Epidural- why are people so against it?

[Mazzymoo]

I've always thought I'd have an epidural! I thought why not- if I'd a headache od take a tablet so why not take the best pain relief available for the most painful experience in my life! Yet a lot of people don't want to have one. I know it can slow labour but to be honest I think I'd rather have longer labour than no pain relief and a short one!

I know there's also some risks- but they are minute- right?

So why is everyone so against it?? I don't get it!

 

[MissPolley]

dont want to scare you but in my town colchester, a woman got paralised from the waist down cause of a botched epidural... it also slows down the process of labour x

 

[ProudArmyWife]

I think it's more people's personal preference usually. I went into my first labor saying if I need it ill have it and if I don't awesome and this approach worked wonderfully for me. I think the most important thing is to just research and look up all the info regarding an epidural. I personally had a wonderful experience with my epidurall. It didn't slow anything down and I had no side effects with it at all but I think with all things pregnancy related each individuals experience with and epidural will be different.

 

[rowleypolie]

i think it depends on your pain tolerance and if you have any allergies to meds- some people get serious headaches from the epi- but there is nothing wrong with it! dont let people guilt you into thinking you shouldnt do it- i did it with both past labors- the last one only blocked my left leg- so this time i plan on doing it with other meds

 

[CatherineK]

Don't listen to horror stories. There is risk in everything, but it is very minimal. I've done labor both ways (with epi and without) and there were pros and cons to each. It's up to you. Most UK woman use gas and air, which is not available in theUS in most places, but honestly is rather have an epi and be in my full mind than have gas and get loopy temporarily . It's all
Personal choice. This time, I don't knew how I will do it...I go with the flow!

 

[mnonie]

I'm planning on not having one - but it's more to do with my job (odd I know) and being utterly scared of needles since a blood test went wrong. At the end of the day you should do with what ever YOU want and feel is needed it's your body afterall xx

 

[Mandyblur]

I would rather experience the pain of child birth, it really is quite an experience and not all about pain. The euphoria from knowing "i did this" is amazing!

If i was sat in hospital numb from the waist down i would be incredibly bored and impatient.

My 2 natural labours were very short and i was active/mobile enough with both of them to keep myself occupied and concentrate on what my body was doing.

If i'd have had an epidural i think i would have felt like i missed out.

Just to add - that isn't a dig at anyone - just my own opinion of how i cope with things.

If you feel an epidural is right for you then thats what you should do, you know your own body and what you can and can't cope with x

 

[kimberleyrobx]

The epidural was the best thing id ever had! It worked instantly! The only downside for me was that after having the epi my body would not stop itching! I was itchy all over as if i had a major case of the chicken pox! But i felt no pain and no tightenings, it was so worth it! xx

 

[sophie22]

I went into it saying I wouldn't have an epi but when it came to it I tried all the drugs going! Gas and air was rubbish, it just made me feel nauseous and woozy. The Injection (I forget the drug name) have me a numb patch on my leg for atleast a month and the midwife said the vomiting I had was due to that, not the syntocin (sp?) that didn't seem to do anything either but to be fair I was already in agony and don't give it long to work. Then I had the epi. Which didn't hurt at all going in. Only side effect was low blood pressure, that was scary because everything went white and my ears were buzzing, but it was corrected by laying me flat. That's the only thing putting my off having one this time around, otherwise I totally would! I'm with you, you don't get any badges for feeling the pain!

 

[musicmomma]

Loved my epidural and plan on doing it again if the pain is too much for me.

 

[snuggles82]

I have a very low threshold for pain, so with my first I knew I was going to need pain medication. I tried Stadol (I'm not sure if that is how it is spelled) first and all it did was make me groggy, and still in pain as I still felt every contraction. I waited until that wore off and then I got an epi. My labor was very long as I had a very big baby. It was the best decision for me, and I plan on getting an epi with this delivery as well. The only side effects that I had was uncontrollable shaking, and I had a numb patch on my upper thigh that remained numb for 6 months afterwards.
I think it all comes down to what you know you can handle, but if you want one don't let other people try to talk you out of it because that is just being counterproductive.

 

[Gertie beetle]

It's a personal choice but I will be avoiding it due to the increased chance of further intervention- forceps/vacuum, c sec, etc. often your blood pressure can drop quite severely too. And I want my baby to be as alert as possible after birth so that we can establish the best breastfeeding relationship possible.

 

[special_kala]

Labour pain is not pain that needs to be fixed, it's not like a headache where the pain is a.indication of something being wrong.

Epidural lead to more intervention which can very much increase the risk to you and baby

 

[SpringCrane]

I think some women (especially first time moms) go into labor with the intention of not using an epidural because they feel like using a numbing medication takes away from the experience. I intend to do my best to avoid an epidural, but not necessarily for that reason. I'm nervous about the low blood pressure side-effect, personally. I was given vicoden and valium for an operation once and the combination lowered my bp so much that I lost consciousness... for a while. Multiple times. I have very low bp on my own that I'm very weary of things that lower it further. I also really don't want to be stuck in a bed with a catheter and IV--I'd much rather be able to move around and get into a position that is less uncomfortable and more conducive to pushing a baby out than lying flat out with my legs up trying to keep from passing out!

I'm also a little concerned about the connection between using an epidural and the increased likelihood of other interventions and/or an emergency c-section. I know many women use epidurals without any problems and without needing any other interventions, but I know the risk is higher.

My plan is to ask no one to offer an epidural. If I ask for one, I want them (the medical team and my OH) to encourage me to try to make it through a set number of contractions more before getting it to see if I really, really want it I will do whatever I need to in order to have a healthy baby, but I'd personally prefer to do it the way my body intends not on the doctor's schedule.

I'm fully prepared to be screaming my lungs out begging for any and all drugs, so I don't consider it a pride thing personally ;-)

 

[Jess137]

It's a personal choice but I will be avoiding it due to the increased chance of further intervention- forceps/vacuum, c sec, etc. often your blood pressure can drop quite severely too. And I want my baby to be as alert as possible after birth so that we can establish the best breastfeeding relationship possible.

This ^^^ Also I'm on meds for my bipolar, and I would prefer to avoid putting any other meds into my baby's system that I don't have to.

 

[RaisinKane13]

I personally do not know why people are so against it either.

However, that being said, I am not for sure I am getting it. I am going in with the mindset that I will see how I feel and if I need it, then I need it.

I think it is a personal choice for sure.

 

[pianogirl]

I think epidurals are fine. I don't like needles and the idea of one in my spine scares me more than contractions and pushing out a baby. I figure, women have been having babies without them for a very long time, so I will probably be fine without one too. I don't want one. However, it's available nowadays, if it weren't safe they wouldn't do them (obviously there are risks, but there are risks to getting in your car too), so if you want one, get one! If it makes your labour experience better then do it.

 

[Sarahrei]

I'm personally against it because on of my friends couldn't walk for almost 3 days after getting one.

Like it was said above, I think that it's not a pain that needs to be treated, it's a part of it. We've been doing it for thousands of years, and I'm sure I'll manage just fine.

 

[Ripley]

For me I don't want to be bed bound and I don't want to slow labor. I also am not a fan of meds. I prefer to think my body can handle it. But I'm not opposed to having one if I feel I need it. But I want to try for natural.

 

[d_b]

I'm not against it but I do think it is best to go in with the mindset of not getting an epi until really necessary, as it often doesn't work. There are other methods like hypnobirthing and the TENS machine that i feel should be tried first.

Personally I don't like giving up control and with epi you need a nurse/doctor to tell you that you are contracting or fully dilated and when to push. However if you are already out of control because of pain or being overtired then it can help.

Oh yeah and the thought of a huge needle in my spine is so scary! So the pain would have to be pretty bad to have me agree to that!

As for the comments that we should be able to have natural births because women have been doing this for thousands of years.. a LOT of women and babies used to die in childbirth so I dont think that's a very good argument.