Epidural question for mummies with more than one...

[trudie100]

Hi all

I just wondered if anyone has had an epidural that didn't slow down their birth progress?

i.e. did you have an epidural and still dilated as you should normally do?

With my son's birth I was dilating slowly anyway so was given a drip to speed things up but when my epidural was topped up it slowed things down again and I keep reading that its really common for the epidural to slow down dilation

Did anyone have any experience of this not being the case? did you have an epidural and still progressed and dilated properly? x

 

[KylasBaby]

My situation was a little different as I was induced. But I was begged by my nurse and Doctor to get an epi at only 3cm as I was in so much pain from the pitocin and my body was fighting it and not progressing. So I got an epi and took a nap and woke up 4 hours later at 7cm and things went very quick after that. But I was also on pitocin as I was induced so didn't progress on my own but due to the pitocin. And as I had an epi in they were able to drastically turn up the pitocin.

 

[trudie100]

My situation was a little different as I was induced. But I was begged by my nurse and Doctor to get an epi at only 3cm as I was in so much pain from the pitocin and my body was fighting it and not progressing. So I got an epi and took a nap and woke up 4 hours later at 7cm and things went very quick after that. But I was also on pitocin as I was induced so didn't progress on my own but due to the pitocin. And as I had an epi in they were able to drastically turn up the pitocin.

That's good to know! I thought my labour would start progressing quickly after the drip but I was still dilating so slowly. I did learn after the birth that he was back to back and had his hand on top of he's head so I do wonder if I would have progressed quickly if it wasn't for that? and maybe epidural had nothing to do with slowing mine down?

 

[KylasBaby]

I definitely think it would. If his head isn't in the right position the contractions cant push him down so that his head is putting pressure on the cervix to dilate it.

 

[jessmke]

I got an epidural and it actually helped me dilate and sped things along. I laboured unmedicated for over 30 hours and was at 7 cm for almost 5 hours. The doctor wanted to start pitocin so I asked for an epidural at that point because I was so exhausted. Once I got the epidural I slept for three hours, woke up and felt pressure in my bum and I was at 10 cm and ready to push! I pushed baby out in an hour and she was perfectly healthy and breastfed immediately. My friend who is a midwife said that sometimes when you labour for a really long time it becomes impossible to relax through the contractions and your body fights against the contractions slowing your dilation. In these instances, if you get an epidural it can help your body relax so the contractions can help you dilate, which appears to have been the case for me. I was really happy with the anesthesiologist who did my epidural, I could feel my legs (although I wouldn't have wanted to stand up without help), I could move around on the bed, I could feel contractions so I knew when to push, but most (not all!) of the pain was gone.

 

[hanni]

Following!

 

[KylasBaby]

I got an epidural and it actually helped me dilate and sped things along. I laboured unmedicated for over 30 hours and was at 7 cm for almost 5 hours. The doctor wanted to start pitocin so I asked for an epidural at that point because I was so exhausted. Once I got the epidural I slept for three hours, woke up and felt pressure in my bum and I was at 10 cm and ready to push! I pushed baby out in an hour and she was perfectly healthy and breastfed immediately. My friend who is a midwife said that sometimes when you labour for a really long time it becomes impossible to relax through the contractions and your body fights against the contractions slowing your dilation. In these instances, if you get an epidural it can help your body relax so the contractions can help you dilate, which appears to have been the case for me. I was really happy with the anesthesiologist who did my epidural, I could feel my legs (although I wouldn't have wanted to stand up without help), I could move around on the bed, I could feel contractions so I knew when to push, but most (not all!) of the pain was gone.

That was definitely true with me. I got the epidural after 16ish hours I think. I could feel when to push and move as well. Though I probably couldn't have stood even with assistance. OH was coming back in after they did it and the anesthesiologist was bragging about how he just did a "perfect epi" haha

 

[trudie100]

thanks ladies! this is good to hear !

my little man was in a rubbish position and they did tell me after I probably wouldn't have birthed him naturally without help anyway so Im hoping that was something to do with how slow I progressed and not just down to the epidural

I think im going to go for a low dose this time so I can stay active to some extent and see how I go ekkkk x

 

[Spudtastic]

My first baby was facing the wrong way. I had back to back contractions so I was in a lot of pain early on at 2cm.

It took 8 hours to go from 2 to 4 cm (I know not long for many people but this was long enough with contractions that were so close together). I got an epidural at 4cm and just snoozed and relaxed for the next 7 hours until I was ready to push. Pushing was just under 2 hours.
My midwife had 35 years experience and she told my husband that without an epidural it would have been a 3 day labour.
So an epidural was perfect for me. It sped things up and I was rested enough to push out my baby entirely on my own.

With baby no2 I had much shorter labour. Active labour was 5 hours but contractions were far enough apart for me to rest in between. I just had gas and air. If baby had been facing the wrong way again I would have happily had an epidural again.

 

[trudie100]

Thanks ! ill defo be getting one again i dont think i could do it without one

Just hoping I can cope with a low dose so I am more aware of contractions for (hopefully) pushing this baby out

 

[Tasha S.]

My baby was also facing the wrong way (star-gazer!) and after 40 hours of labour, I was stuck at 2cm. I was finally given the epidural, and my dr broke my waters, and I dilated 1cm every hour! In total, the birth took 48 hours. The epidural was a life saver for me! (We found out later why I wasn't progressing: the umbilical cord was wrapped around my son's neck 3 times, so he wasn't descending. Thank God he was safe! ) My first was a c-section! Good luck! xx

 

[trudie100]

My baby was also facing the wrong way (star-gazer!) and after 40 hours of labour, I was stuck at 2cm. I was finally given the epidural, and my dr broke my waters, and I dilated 1cm every hour! In total, the birth took 48 hours. The epidural was a life saver for me! (We found out later why I wasn't progressing: the umbilical cord was wrapped around my son's neck 3 times, so he wasn't descending. Thank God he was safe! ) My first was a c-section! Good luck! xx

Wow that must have been so scary for you! but thank you, its good to know that it can help/speed things up in some cases x

 

[ja14]

I was induced, and my midwife believes the epidural helped me progress!

When I started pitocin at 2 am, I was at 4cm. We planned to go very slow with the pitocin, so even though I was having contractions the entire time, I wasn't feeling them all until about 8 am. It was just a lot of tightening at that point though. Around 11 am, I was having to work through the contractions, and from then on out things continuously intensified. At 2 pm, 12 hours after starting pitocin, I was just at 5 cm. We were planning to break my water, and I knew that was going to make things even more intense, so I asked for an epidural then. Within an hour I was 10 cm and starting to push!

 

[Zephram]

I've had two epidurals and it didn't slow me down either time. With my first I was induced for being overdue and it ended in an emcs as baby was in the wrong position and I developed a temperature. Nothing to do with the epidural.

With my second I went into labour naturally and was in labour for over a day and stuck at 4cm, so my midwife advised I get an epidural so I could rest. I was also given a very small amount of syntocinon to augment my labour as I wasn't progressing and lo and behold I got my VBAC after actually having some sleep whilst in labour thanks to the epidural.

We are probably going to have a third and you best believe I will have that epidural in as soon as I start getting tired or finding it hard to cope with the pain.

 

[trudie100]

I've had two epidurals and it didn't slow me down either time. With my first I was induced for being overdue and it ended in an emcs as baby was in the wrong position and I developed a temperature. Nothing to do with the epidural.

With my second I went into labour naturally and was in labour for over a day and stuck at 4cm, so my midwife advised I get an epidural so I could rest. I was also given a very small amount of syntocinon to augment my labour as I wasn't progressing and lo and behold I got my VBAC after actually having some sleep whilst in labour thanks to the epidural.

We are probably going to have a third and you best believe I will have that epidural in as soon as I start getting tired or finding it hard to cope with the pain.

Thanks ladies! im also planning on having one this time but maybe a low dose to begin with and then see how I go

 

[donnarobinson]

I had epidural with 1 and 2 it slowed down number one but number 2 I was only in labour 6 hours I went from 2-10 in less then 4 hours I didn't have it for number three and was only in labour less then a hour. X