Baby-Beiler`s poll Show results | Hide results

brandyv (895.2 days ago)
Yes, I would get the epidural. I don`t like pain and hard labor is one of the worst pains I`ve felt.

california-mom (895.2 days ago)
Nope. Have never had one with my 3 kids and never will with any future kids. Was induced with the last 2...Painful but toally worth it.

canadababy (895.6 days ago)
My plan was to try and go without, but after 30hours of labour I was begging for the epidural! Where I live they give you what`s called a `walking epidural`, you`re not totally frozen, you can still move your legs, just the pain from the contraction is gone. AND you still have the urge to push. So for me, it was a no-brainer :) It actually also made me dialate faster...I was stuck at 3cm for hours and hours because I was so tense and once they gave me the epidural I was able to relax and fully dialate. Try for a natural birth, but don`t feel bad if you need an epi, it was a life-saver for me!!

Lookalike (895.7 days ago)
The only reason I got an epidural is because of the pitocin drip. Had I not had pitocin, I wouldn`t have gotten the epidural since it wasn`t hurting until they started the pitocin. Also, I didn`t know this, but you have to have a catheter inserted when you get the epi. Had I known this to begin with, I would have put up with the pain caused by the pitocin.

EmmaReed84 (895.7 days ago)
Ok there are pros and cons to each of these and I have experienced both. Me personally would go WITHOUT epi. With my 1st I had an epi, felt terrible, couldn`t move, didn`t know when to push had an assisted delivery it was very traumatic for me, 2nd time round I laboured far too quickly to have one and it was a better experience all round, i was up and walking about just 40 mins later felt great and went home the next day. It all depends on your pain threshold, also how long you have been in labour for.

absoluties (895.7 days ago)
I had to get one with my last baby. I was 1.5 days in labor, continuous contractions, and only 1.5 cm dilated. 30 minutes after they put in the epi, i was 10cm, and started to push. it relaxed me enough to dilate. I wanted to go natural, but after all said and done, i would not have it any other way!!!! the epidural permitted me to enjoy my son`s birth, and lay him on my tummy with no pains while the doctors stitched. he took my breast within 20 minutes. I would not have been able to enjoy this pure happiness if it weren`t for the epidural. The risks are very very minimal. I had learnt later that pain can cause damage with even more risk to a few.

BabyBsmomma (Joni) (895.7 days ago)
i did not use one for my daughter and have no intentions of using them for future births if i don`t have to! they scare me too...i can`t imagine the feeling of being numb..and i have had friends and relatives with bad reactions/experiences from them- i never thought i had a high pain tolerance...but natural birth definitely proved me wrong!

Str8 As (895.7 days ago)
With my first my first and only vag birth, I got an epi and it did not work! They kept increasing the dosage to the point I was tasting metal :-(. Needless to say it was a waste of time and not worth it since I felt everything anyway! So if I could have another vag birth I would not do it again!

mummyyumyum (895.7 days ago)
I have been through one labour without one, and I actually did ok (well I thought so anyway lol). I am now 22 weeks pregnant and plan on doing the exact same thing as I did last time. Plenty of gas and air, a birthing ball and tens machine will do me fine......errr I hope. PS. That big epidural needle scares me more than the birthing pain anyway lol.....and I dont even have a fear of needles!

Mcbender3 (895.7 days ago)
I`ve gone through two births without one.. but also have high pain tolerence. It all depends on the person and their `views and beliefs`. I didn`t concentrate on the pain and labor was enjoyable for me. =] Peopel now in days don`t give themselves enough credit to go fully natural.

loribb (895.7 days ago)
I have no choice, I am having a c-section.

heather12 (895.7 days ago)
No I wouldn`t get one. I have given birh 3 times and my largest baby being 10 lbs. I was induced with 2 of them and had pitocin with all three. I have a high pain tolerence and I know that I can do it. It hurts like hell though! I hate to even take a tylenol for a headache.

happyforest (895.7 days ago)
i am so scared of needles to the point of having panic attacks sometimes. (the first time i ever got an iv it took them 45 min to get it in bc i was shaking so bad) when i got pregnant i said there was no way i would get an epi, i even bought all kinds of natural birth books, hypnobirthing etc. well all that got ruined when i had to be induced. the pitocin was the worst thing ever. once i began to fear the next contraction more than the needle, i asked for the epi. it was amazing! i had a 9.5 lb baby and didnt feel a thing. i didnt have any problems pushing either, only 10-15 min!

t555rm (895.7 days ago)
I sure will! It was a relief when I had my baby. I actually went with an open mind...just kept my options open that if the pain got really bad I`d go for an epidural. And I did when I was 5 cm and am glad I did coz it was a looong labor and I wouldn`t have had the energy to get thru it without pain relief. But they did bring down the dose a little bit to help me push. It feels a little weird at first when u can`t feel anything below yr waist but u get used to it. The strange thing after it was all over was that my right thigh stayed numb for over 3 months. I could feel my leg when I touched it but it wasn`t totally back to it`s old self LOL.

cncmom (895.7 days ago)
I`ve had 3 epidurals. I had 2 c-sections and they left the epidural catheter in place and that is where I recieved my pain medicine. I also had a post op epidural after my bowel resection surgery also for pain managment. I never had a problem with any of them.

mimi2b2aboy (895.7 days ago)
i got an epi with my first and i will get one with this one. i was scared about getting it but when he started i didn't even feel like anything but a shot, it was easy peasy. the only thing that freaked me out was because my tattoo on my back was almost too big to get the epi done. luckily he found a very small spot that worked. so to any ladies planning on getting back pieces done i would suggest thinking ahead to when you have kids and if you want an epi or not and determine the size and design that way. also, they say there is research out there that states when you get an epi your baby comes out all doped up, my lil one came out wide awake and holding her own head up so i dont believe that `research`. i felt one contraction and told them right away i wanted an epi. lol it wasn`t even a big contraction.

ilovemy2littleprinces (895.7 days ago)
omg i got one and im so happy i did, i couldn`t have done it without it, i was induced so the contractions were soo painful and i waited until i was at a 6 to get it and by the time it was all put in i was at a 9...i pushed without a problem, my labor was only 8 hrs

sweetbabyboy (895.7 days ago)
I had a epidural with both of my sons and loved it!!! why be in pain if you don`t have too, I really don`t know how women do it without one, I guess I just have a low pain tolerance lol. I didn`t think it hurt at all either, compared to the contractions it was nothing, I hardly felt it both times!!

monkeymamma (895.7 days ago)
I tried to not get it, but then I said enough. I wanted to enjoy not be in so much pain. Turns out for the best because I ended up having to have an emergency c-section and it would have taken time up to get my baby out!

mikey and cjs mommy (895.7 days ago)
i am TERRIFIED of needles so i went through my whole pregnancy with the mind set no way...but after after being induced and having pictocin for contractions...i couldnt bare it anymore and said give it to me. Honestly...i did not even feel the needle go in at all. the only thing i felt was this cold sensation going down my back which was the actual meds going into me. not even 2mins later i could no longer feel my contractions. i could see these huge spikes on the monitor but i could not feel anything. it was awesome! haha

mikey and cjs mommy (895.7 days ago)
i am TERRIFIED of needles so i went through my whole pregnancy with the mind set no way...but after after being induced and having pictocin for contractions...i couldnt bare it anymore and said give it to me. Honestly...i did not even feel the needle go in at all. the only thing i felt was this cold sensation going down my back which was the actual meds going into me. not even 2mins later i could no longer feel my contractions. i could see these huge spikes on the monitor but i could not feel anything. it was awesome! haha

mikey and cjs mommy (895.7 days ago)
i am TERRIFIED of needles so i went through my whole pregnancy with the mind set no way...but after after being induced and having pictocin for contractions...i couldnt bare it anymore and said give it to me. Honestly...i did not even feel the needle go in at all. the only thing i felt was this cold sensation going down my back which was the actual meds going into me. not even 2mins later i could no longer feel my contractions. i could see these huge spikes on the monitor but i could not feel anything. it was awesome! haha

abbyquiet (895.7 days ago)
with my first, i was induced using pitocin, and the contractions were so strong and close together that there was no break inbetween them. and i have a very low pain tolerance so i couldn`t deal. however my epidural was spotty and i ended up having a c-section anyways.

armymom (895.7 days ago)
I DID get an epidural. Glad I did... only thing I had trouble with was being TOO numb.. They refilled my IV drip 4 hours before it was time to push. I couldn`t feel a thing and they kept telling me to push when I felt pressure. I felt nothing!.. lol. Next time I`ll be sure to have them turn it off and wear off as I`m reaching 8cm or so. Other than that, it was a great experience!

sheework (895.7 days ago)
My sister had two natural births I was in the room for the second one and would really consider getting an epi. I asked my sister her thoughts and she said get one, save yourself the pain and enjoy the birth. For her she said she never really enjoyed it because she was too busy trying to distract herself from the pain she was feeling. The idea of an epi freaks me out so I will go in with the best intentions of not getting one but when push comes to shove I could see me caving. You will know what you want to do when you are in the moment.

christina76 (895.7 days ago)
I didn`t have a choice, I had 2 c-section (medical reasons). Most of my family and friends have had the epidural for regular labor, to help them thru it. For regular labor it just eases the pain, for c-section its a total block. Just keep in mind what ever you decide, is the right choice for YOU.



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