Sarita12385 Posted December 26, 2007 Posted December 26, 2007 I've heard mixed stories about the epidural. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being most dangerous, what is this procedure rated? I've heard that if you move...you can permanently damge so many things. I've got the lowest pain tolerance and greatest fear of needles....so I'm not sure what's going to be worse once my big day comes - the spinal or the other pain. Any suggestions?
melodymatters Posted December 26, 2007 Posted December 26, 2007 I think the epidural is one of the greatest inventions on earth !!! The cramps were so bad I was puking when they gave it to me. The next eight hours were a BREEZE ! I watched tv, napped, cracked jokes, and then they told me to push, and bam she was out, without one iota of pain ! I only had the one child and who knows if i would have been as lucky the second time, but i was thrilled with it ! They used to pull teeth without novocaine, but now that they invented it, who wouldn't use it ? I feel the same way about the epidural !
Author Sarita12385 Posted December 26, 2007 Author Posted December 26, 2007 Yeah but if you move a lot while they try giving it to you, can't it paralyze you? Permanently? Maybe I've just been hearing bad news from the wrong people lol, but from what I've heard it's pretty dangerous. I suppose when you're in that much pain tho it doesn't matter. *shrug*
Meaplus3 Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 I've heard mixed stories about the epidural. On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being most dangerous, what is this procedure rated? I've heard that if you move...you can permanently damge so many things. I've got the lowest pain tolerance and greatest fear of needles....so I'm not sure what's going to be worse once my big day comes - the spinal or the other pain. Any suggestions? Well I have some exp in this area that's for sure! I've had one epidural :Dand three spinal's. I like you have a low pain tolerance and a big fear of needle's. I will tell you that each one I was just fine with, really not bad at all. The good thing is you can't see then doing it:laugh: The most important thing and they will tell you this is you have to stay still. I had NO problems with any long term damage. It's over before you know it! Good luck to you! AP:)
Lizzie60 Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 I've had an epidural when I had my first child... It's true that you can't move when they put the needle in.. so you just don't move... if you feel a contraction coming, they just wait... I wanted it for my second child..but they didn't give it to me... I thought it was the best thing. why suffer when you can go through without the pain.
Author Sarita12385 Posted December 28, 2007 Author Posted December 28, 2007 Ah yes, but the whole "not moving" thing scares me too lol. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. I passed out in the parking lot of the hospital when I had to give blood a few months ago, and the time before that I saw the nurse put the medicine in the needle and passed out before she even took my blood. Knowing that someone is putting a piece of sharp metal in me makes me so dizzy lol. I will probably jump rather than sit still when (or if) they give me one.
sally4sara Posted December 28, 2007 Posted December 28, 2007 I hate needles; start to cry and shake when I am informed I will have to have an IV put in and feel like I am going to throw up over getting blood drawn. But by the time they get around to giving you your epidural you will already be exhausted and just want something to make the contractions bearable. Not moving will be a snap you will want it that bad! And the kicker is I didn't even feel the needle when they did mine. One nurse got in front of me and two in back of me because they already knew I was needle shy. The one in front told me to arch my back like I was pretending to be a person with a hunchback. The nurse in front put her arms under and through mine like she was giving me a hug and they put it in. The rest was a snap! I never felt the needle at all the whole time. I would also like to add that you will have a screen that shows your contractions coming on as well as the other expectant mothers in the ward's contractions. They wait till you are in the clear before they start the proceedure. There was a mother down the hall that chose to go the natural birthing route. Our contractions were the same, but I would just wince a bit while she could be heard wailing throughout the entire maternity ward! Get the epidural!
Meaplus3 Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 Ah yes, but the whole "not moving" thing scares me too lol. Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much. I passed out in the parking lot of the hospital when I had to give blood a few months ago, and the time before that I saw the nurse put the medicine in the needle and passed out before she even took my blood. Knowing that someone is putting a piece of sharp metal in me makes me so dizzy lol. I will probably jump rather than sit still when (or if) they give me one. I think you are probably thinking about it to much! If by chance you are having a contraction they will let that pass until you are nice and still. Ive had the spinal's and epi's and really NO problem's. BTW- I am the same way about having my blood drawn! AP:)
Mz. Pixie Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I agree the epidural is the only way to go. Trust me, I was at almost eight centimeters before I got one with the second child and I was in pain!!! I told the doctor when I had my first child that I just didn't want to see the needle. So he said close your eyes when that time came. So I had two kids and never saw what the needle looked like. As far as moving you do have to be still, but they numb the area with novacaine which prevents you from feeling the pain as they push in the epidural line. All I felt was a little pressure. The local they give you before burns a bit but after that it's smooth sailing. Childbirth is scary yes, but it's not what you think it will be when you're having the first child.
Touche Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I'm with the others. Only way to go. Totally worth it. And trust me, I'm the biggest wimp. Huge wimp. But I chose to go through that rather than endure the pain of childbirth for hours and hours. A few moments of pain is worth it. One thing I have never heard anyone else go through is this: I had to have TWO damn epidurals. When they told me that I started crying like a baby. Apparently in a few people it doesn't completely "take" with one shot. Mine didn't. I still could feel sensation in different areas like my thighs. It's supposed to completely numb you from the waist down. So I needed another one. But really it's worth it. And don't worry you won't move because you just know you can't. Just grip something or someone very tightly and you'll be ok.
blind_otter Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 My friend was in labor for 12 hours before getting the epidural and she told me it was such a relief that she actually passed out for an hour or two after they gave it to her.
Touche Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 My friend was in labor for 12 hours before getting the epidural and she told me it was such a relief that she actually passed out for an hour or two after they gave it to her. Yep. It was like that for me too. I actually slept a little after that. My labor was over 30 hours though. BO are you going for the epidural? I ask because you might be one of those small percentage of people who will need two of them.
blind_otter Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 BO are you going for the epidural? I ask because you might be one of those small percentage of people who will need two of them. I think I will. I heard, though, that if you have tattoos on your lower back they can't give you one and I have a big one. I have another ultrasound on the 9th and plan to ask my Dr. about it then. My SO's mom is a midwife and she wanted to deliver the baby, but I'm high risk because of my previous miscarriages so I had to go to an OB. She said I can transfer to the midwife after I get well into the second trimester. I'm finished with the first trimester (finally!) so I'm feeling a little more confident about this pregnancy.
Touche Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I think I will. I heard, though, that if you have tattoos on your lower back they can't give you one and I have a big one. I have another ultrasound on the 9th and plan to ask my Dr. about it then. My SO's mom is a midwife and she wanted to deliver the baby, but I'm high risk because of my previous miscarriages so I had to go to an OB. She said I can transfer to the midwife after I get well into the second trimester. I'm finished with the first trimester (finally!) so I'm feeling a little more confident about this pregnancy. YAY! It does get easier from here. I hope they tell you that you can have the epidural if that's what you want.
Storyrider Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I had my two kids without epidurals. My main reason was that statistically epidurals increase the risk of c-section. However, you have to weigh your values and do what is best for you. I might do it differently if I ever planned to have a third, which I don't. Here's how it was for me without any meds: the first one was deceptively easy b/c she weighed under six pounds. Admittedly, the last hour of contractions was horrible, but I only had to push for 30 minutes. With my second one, she weighed seven pounds and had a bigger head. The contractions were easy, easy with the second one because my muscles had "memories" from the first birth. However, I completely lost it when pushing her out. It was hellish. They eventually slapped an oxygen mask on me just to shut me up. Before I had my kids I read tons of birth stories on the web. You can Google for this and find a web site full of them. This might scare some people because some of them are negative experiences. But I wanted to have lots of data about what could possibly happen. It eased my mind to know the range of what to expect.
blind_otter Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I am terrified of giving birth. With my last miscarriage at 14 weeks I had contractions and delivered the fetus and that was painful, even though the fetus was about the size of a guinea pig. The contractions really hurt! They took my breath away. But passing the fetus itself didn't hurt. It just felt odd. Now giving birth to a live baby who is the size of a watermelon? That's gotta hurt.
Storyrider Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I am terrified of giving birth. With my last miscarriage at 14 weeks I had contractions and delivered the fetus and that was painful, even though the fetus was about the size of a guinea pig. The contractions really hurt! They took my breath away. But passing the fetus itself didn't hurt. It just felt odd. Now giving birth to a live baby who is the size of a watermelon? That's gotta hurt. It does. D*mn our big brains! Both gift and curse!
Lostgurl Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I don't want to scare you or anything, but just want you to remember that these things don't always go 100% smoothly. My epidural didn't go so smooth. Getting the epidural was very painful, It didn't help that i was in the middle of a gut wrenching contraction and I had to stay as still as i could. Mind you, it made the rest of the birth a complete breeze. The only discomfort I felt after the epidural was when the babies head was crowning and it was time to push her out, all I felt was the burning that comes with that part of the birth... as for the contractions, I couldn't feel them at all. But the anestesiologist apparently wasn't all that experienced, or I moved at the wrong time, I'm not to sure what went wrong. But scar tissue formed where they inserted the needle, and I have alot of back pain resulting from it. To tell you the truth though, the chances of it going wrong again are very slim, and I wouldn't worry to much about that happening with yours. I live in a small town in the middle of no where, and our healthcare sucks. The doctors are half retarded, my guess is.. the anestesiologists aren't too experienced either. I'm ready to pop any day now. I'm super nervous about the pain, and giving birth here. As i wanted to go to the city again for another epidural. The docs here are limited in what they can give me. If there is something wrong i'll have to be flown out... I'd rather be in the city the an anestesiologist prepped and waiting, despite my back pain! Good luck, and i hope everything goes well for you.
Lostgurl Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 I As far as moving you do have to be still, but they numb the area with novacaine which prevents you from feeling the pain as they push in the epidural line. All I felt was a little pressure. The local they give you before burns a bit but after that it's smooth sailing. Wow... this is news to me. Mine hurt, and my ex husband said he almost passed out because he was holding me from the front and when he took a peek they were sticking a wire up my back. Who knows, maybe he was full of you know what... he was after super messed up in the head. Just not was bad at that point. I must be living on another planet. It's almost enough to consider moving.
Mz. Pixie Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 Wow... this is news to me. Mine hurt, and my ex husband said he almost passed out because he was holding me from the front and when he took a peek they were sticking a wire up my back. Who knows, maybe he was full of you know what... he was after super messed up in the head. Just not was bad at that point. I must be living on another planet. It's almost enough to consider moving. Maybe you didn't have the local??
Lostgurl Posted January 3, 2008 Posted January 3, 2008 Maybe you didn't have the local?? No, I'm thinking that i probably didn't either. Because the needle itself hurt! This was almost 6 years ago, but that probably doesn't matter i'm pretty sure they gave local's then as well. I think it was the anestesiologist that was the problem. OP: I'm sorry, I realize now how bad this sounds. I really didn't mean to scare you and I sincerely hope I didn't. My case was one in a million and all the others here sound like their experience with epidurals went well.
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