Epidural or no epidural? And why??

[mrsmorgan]

i think is the gyne duty to inform you of the side effects of epidural!
And when you opt for epidural, it must be administered by another doctor (i cannot remember the actual term for that doctor) and you must sign a consent form!
There are actually 3 forms of pain relief: Laughing gas, pethidine & epidural.
Both laughing gas and pethidine are in package so need not pay extra unlike epidural.

I just gave birth recently and almost gave in to epidural, already sign consent form but my gyne estimated only 2 more hours to delivery, so i decided to endure and manage to did it w/o epidural.

But i did use the laughing gas & Pethidine. The laughing gas is real effective if you inhale it correctly, it will make you dizzy and more relaxed so you will dilate faster.
I only inhale the gas when i feel my contraction at first. But i grew so tired after a few hours that i have no strength to lift the mask up & down, so inhaled it continuously.
With the combined effect of pethidine, i managed to relax and delivered less than 2 hours later!

But the pain especially when you feel baby coming out, is REAL painful!

my sis has 3 kids n she didnt use epi but used pethidine.. she really hated e smell of e gas.. made her feel like throwing up she said.. haha! she's really skinny n i salute her for being able to control e pain for all 3 kids! ancing_wub:

 

[mrsmorgan]

I think it depend on individuals and situations when deciding to take epidural.
No point torturing yourself if you cannot take the pain!
From what i read on books, if you are on epidural, you cannot feel when baby is coming out, so must listen to nurses, i also dont't know how...

I really salute our mothers & grandmothers who used to give birth to so many children in the past w/o any pain relief!

yes salute 'em!! n here we are discussing about pain reliefs!! hahaha!! :tlaugh:

 

[dcs_81]

Yes really must salute our elders who gave birth without any pain relief..
I was a huge baby when born .. my mom gave birth to me in normal delivery .. I was weighing 4.75 kg .. ancing_shocked:
Wondering how much my mother would have suffered to bring me to this world ..
Good thing we have lot of choice to relieve the pain .. ancing_tongue:

 

[mrsmorgan]

Yes really must salute our elders who gave birth without any pain relief..
I was a huge baby when born .. my mom gave birth to me in normal delivery .. I was weighing 4.75 kg .. ancing_shocked:
Wondering how much my mother would have suffered to bring me to this world ..
Good thing we have lot of choice to relieve the pain .. ancing_tongue:

whoa! 4.75kg normal delivery?? ur mum must be really strong! nowadays i think above 3+kg have to c-sect already right? hehe

 

[meiteoh]

Dunno about you ladies but I have had more positive recommendations regarding epidural than negative. Over here, they give our pamphlets with info on the + and - of epidural and a number of the women who take it didn't complain to me about backaches. So I think it varies from individual to individual.

Was told that everything has a side effect - gas and shots can result in either you being too drowsy to push or baby being too drowsy to move while some who go on epidural end up feel chilly and so forth.

A few docs and midwives mentioned to me if you have backache long after your labour, it could be related to other things and not to your labour - poor posture, how you take care of your back and so forth.

As for whether I'm taking epidural or not, I'm actually choosing to leave that option open. I don't want to say no and then find myself caught with my pants down during labour when I do really need some form of pain relief. A former colleague once told me this, "Don't try to be a hero. If you need it, you need it".

It is good to consider this when you're in your third trimester together with things like birthing techniques and such (breastfeeding, rooming-in, put to breast immediately, etc). In other words, have a rough birth plan in mind and inform the hospital or doc about it.

 

[mrsmorgan]

dont know about you ladies but I have had more positive recommendations regarding epidural than negative. Over here, they give our pamphlets with info on the + and - of epidural and a number of the women who take it didn't complain to me about backaches. So I think it varies from individual to individual.

Was told that everything has a side effect - gas and shots can result in either you being too drowsy to push or baby being too drowsy to move while some who go on epidural end up feel chilly and so forth.

A few docs and midwives mentioned to me if you have backache long after your labour, it could be related to other things and not to your labour - poor posture, how you take care of your back and so forth.

As for whether I'm taking epidural or not, I'm actually choosing to leave that option open. I dont't want to say no and then find myself caught with my pants down during labour when I do really need some form of pain relief. A former colleague once told me this, "dont't try to be a hero. If you need it, you need it".

It is good to consider this when you're in your third trimester together with things like birthing techniques and such (breastfeeding, rooming-in, put to breast immediately, etc). In other words, have a rough birth plan in mind and inform the hospital or doc about it.

yea.. i think it's wise to decide which painkiller will suit u best when it's really time for u to choose and in e meantime just learn more about e pros n cons of each painkiller..

n always remember that u dont have to worry about what others might think of ur decisions cuz they're NOT u!!

 

[Ting]

i delivered pin naturally w/o epi.
for me, i have a high threshold of pain, so not a prob to me.
but gotta admit, its really quite bad.
but not really pain, it's more like a "suan" kinda feeling. like freaking bad menstrual cramps.
but personally, i feel tt gg thru labour is part of the process of having a kid, to know how it really feels to be preg n then giving birth to the child itself, thus i opt not to take epidural.

 

[Ting]

when should we decide whether or not to tk epidural? is it during one of the gynae visit? or only at the hospital?

if i rmb correctly, they only asked me b4 i entered the delivery room.

 

[stonston]

It's a very personal choice. I have frens who are strongly against epidural, saying it's not natural, u aren't a real mummy if u dun feel the pain, etc etc.

But for me it's straightforward. My health is not good, I can't take the strain of long labour, esp if it's gonna be painful and stressful. So me, hb and gynae agreed I'll take epidural. Hb & gynae worried I'll faint from pain then end up C section.

And I din even wanna be 'hero' for a minute. the moment i felt some pain, i asked for epidural. bcos the contractions were not very pain yet, i could keep very still for the epidural & i got a senior aneasthetist so he was very swift and it was all over v quickly

Do discuss it with your hb. Dun make it a situation tt both are upset over a small thing like this my hb v supportive tt i take epidural cos he say I should enjoy the birth process, which i really did cos i was not distracted by the pain

 

[shiseru]

Yep, that's what I heard and read about epidural too. A few of my colleagues chose epidural and did not complain of any side effects.

One of my collegaue said hers was epidural drip that allows her to control the amount of anaesthetic, but she let the epidural wear off when she's about to deliver the baby. She said the woman beside her was using some sorta gas (dont know if it's Entonox or Pethidine) but she was screaming all the way so I guess it wasn't effective afterall :001_302:

The antenatal class teaches labour relief some breathing techniques but I wonder at that very moment when pain seem to take control over your mind, will I still remember how to apply. Guess not hehe ^_^

 

[CanCanMum]

For me i had already thought of no epidural for my delivery beforehand but subsequently during 6cm dilation had regretted but was too late....lols~~~

coz beforehand i was thinking even my mum can take it why can't i?

*trying to act strong* lols~~~

but in the end the whole process was quite a memorable one....Till now after almost 4 years later its still vividly in my mind.

Its just a personal choice. If you think that your pain tolerance level has all the while been low, beta to stick to epidural right from beginning. Coz when the real pain comes in its already too late to administer the jab.

*also taking epidural enables you to have a good nights sleep while waiting for the 10cm mark*

If your pain tolerance level is high, can consider to go without epidural to experience real labour pains and childbirth.

The only side effect that i heard from taking epi is after birth only....like nausea and you will wake up feeling painful becoz the epi has died off....especially if you have stitches or c-section. However the doc will prescribe painkillers for u soon after the delivery.

But besides that not much major side effects as scientifically proven to date or as far as i have read.

And of coz your anaesthetist mus be well trained to a good job.
Other than that not much issues. Coz you will be immersed in the joy of holding your newborn baby!:tlaugh::tlaugh::tlaugh:

 

[meiteoh]

That's the thing...I dont't know what my pain tolerance level is. :/

Shiseru, over here, they administer it as a drip. So you can control the amount you need to take. Of course, cannot gungho and press the button every few minutes.

 

[CanCanMum]

if u r unsure how much pain u can take, as a guideline the 2cm dilation pain is like menstrual cramps.

4cm is like more severe menstrual cramps and abdominal cramps

6cm is more and more

8cm is even more.....and it makes breathing difficult....

10cm its not painful already coz u can start to push.....its only the 6-8cm part which is difficult.

If i dun rem wrongly, 4cm is the latest time that you decide either yes to epi or hang on there.

But then again, some pple takes less time to reach 10cm....some will take ages and it more or less affects your choice oso.

 

[meiteoh]

Aiyo....pengsan!

 

[jal]

i think is the gyne duty to inform you of the side effects of epidural!
And when you opt for epidural, it must be administered by another doctor (i cannot remember the actual term for that doctor) and you must sign a consent form!
There are actually 3 forms of pain relief: Laughing gas, pethidine & epidural.
Both laughing gas and pethidine are in package so need not pay extra unlike epidural.

I just gave birth recently and almost gave in to epidural, already sign consent form but my gyne estimated only 2 more hours to delivery, so i decided to endure and manage to did it w/o epidural.

But i did use the laughing gas & Pethidine. The laughing gas is real effective if you inhale it correctly, it will make you dizzy and more relaxed so you will dilate faster.
I only inhale the gas when i feel my contraction at first. But i grew so tired after a few hours that i have no strength to lift the mask up & down, so inhaled it continuously.
With the combined effect of pethidine, i managed to relax and delivered less than 2 hours later!

But the pain especially when you feel baby coming out, is REAL painful!

If you all had to rate the level of pain (assuming you did not take epi, only inhaled laughing gas &/or pethdine) on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least painful & 10 being the most painful, which would you choose?

 

[jal]

i delivered pin naturally w/o epi.
for me, i have a high threshold of pain, so not a prob to me.
but gotta admit, its really quite bad.
but not really pain, it's more like a "suan" kinda feeling. like freaking bad menstrual cramps.
but personally, i feel that gg thru labour is part of the process of having a kid, to know how it really feels to be preg and then giving birth to the child itself, thus i opt not to take epidural.

Is the pain anywhere near foot massage? Some people cannot take vigorous foot massage as they find it painful.

 

[shiseru]

LOL Yeah! I think all hell will starts to break loose at 4cm - for me :blaugh:

I may end up hitting the button of the epi drip evey few mins after all, meiteoh. haha

Jal, i love foot reflexology, if labour like foot massage, i want to give birth evey year

 

[CanCanMum]

Aiyo....pengsan!

???? chey i thought you are angmoh so i purposely wrote beta english (lols) ancing_tongue:*just joking*

my guideline laaaa....you try first see how lorrr....still can ask for epi later ya...

If you all had to rate the level of pain (assuming you did not take epi, only inhaled laughing gas &/or pethdine) on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the least painful & 10 being the most painful, which would you choose?

the lauffing gas only stops 25% of pain i heard from my buddy jan84...and you wil have blackout.

 

[jal]

For me i had already thought of no epidural for my delivery beforehand but subsequently during 6cm dilation had regretted but was too late....lols~~~

coz beforehand i was thinking even my mum can take it why can't i?

*trying to act strong* lols~~~

but in the end the whole process was quite a memorable one....Till now after almost 4 years later its still vividly in my mind.

Its just a personal choice. If you think that your pain tolerance level has all the while been low, beta to stick to epidural right from beginning. Coz when the real pain comes in its already too late to administer the jab.

*also taking epidural enables you to have a good nights sleep while waiting for the 10cm mark*

If your pain tolerance level is high, can consider to go without epidural to experience real labour pains and childbirth.

The only side effect that i heard from taking epi is after birth only....like nausea and you will wake up feeling painful becoz the epi has died off....especially if you have stitches or c-section. However the doc will prescribe painkillers for you soon after the delivery.

But besides that not much major side effects as scientifically proven to date or as far as i have read.

And of coz your anaesthetist mus be well trained to a good job.
Other than that not much issues. Coz you will be immersed in the joy of holding your newborn baby!:tlaugh::tlaugh::tlaugh:

Just curious to know, why is it too late? Does the drug take a long time to take effect?

 

[jal]

LOL Yeah! I think all hell will starts to break loose at 4cm - for me :blaugh:

I may end up hitting the button of the epi drip evey few mins after all, meiteoh. haha

Jal, i love foot reflexology, if labour like foot massage, i want to give birth evey year

Haha! Ya I enjoy foot massage too! Sometimes I see that other people around me will squirm & tell the masseur to go less vigorously but I always tell the masseur to add more force. And he would look surprised & go "Sure or not?" LOL. Maybe it is because I am thin so they think I cannot take it. The more force, the better mah! Even my hubby tells the massuer to use less force! Haha!