RNBelle]

epis are not necessarily meant to make the entire labor pain free. usually they try to dose it so that it wears off towards the end of labor so women can feel to push. but some epis are dosed so much that women's legs are numb well after delivery and some epis arent enough to help with the pain.