Ok, so we've all heard the horror stories of bad outcomes from epidurals, and the fact that "natural" childbirth is much healthier for mom and baby has probably been drilled into every nurse (maybe not, but this has been my experience). Then there are those occassions when an epidural is a necessity.
So, I'm just curious: what is your personal opinion of epidurals? Whether you work with laboring moms, or have had a baby yourself, or both. What are some personal opinions about and experiences with epidurals...
Personally, I would never ever let anybody stick a needle in my back. Period. My sister is a CRNA and so we're see things differently. As a nurse, I cannot watch the procedure: I stay on the other side of the bed, assisting the mom to hold her position.
In the 70's and 80's I worked in a hospital (300 a month) and we did NO epidurals. The population was prepared for birthing without them and they did just fine. Now that everybody has to have one the second they walk in the door, a part of me is unfulfilled as a labor nurse...There's a lot to do for the epiduralized patient, but I don't find she needs the support that I prided myself in being able to give her.
I'm real close to transitioning myself out of Labor anyway, too much intervention, for dubious reasons, IMHO
I am sooo afraid I will get into my dream job in L & D and hate it for that reason. I have my sights set on an Alternative Birth Center in my city....hopefully that works out. I just wanted to scream during clinical in a high intervention teaching hospital.
At the hospital I delivered at I just ate and drank as I wanted during labor. So much better than an IV Dehydration does suck but so does having that needle in your arm and pole to drag around. If you can have ice chips why couldn't you have water?
I drank iced tea, ate tropical fruit salad (and drank the remaining juice), and would have had more, had my labor been longer. It was the best. I had a midwife, and though my 1st nurse would have liked me on cont' monitoring, I kept taking the crap off my belly--what an awful feeling that was.
At my hosp, if you deliver with an MD/DO, you must have continuous monitoring-epidural or not. It stinks.
My next child will be born at home. Unless I find a birth center that I love, but I doubt it.
I drank iced tea, ate tropical fruit salad (and drank the remaining juice), and would have had more, had my labor been longer. It was the best. I had a midwife, and though my 1st nurse would have liked me on cont' monitoring, I kept taking the crap off my belly--what an awful feeling that was.
At my hosp, if you deliver with an MD/DO, you must have continuous monitoring-epidural or not. It stinks.
My next child will be born at home. Unless I find a birth center that I love, but I doubt it.
ITA, working on getting my DH on board with a homebirth. My hospital experience was really pretty good but there was nothing like laying in my bath tub, walking around my kitchen, watching my TV, etc in the early hours. And those monitor belts!! It's like you go to the ER for a broken arm so they strap something around it to continuously squeeze it and decide if it actually hurts. The drove me crazy and it was only for about an hour of my whole labor!
What labor feels like...I had lots of braxton hicks contractions, no big deal, then my water broke so I got in the shower and soon had my first REAL contraction. Menstrual cramps my ass! My whole big belly right up to my ribs siezed up with the contraction of the uterine muscles, and it hurt! i actually grabbed the bar in the shower and doubled over, then I hollered for my mom(I was a young teenager ). I dont think that there is any way to really convey what it is going to feel like. My mother was a lay midwife my whole life so I grew up going along to home births and having women deliver in our living room. I attended the births of all of my younger siblings, and took bradley classes during my pregnancy. I believe that i was very well educated about birth and had certainly witnessed more natural births than the average woman, I was still suprised at how intense the contractions actually were. I went to the hospital with my mother, sisters and other supportive women. I labored for hours in the jacuzzi tub, hotwater-coldwater-hotwater-coldwater. I did not go for the epidural, i had a fabulous support system and was able to relax and breath. I did cry, and my mother cried with me, it was beautiful. During transition I went so deep inside myself, I remember being just barely aware of the others in the room at that point, I felt like I was floating around the room(really I had no narcotics). Without an epidural I was able to squat and puch my baby out in 20 minutes, my mother caught my beautiful son.
Did it hurt? of course it hurt but labor pain is pain with a purpose, pain that you know will end, the pain is there because your body is performing its greatest task, bringing a new life into the world. I see that as different somehow than the pain from broken leg.
The reason that I went into ob nursing is because I had such a beautiful birth experience, I am tired of hearing the horror stories that we as women tell each other. I want to help women have great birth experiences with or without an epidural, we are all different and different, i cant say how I would have responded to a 48 hour labor.
I would like however to have more women approach giving birth with an open mind, and not ask for the epidural as they walk through the door. We should not make decisions about our birth based on another womans experience, we should make decisions based on what we know and believe and feel, as it happens.
Loved mine so much my kids' middle names are Epiduraal and Anesteesia... No seriously. I had two very good experiences. Both times, they took most of the pain away and I totally felt the urge to push. Both babies were born within 20 minutes of pushing!
Loved mine so much my kids' middle names are Epiduraal and Anesteesia... No seriously. I had two very good experiences. Both times, they took most of the pain away and I totally felt the urge to push. Both babies were born within 20 minutes of pushing!
I had to respond to my own post. The first time, I wanted to see if I could do it naturally--made it to 'bout 4 cm, hee hee. I actually dilated faster after my epidural (midwife said I finally relaxed). The second time, I knew I wanted one. Walked the floors and did the jacuzzi thing till 6 cm. Anesthesia came in, and by the time it was in and I got back into a comfortable after the proceedure, I felt the urge to push.
I love the idea of a natural birth, though. I'd like to actually try hypnosis if there's a third time.
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.
We are pregnant with our 6th baby and I had 3 epidurals that did not work. So I said yank it out and lets just get this over with. All Of them have been natural and the bonus is with all of them I had the pit... I just beat up my husband and look at his black eye as a focal point and before you know it Im a mommie again....lol
Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.
Oh and one more thing. I with the last three births have refused the epidural just because I cant stand the feeling of them pushing on my back and then the needle going in....uuuggggg. But by about 9 cm Im planning peoples deaths but its to late by then. I labor fast and never really have to push more than 3 or 4 times...
Oh and one more thing. I with the last three births have refused the epidural just because I cant stand the feeling of them pushing on my back and then the needle going in....uuuggggg. But by about 9 cm Im planning peoples deaths but its to late by then. I labor fast and never really have to push more than 3 or 4 times...
Women have become so wimpy. Yes, epidurals are a necessary evil, but make no mistake, when there's a problem, it can be a serious one. OB used to be so much more fun when women were helping women get through the process but now its all so mechanized ("I want my epidural.)" People should have epidurals if they want, but unless there's a medical indication, it should
be paid for by the patient, not the insurance company. Its a very expensive luxury that wasn't needed until the 1980's when we had a surplus of anesthesiologists looking for more business.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
It's individual. Calling people "wimpy" for wanting epidurals is not really fair. Everyone is so different and each labor is, too. I personally as an RN LOVE to work with naturally-laboring patients/families and am very pumped in the natural labor situation.....that said.....
NATURAL is the key word for me. Pitocin and other interventions are not so very natural, are they? Pitocin labor is pure hell (at least it was for me after 12 hours, and at 8 cm I said "ENOUGH" and got one).
I would hate to see this turn into a thread that tries to prove one "better" than the other for going "natural" or not. Let's keep the focus on personal experiences and anecdotes and also keep the language clean. Thanks for understanding.
I am almost 37 weeks pregnant, it's my body and if I want to have an epidural I’m getting one. If that makes my L&D nurse thinks that I am a "wimp" then that is her/his problem! It's not about the nurse it's about the patient. Sorry if medicated births are making your job "less fun." Also, I pay a lot of money for my health insurance and to suggest that I should have to pay out of pocket for pain relief is absurd. Who is going to judge whether an epidural is medically necessary anyway? I certainly would hope that it wouldn't be left up to a nurse with your attitude that women who want epidurals are "wimps."
I am really tired of this attitude that makes women feel they have to prove a point by suffering. With my first child the contractions really did feel like menstrual cramps and even though I had a c-sec in the end because he was transverse I did make it to 6cm with no pain relief. I don’t think that makes me better or tougher than anyone…I just had an easier labor. If I have a similar experience with this baby then I likely won’t request an epidural. However, if I feel like the pain is more than I am willing to tolerate I am getting my epidural and my nurse can go sit on a tack if she thinks that makes me a wimp.
Women have become so wimpy. Yes, epidurals are a necessary evil, but make no mistake, when there's a problem, it can be a serious one. OB used to be so much more fun when women were helping women get through the process but now its all so mechanized ("I want my epidural.)" People should have epidurals if they want, but unless there's a medical indication, it should
be paid for by the patient, not the insurance company. Its a very expensive luxury that wasn't needed until the 1980's when we had a surplus of anesthesiologists looking for more business.
CEG
862 Posts
I am sooo afraid I will get into my dream job in L & D and hate it for that reason. I have my sights set on an Alternative Birth Center in my city....hopefully that works out. I just wanted to scream during clinical in a high intervention teaching hospital.