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epidurals
Hi,
I was adamant i didnt want an epidural for one reason. It may be too much information but the biggest fear i had in labour was that i would poo in front of the midwifes. Epidurals can make you not feel down below or so i have been told, so i didnt want one incase it increased the chances.
I has a water birth with gas and air, and i have to say a very easy labour so i didnt need anymore oain relief. But saying that if the time came and i was in a lot more pain maybe things would be different. In the birth centre were i went i was told i wouldnt be allowed a water birth if i had pethidine, and if i was to have an epidural they would have to move me to the surgery ward. So that is another reason why i only had gas and air.
Sorry its long.
Karen xx
I was adamant i didnt want an epidural for one reason. It may be too much information but the biggest fear i had in labour was that i would poo in front of the midwifes. Epidurals can make you not feel down below or so i have been told, so i didnt want one incase it increased the chances.
I has a water birth with gas and air, and i have to say a very easy labour so i didnt need anymore oain relief. But saying that if the time came and i was in a lot more pain maybe things would be different. In the birth centre were i went i was told i wouldnt be allowed a water birth if i had pethidine, and if i was to have an epidural they would have to move me to the surgery ward. So that is another reason why i only had gas and air.
Sorry its long.
Karen xx
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Replies
I planned a completely natural home birth with William as I knew I could do it and the idea of the side affects of pethidine and epidural had worried me. I ended up in hospital due to high blood pressure but had a water birth there which was fantastic, didn't tear at all despite him being 8lb 10oz!
Think it goes to show, just do the research but don't actually plan anything!!
Like Emj said you might want one but it arrive to late,and also plan ahead but dont expect it to go to plan.Plan for everything and nothing.
Every woman, every birth and each situation is different so keep your mind and your birth plan open. Try not to imagine it being a certain way too much and you won't be disapointed. As long as you get your baby safe and happy and well it doesn't really matter how. Bear in mind that you will need plenty of time in order to have an epidural, check this with your midwife as if you arrive too far on in your labour there won't be time. But by then if you have coped well you may not need one. When are you due? Feel free to pm me if you want any other info!
P.S Enjoy your sleep now too!! lol
With my second labour I asked for an epidural but the midwife said 'no you don't want one of them have some pethadine instead' so I did and it was great!! She gave me an anti sickness injection too so I could use the gas and air without throwing up everywhere. With the pethadine you still feel the contractions but you really don't care about it, it is so strange.
The thing that I didn't know before hand is that with an epidural as you are numb from the waste down after the birth you have the HCA wash you down!! To them it's there job so they were really good and tried to put me at ease but I had no idea that happened. With the pethadine I was able to shower and sort myself out afterwards and I prefered that.
A friend of mine had no choice but to have her daughter with only gas and air. Her first labour lasted only 2 hours from start to finish and took the midwives completely by surprise. You can plan as much as you like but sometimes this can change.
In the end i coped well with morphine and gas and air, and it really wasn't as bad as i expected. Like Zoe mentioned above it was great to be able to get out of bed and go for a shower within an hour of giving birth.
Like Zoe said you can plan your birth down to the last detail but there is no guarantee it will go the way you want it to.
I didnt plan a water birth but the pool was free so they asked if i wanted to use it. With the next one i hope i will be able to have another water birth it was great.
I had a c section with Ethan so Amber was actually my first labour and i was absolutely sure that i would need an epidural as i have a low pain threshold. On the day i had slight contractions for the whole day then finally went into full labour at 8pm ish, it was all very quick and amber was born at 11:05 and in the end i had no pain relief not even gas and air, that was so unexpected!!! I had just found breathing in my own way had helped enough. Had it been a longer labour i think i would have needed more help so i say go with an open mind. xx
I went into labour at 5am and had Jessica at 8.45am, i had pethadine and gas and air, but mum took the gas and air of me when i was ready to push, so that i did not go sleepy.
Wanted one second time around but i was too dilated to have one.
When it came time for my second, the consultant agreed that i could have it on my side, the aneathatist (spelt wrong i know) said it would be ok to have it on my side. I was scared of being in conrol of my own movements with a needle in my spine.
When i got into surgery, they said they couldnt, only if doing it while sat up was not working!!!!!!!! So i was petrified. I explained again my fears, and was again ignored. I asked the nurse to keep hold of my shoulders untill the procedure was complete. The doctor was doing what he needed behind me, and the nurse was infront of me, holding my sholders. He said that i should keep really still, and the nurse held my shoulders, then let go!!!!!!!!! The doctor was still saying keep very still!!! i was petrified.
They had to raise the amount of anestetic so that i was numb from the armpits down. I found out after that the lady in before me had 3 needles broken on her back, argh, glad i didnt know that before hand!
The chances of me having another baby is slim, but even more so as i may have to have a c-sec as first 2 deliveries were less than 12 months apart. The fears held then still hold now.