Pitocin before epidural?

[Anonymous]

What’s the order for these drugs? Why not epidural then pitocin? I’ve heard pitocin makes the contractions much stronger so was wondering why epidural is not given first. When I went into labor my contractions weren’t consistent so they wanted to do pitocin but I didn’t want to do pitocin and then once I stood up the contractions became regular and picked up.

[Anonymous]

I’ve been on pitocin for three labors. Every one of them I got an epidural after the pitocin. Pitocin makes the contractions stronger but not unbearable for a few hours. You’re supposed to wait as long as possible for the epidural so you can still move and help the labor along.

[Anonymous]

Because lying around to labor is stupid.

[Anonymous]

I am very pain averse. I was induced 3 times and got the epidural pretty much immediately after the pitocin. My labors were 8 hours, 4 hours and 2.5 hours. Getting an epidural does not always slow things down. My doctor thinks it actually helps labor progress because you aren’t fighting the contractions.

[Anonymous]

I was also extremely pain adverse. First kid got pitocin around 2 am and epidural at 9am with no pain. Water had already broken. Kid born at 8pm. Second kid pitocin at 8 am, water broke at 2:30 pm and pain was horrible within minutes. Had been minimal before. Got the epidural at 3. Baby born at 3:15.

[Anonymous]

Remember with the pitocin and epidural you need to get lots of Ivs so you are being pumped full of liquid. I must’ve gained 10 lbs in water weight. You will also need a catheter.

[Anonymous]

Pitocin does nothing for me but I love my epidural!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Remember with the pitocin and epidural you need to get lots of Ivs so you are being pumped full of liquid. I must’ve gained 10 lbs in water weight. You will also need a catheter.

I was admitted to the hospital and got an IV 3 days before I gave birth, plus got cervadil, pitocin, and epidural. My preterm twins looked surprisingly plump at birth, but were little string beans by the time we left the hospital 3 days later. We all had temporary water weight gain.

[Anonymous]

I’ve had 2 experiences with pitocin before epidural. With my first DD, my water had broken and I was induced with pitocin, then later received an epidural. The pitocin was a nightmare, and I was in tremendous pain. With my second induction, my water hadn’t broken. Pitocin contractions were very tolerable. Midwife recommended getting the epidural before she broke my water to move labor along.

So, in my experience, there’s a night and day difference depending on whether or not your water’s broken.

[Anonymous]

Is there ever a point when it’s too late to get the epidural? My contractions sped up really fast and if I didn’t get the epidural when I did I feel like I would have been able to sit up long or there wouldn’t have been enough time i between contractions to get it in.

[Anonymous]

Both of my labors were augmented with pitocin. I got an epidural before the pitocin with the first, but had been laboring for a long time by then and was dealing with other conplications. I didn’t have an epidural with the second, but even wirh thr pitocin, things weren't bad until I was in transition, and they were never unbearable.

[Anonymous]

I found pitocin incredibly painful, but the hospital would not give me an epidural because I was only a centimeter dilated. They don't like to give it early, I think because it can slow the contraction process (but I don't really remember the reasoning). They did offer some other kind of IV painkiller with the pitocin, but it knocked me out so hard I feel asleep in spite of the contractions. It doesn't usually have that effect on people, but I have a history of hyperreacting to sedatives and it was also the end of a long day when the whole process started.

Actually, it was kind of an ideal labor. I slept soundly through the contraction process, felt nothing but got the epidural anyway when I woke up, pushed for 15 minutes and was done.

[Anonymous]

I was induced and was on pitocin overnight without the epidural and not in much pain. When they broke my water, that’s when I needed the epidural. In hindsight I maybe would have gotten it before they broke my water but I definitely didn’t need it for just the pitocin. Obvs every labor is different, just one experience.

[Anonymous]

I had pitocin and needed an epidural 5 minutes later. Ugh, hurt so bad.

[Anonymous]

The pitocin didn't affect my pain, but breaking my water sure did. Get the epidural before.