Baby Place

shortyspet · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 13 Location: Vancouver area b.c.

Im a chicken when it comes to pain but i hate needles, does an epidural hurt?? Im still trying to figure out if i think i would be able to handle child birth vaganly or if i should get cut open(preferably vaginal), my mom says that out of 4 kids she never had a epidural till me:D but i was also a fairly small(6lbs 8oz so my mom says) baby and im scared that this baby will be as big as my b/f who was a 9lbs 5 oz baby. is ther anyway i can tell about how big the baby will so i can decide on an epidural or natural??? Embarassed

mgiles · Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: alabama

i had an epidural with my first child and yes it does hurt, but when you are in the middle of a huge contraction thats one of the least worries on your mind...when you get the epidural normally you feel immediate relief and then you can smile throughout the whole delivery and really enjoy it.
with my second child i tried the epidural but for some reason it didnt take and the epidural really hurt.....however, the contractions were bareable i guess cus i wasnt as scared as i was with the first one.....anyway, i ended up having her and feeling all the pain, I hyperventilated and immediately after delivery i got a shot of demerol which was wonderful...i loved it.
Do whatever is right for you, but next time i am gonna go natural....try to anyway...lol

shortyspet · Joined: 19 May 2004 Posts: 13 Location: Vancouver area b.c.

Waaa i just found out i cant have an epadural because i might have scoliousus(something to do with spine) and if i get a needle to the back it could kill or paralize me. but i can get pitocen

mgiles · Joined: 16 May 2004 Posts: 36 Location: alabama

I am so sorry that you cant get an epidural...but there are other pain medicines out there that you can get through the IV. Pitocin will make your contractions stronger and some say that an induced labor is worse than one not induced.....i was induced and it didnt seem real real bad....anyway...you can have demerol which feels really really good although i didnt get that til after I delivered....so I dont know if it helps the pain of labor real well or not......one thing you have to consider is that alot of IV drugs can reach the baby and make the baby sleepy....that's your choice.......just however much pain u personally can deal with....good luck Exclamation

Mom of 2 · Joined: 26 May 2004 Posts: 303

I know you already said you couldn't have an epidural, but I thought I'd just post to say that I didnt' feel a thing when I had mine. My contractions were the only pain I felt. I think a lot of it has to do with your anethesiologist. As for a c-section, I wouldn't recomend it unless it's necessary, however I can't compare it to a vaginally birth since I've never had one. Many friends say that induced labor is more painful. Good luck with your decision and labor.

Materni-Tee.com · Joined: 11 May 2004 Posts: 46

Every woman, every pregnancy and every birth are unique. Do what feels best to you. Keep in mind that many women who have chosen natural births confidently report lower levels of pain. Also, what goes into your blood goes into the baby's bloddstream too, and some of the drugs used are heavy stuff. Whatever you choose, make sure that those around you are aware of your choices and respect them. Best wishes.

mamaof3 · Joined: 31 May 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Indy

For ME, the epidural was the least of any of the pain! In fact, the first labor, I felt no contractions whatsoever. My Dr. let me get the epidural early. It was an induced labor. My second, I was scheduled for an induction & went into labor on my own 2 days earlier. So that was the first time I felt a contraction. I had an epidural & it only took to half of my body. I was like "ok, this is better than no pain relief" but then the contractions got really bad (on half my body) and they started talking about pitocin. I said "If you don't fix my epidural before you start the pitocin, I will die right here!!" So, I was only 3 cm dialated, the anastesialigist (sp) came in & redid my epidural, aaaaah, relief at last, guess what! The pitocin wasn't needed, and I went from 3 to 9 sm. in less than 15 minutes & my daughter was born. Thank God for that epidural!
My 3rd baby was another story, I was induced again & after 14 hours, every time they checked me, the baby's head went right back up again! So the Dr. said I had to have a c-section. I was upset, but it was best because her cord was around her neck, as it turned out. I already had the episural in place, all they had to do was change the medicine that was flowing into it.

Terri B · Joined: 07 Jun 2004 Posts: 59

I sooo wanted to go natural and thought I could handle the pain. It was probably worse because I had no idea what to expect (it was my first). It was like no pain I can describe! I was induced due to my blood pressure being high at the time (and it was my due date anyhow). When I decided I couldn't cut it natural, they gave me Nubane through IV first. This helped for a few hours and allowed me the only 3 hours of sleep I got in almost 40 hours! But the second dose of Nubane they gave me didn't seem to do a thing. Twelve hours into my 23 hour labor I finally conceded to an epidural. It didn't hurt one bit-and I had been scared of that too. I DO think it depends on how good the anesthesiologist is. Within a half hour, I felt NO pain at all. In fact, I got so numb, I couldn't really push effectively and they had to back off the epidural. I'd still like to try natural again. It's encouraging to hear others say that the second time isn't as bad.
As far as the drugs getting to the baby-I'm sure that they all do, but I'm also sure they affect every baby to a different degree. My daughter came out exremely alert and active so they obviously didn't affect her adversely. I don't think the doctors would even use the drugs if there was a great risk to the baby. But of course we all know anything can happen and there's always a risk.
Good luck!

Samantha · Guest

I know it doesn't matter now but the epidural was nothing. I was so scared of it before going into labor, then when I was having double contractions I could care less. I didn't feel a thing, just a quick pinch. Also, I don't think there is much they can give you in terms of drugs during the delivery because they affect the baby. You will probably be very limited. Before I could get the epidural they offered me something else for the pain that was safe for the baby, IT DID NOTHING. I felt drunk and in pain.....I hated it. I hope I didn't scare you and everything goes well. Good luck!

Uwish · Joined: 25 Jun 2004 Posts: 43

You will not even feel the epideral.

If you are worried about pain, than the least of your worries should be the needle. The natural birth is going to be 100 times more painful than the needle hun!

My sister said she didn't (both of them) feel the needle at all. There is so much else going on, so much pain coming from everywhere else, that the needle is barely felt at all. If at all. I would definetly go drugs.

mumof2boys · Joined: 06 Jul 2004 Posts: 41 Location: Australia

hi im new here my name is michelle and i have 2 boys,one is 2yrs and the other is 5 months anyway with my first i wanted an epidural from the word go,i think i was around 7 cm dialated,the needle did not hurt what so ever(and i am the biggest chicken i swear)i had no forcips or suction cup but i think the biggest downfall was the pushing as it took over an hour.with my second i wanted another epidural but as all the anithatists were busy i had to go without,i ended up having the gas(the secret is chew on mintys if you hate the taste it works wonders)and a shot of pethidine the hole natural thing to me was pretty painful but he was out in 3 pushes so in all i think it depends on who administers the needle and i believe in that its your decision so you do what is best for you and baby. Very Happy

Jaymmie · Joined: 08 Jul 2004 Posts: 172 Location: NC

I am a mother of 2 boys. With my first I had medicine in my IV and I was in labor 12 hours. The medicine made me sleepy the whole time. He was 8 pounds 8 ounces. He didn't hurt me like my second child. My contractions were back to back with my second. I wanted a epidural with him but I waited too late and had to do everything natural. It was worth all you need is a lot of support so you can get through it. Because there are a lot of disadvantages of a epidural. Find out more about it. My second little boy was 7 pouds 6 ounces. My 8 pounder felt better than my 7 pounder. They say the bigger the baby the better they slide out. With my first it took 3 pushes. With my second I lost count. Good Luck! Wink

EJB2804 · Joined: 04 Jul 2004 Posts: 72

I am a huge wuss when it comes to pain. Being 17 and having a baby too made my labor even more scarier. My advice to you is to at least try to have your child with as little as possible. I had nubain or how ever you spell it through the iv first...that really gets you relaxed...then about a hour before I had Emily I got my epidural...for me I didnt really feel it at all...when he told me I could roll back over...I was like...huh....its done.....The thing that sucked was when it didnt work...lol....It worked for the most part...but I still felt alot when I was pushing....not I regret having it because I think I could have made it another hour without it...but thats me talking now....with my next kid I will probably have it again...but we will see.....lol...
Whatever you choose I am sure it will work out for you.....every one is different. I have heared horror stories about the doctors hitting nerves when they put the needle in and then theres me who didnt even feel it...lol...again good luck!!!
-Melanie-

taylor · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 97 Location: paisley scotland

When i had my first daughter at 16 i had a eprdurail but i hated it and vowed never to do it again 4 years later when i had my second i had a natural and it wasnt painfull very easy and i enjoyed it more and with my 3rd im having a natural again.