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Melissa Carr

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Give Me Drugs! The Great Epidural Debate

Posted: 03/08/2013 2:36 pm

A friend of mine was pregnant with her third child when she posed the following question on Facebook:

Moms: I've been reading up on epi's because I'm really considering getting one this time around. I'm horrified at a lot of the stories of permanent side effects and I'm starting to quiver at the thought that 'au naturale' may be the best way to go again. I was just hoping to enjoy this birth a little. What was your epi experience like?

The response she received told me that this is a hot topic with veteran moms and moms-to-be alike. With my first baby, I had an epidural -- and thank gawd! I had been labouring for over eight hours and really and truly needed a break from the pain. Once I had the epi, I felt like I could relax and "enjoy" (I use the term loosely here!) the experience. However, the epidural did slow things down and actually REVERSED my dilation.

Imagine my disappointment when my midwife told me that I had gone from six centimetres to 4.5 centimetres. She may as well have told me that the baby was NEVER coming out!! I was so discouraged! In the end, I am glad I had the epi, though. If I hadn't, I think I would have been so exhausted and may have ended up having to have a C-section.

With my second child's birth, labour was fast and manageable. I was able to use nitrous oxide (AMAZING stuff, which actually did nothing for the me the first time around) to offset the pain. My son's labour was four hours from start to finish. With my daughter I pushed for two hours, compared to two minutes with my son. I am very grateful to have had both experiences and know how lucky I am to have had two births without any complications or negative after-effects.

I would say, unless you are completely opposed to drugs during birth (more power to you!!) keep the epidural as an option and decide once you see how your labour goes! Birth is not predictable and we just have no way of knowing how it is going to go!

This is a very individual decision and probably one of the first ones that we, as mothers, feel conflicted about. I wonder if this is due to our actual expectations around our child's birth or if it is how we think we will be perceived if we opt in (or out) of using drugs to manage labour.

What are your thoughts and experiences around epidurals?

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Doulamom07
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12:53 PM on 03/11/2013
I decided for my births that I would get an epidural, when I felt the need for it. Even with the Dr's and nurses constantly asking, and a posterior baby the first time (typically associated with extremely painful back labour), I never felt I needed it and didn't use it. And my births were the most amazing experiences in my life, I truly feel like I can do anything now! As a doula, I have seen moms be able to rest and relax with the epidural, I have also seen babies "crash" after it being administered and even the epidural wearing off and having to be re-administered and then failing to work completely. It is great to have an epidural if you want/need one, but I hate when the benefits are touted more than the risks or other possibilities. Yes, have one if you feel it's best, but sometimes it doesn't work the way it's intended, so be prepared for that possibility too.
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Nicole013
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08:14 PM on 03/09/2013
I went through 36 hours of back labour and ran the gamut of medications. At about 30 hours, the doctor checked me and I was at 9.5cm. He tried to "stretch" me but it didn't work. An hour later, he checked me again and I was at 9.5cm. At this point I unleashed a string of profanities so he pulled my husband aside and suggested an epidural.

After the epidural I had an hour nap, followed by an hour and a half of pushing and delivered. Without the epidural, I don't think I'd have had the energy for the pushing (my baby was 8lbs 9 oz so a fair size)
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nicademus11
15 Fans
08:08 AM on 03/09/2013
I had a very small chance of taking a pregnancy to term so I looked at the birth process very differently than most of the other first time moms I encountered. The mid-wife who conducted the ' birth boot camp' asked all the women what they wanted out of the birth - many had birth plans, most had 'no drugs' policy. My response was simple. I want to leave the hospital with a healthy baby. This startled the mid-wife and horrified a good deal of the women. After spending more than half my pregnancy at risk for miscarriage, I was merely focused on endgame, becoming a parent. I had chosen a medical team that was more knowledgeable than me to bring this baby into the world and the baby was going to do any number of things. Being open to all options in that moment was the best I could do for me and my child. I required an emergency c-section shortly after receiving my epidural. The epidural hadn't taken full effect and the urgency meant they couldn't sufficiently numb me for the surgery. As a result I could feel the entire surgery to varying degrees. I also wound up with a healthy baby. We as women beat ourselves up around expectations and best laid plans. I found the best way to 'enjoy' moments like these are to abandon expectations and remain open to the real needs you may have in the moment of birth.
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ilovelamp55
22 Fans
05:15 PM on 03/08/2013
I went for an epidural!! I tried to last as long as I could before getting it (only made it to 6cm) but oh lordy was I happy I did! Before I received it, I was pacing and using an exercise ball to try to alleviate the pain (which of course didn't help very much). A friend of mine from Germany was with me and gave me some slack for using the epidural because she did all her child births natural. When I asked her if she got a medal for using no pain medications, she got off her high horse lol :)
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