if your epidural didn't work...

[Anonymous]

do you know why?

did you have any luck saying, hey this isn't working can you do something?

I read somewhere that 1/20 don't work and I don't understand how this can be!!

[Anonymous]

I have no idea why my epidural failed. It worked great for about an hour, then I slowly started to feel pain (of course, they kept saying: are you SURRREEE it's not just "pressure" because you can't expect your epidural to take THAT away!. Uh, no, it was god-awful pain.) Over the next half hour or so, the pain rapidly intensified until I thought I was dying. They kept dosing the epidural and all it did was make my legs more and more numb. Clearly the catheter had slipped ever so slightly, redirecting the medication. Luckily my daughter was born about 30 minutes later, but it was the most insanely awful thing I've ever experienced. If I ever have another baby, it most definitely will be at home where I won't even be tempted to try an epidural. I've heard that about 15% of epidurals don't work or stop working. About 1% have serious negative side effects (other than simply not working as anticipated).

[Anonymous]

That is exactly why I did not ask for an epidural for my first labour - I was afraid I would not be able to move, the needle etc was going to be painful, the pain would go away for a while, and then come back with a vengeance...

BUT, they induced me at a time in labour when I could not really respond, and without the epidural the last contractions and pushing ended up traumatizing me physically and mentally.

SO, given the fact that epidurals work most of the time, I would consider asking for one if I was experiencing bad labour pains, and would definitely ask for one if I was induced.

The crux is that you always have to be prepared to handle drug-free labour - follow a good class, with good breathing and visualization techniques, and train your DH or whoever is going to be at the birth to have all the support techniques at their fingertips. Who knows? There is always a chance the epidural won't work, the baby will come out before you reach the hospital, etc...
Hope for the best, prepare for the "worst" - and maybe the worst won't feel that bad!

[Anonymous]

I had one that did not initially work. It needed to be slightly repositioned. After repositioning, it worked beautifully.

I wanted an epidural for my second child as well, but he showed up way too fast and I had the "opportunity" to experience unmedicated childbirth. All I can say is...WHY would anyone want to go through that sort of pain? I did not feel like more of a woman or more of a mother or like I'd improved my second child's chance at having a supremely perfect life just because I went through a lot more pain during his birth than his older sibling's. Even though my first delivery required a "fix" on the epidural, I thought it was well worth it.

[Anonymous]

I had one that took the pain away, but only on one side of the body. They gave me a 2nd one and worked perfectly. I would not have any qualms about doing an epidural again.

[Anonymous]

I've had two and none of them worked. After the first one my blood pressure drop to the point a swat team of doctors wheeled me immediately to the ER as they were losing my pulse and the baby's heartbeat but manage to "fix" both problems just minutes before an emergency c-section. We were both ok after that and the epi sort of worked on and off. With my second it completely paralized me but didn't take away any of the pain. It was horrible. They tried to do it again and it was worse. The anesthesiologist gave me the very scientific statement of "you are wired different than most women" when I kept asking what was going on...
I am now 34 weeks along with number 3 and under no circumstances am I agreeing to give epidurals a third chance. Sadly, pain relief options are VERY limited if you don't want an epi. I have an anesthesia consult in a couple of weeks to review other options but I am not very optimistic about it.

[Anonymous]

mine worked for a few hours, and then it stopped working and wore off. i was in labor for a long time (26 hours before pushing) and we think that i may have shifted around in bed enough so that the IV needle shifted and wasn't directing the meds to the right place. I had a second epidural, which turned out to be fantastic - I could still feel my legs, but I didn't feel pain.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had one that did not initially work. It needed to be slightly repositioned. After repositioning, it worked beautifully.

I wanted an epidural for my second child as well, but he showed up way too fast and I had the "opportunity" to experience unmedicated childbirth. All I can say is...WHY would anyone want to go through that sort of pain? I did not feel like more of a woman or more of a mother or like I'd improved my second child's chance at having a supremely perfect life just because I went through a lot more pain during his birth than his older sibling's. Even though my first delivery required a "fix" on the epidural, I thought it was well worth it.

ugh! you're a jerk. I don't bash you for your medicated births, stop taking shots at folks who choose to go naturally. Every person should do what is best for them. I had the "opportunity" to go naturally as well, except I prepared for it. I was willing to have an epidural if I needed one but it turns out that, if prepared well, the human body has endorphins that are way better than drugs. I would never call the pain awful. I had fun during my childbirth, was smiling as my son came out (face up). No tear, i was fully mobile, and I didn't do it because I worried about pain or I thought the pain would make me "more of a woman." I did it because I wanted to do it that way and it worked for me. I was up and able to give my DS his first bath and hold his little hands as he was being measured, etc. That was worth any amount of pain - and fortunately the pain was entirely manageable.

[Anonymous]

I didn't know I could push a button to get 'more' of the epi. I was in a lot of pain during the last stages of labor & pushing. I will be getting an epidural with this baby as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sadly, pain relief options are VERY limited if you don't want an epi. I have an anesthesia consult in a couple of weeks to review other options but I am not very optimistic about it.

Maybe hire a doula who can help you with non-medical types of pain relief? I hear they work wonders. Also, consider having a waterbirth. Many people refer to warm water (during labor) as the "midwife's epidural" because it is so effective at helping to ease labor pain. Good luck to you, and I'm sorry births 1 and 2 were so painful!

[Anonymous]

I was one of those rare cases where the epi didn't work (they tried 3 times). Unfortunately in the labor classess, they cover un-medicated births and the drug options, but don't cover the fact that the drugs might not work. While I do not want to wade into the fight over naturnal v. medicated births, I have other medical issues that made the birth very very painful. I am now pregnant with my second and am definitely going to have a consultation with the anesthesiologist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wanted an epidural for my second child as well, but he showed up way too fast and I had the "opportunity" to experience unmedicated childbirth. All I can say is...WHY would anyone want to go through that sort of pain? I did not feel like more of a woman or more of a mother or like I'd improved my second child's chance at having a supremely perfect life just because I went through a lot more pain during his birth than his older sibling's. Even though my first delivery required a "fix" on the epidural, I thought it was well worth it.

Well, that was gratuitous. How about I won't judge/mock your choices, and you don't judge/mock mine? Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I had one that did not initially work. It needed to be slightly repositioned. After repositioning, it worked beautifully.

I wanted an epidural for my second child as well, but he showed up way too fast and I had the "opportunity" to experience unmedicated childbirth. All I can say is...WHY would anyone want to go through that sort of pain? I did not feel like more of a woman or more of a mother or like I'd improved my second child's chance at having a supremely perfect life just because I went through a lot more pain during his birth than his older sibling's. Even though my first delivery required a "fix" on the epidural, I thought it was well worth it.

ugh! you're a jerk. I don't bash you for your medicated births, stop taking shots at folks who choose to go naturally. Every person should do what is best for them. I had the "opportunity" to go naturally as well, except I prepared for it. I was willing to have an epidural if I needed one but it turns out that, if prepared well, the human body has endorphins that are way better than drugs. I would never call the pain awful. I had fun during my childbirth, was smiling as my son came out (face up). No tear, i was fully mobile, and I didn't do it because I worried about pain or I thought the pain would make me "more of a woman." I did it because I wanted to do it that way and it worked for me. I was up and able to give my DS his first bath and hold his little hands as he was being measured, etc. That was worth any amount of pain - and fortunately the pain was entirely manageable.

Congratulations on your choice. Not that you're defensive about it or anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wanted an epidural for my second child as well, but he showed up way too fast and I had the "opportunity" to experience unmedicated childbirth. All I can say is...WHY would anyone want to go through that sort of pain? I did not feel like more of a woman or more of a mother or like I'd improved my second child's chance at having a supremely perfect life just because I went through a lot more pain during his birth than his older sibling's. Even though my first delivery required a "fix" on the epidural, I thought it was well worth it.

Well, that was gratuitous. How about I won't judge/mock your choices, and you don't judge/mock mine? Thanks.

So I am not allowed to share my experiences? I have had it both ways, medicated and unmedicated, and this is my opinion. Bummer if you don't like it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wanted an epidural for my second child as well, but he showed up way too fast and I had the "opportunity" to experience unmedicated childbirth. All I can say is...WHY would anyone want to go through that sort of pain? I did not feel like more of a woman or more of a mother or like I'd improved my second child's chance at having a supremely perfect life just because I went through a lot more pain during his birth than his older sibling's. Even though my first delivery required a "fix" on the epidural, I thought it was well worth it.

Well, that was gratuitous. How about I won't judge/mock your choices, and you don't judge/mock mine? Thanks.

So I am not allowed to share my experiences? I have had it both ways, medicated and unmedicated, and this is my opinion. Bummer if you don't like it.

You didn't just share your experiences, you bashed mine.

Also, you didn't really have it "both" ways. I'm not the PP you're responding to but another one who posted and I can tell you that there is more to natural childbirth than just being some lady whose epidural didn't work.

FWIW, I have no judgment reserved for anyone's childbirth choices. Just don't appreciate the totally uncalled for mockery of my choice.

Also, you are the one who sounds defensive.