They will fully go over the risks of an epidural if you talk to your doctor about it. Explain to him what you want for pain management. The choice is yours.

Getting an epidural is a personal choice each woman must make for herself. Whether it's worth it or not is different for each woman with each birth. I'll tell you about my epidural experience though, and why it was worth it for me.

I labored for 24 hours without pain medication, and it was completely managable. Around hour 25 is when it became painful, and the pain increased to the point where I couldn't handle it no matter my position. I tried standing, laying down, squatting on a birthing ball, and nothing was working for me. The pressure of the baby's head combined with the contractions made me feel like I was sitting and rocking on a knife. I began to hyperventilate and was inconsolable, and that's when I decided for pain relief. (this stage, by the way, is called 'transition', and it's the most intense although it's also usually the shortest.)

the hardest part of getting the epidural was sitting still during contractions. I got a shot in my back to numb the area, which felt like a bee sting. I didn't feel pain from the epidural needle, but I felt a lot of pressure and I felt the sensation of the needle piercing its way into my spinal column. It didn't hurt, but it felt very weird. The medicine felt very cold going down my back, and there was a half-second of intense pain in my pelvic area (the doctor told me to expect it). I also had an electric jolt in one of my legs that caused me to kick my husband in his shin.

It took about three minutes for the epidural to take effect. My first contraction was still painful, the next was slightly painful, the next was a little bit uncomfortable, and then blissful relief. It's literally like having the most excruciating pain you've ever known one minute, and feeling great a few minutes later. That's why epidurals get such rave reviews. I was ready to push 45 minutes later, and had my daughter out in 9 minutes. Because I felt no pain, pushing was very easy for me. I just beared down like I was going poo, and my body did the rest.

If I were you, I would wait to get the epidural for a little while. You might surprise yourself with how long you can manage without one. Epidurals can slow labor down sometimes. But if, in the heat of the moment, you feel you can't do it anymore, your mind won't be on that needle. You'll just be focused on feeling normal again.

Sorry to write so much, but I hope it helps!

Thanks dalicia and ayamiyaki.. You guys helped a ton :d yeah im thinking ill try to tough it out as long as possible... Who knows how long that will last...

Did you guys see on the news how a lady had her baby within 45 minutes of the beggining of labour and deliverd in her bathroom?

hearing stuff like this just makes me want to blow my top. What the hell. You can leave a new born at the police or fire station without any questions. You can take the extra doing it effort to find an adoptive couple, or just atleast leave it in state care. I hate hearing this. Gosh i'm so mad now. Mom was probably a junkie. Or atleast leave it on a porch. Agggghhhhh

How upsetting!!!!!!!!




Oh_mommy, the only part of the epi that hurt was the numbing needle. That hurt more than the epi itsself.

Wow thats so harsh... If the person didnt want the baby alive why didnt she just have an abortion??? Jeez thats just harsh.. Gr...

Ok locked
to the original poster sorry, but this got a bit off topic