I have 12 weeks to go and was adamant that I wanted an epidural as I am not good with pain at all but am now thinking twice about it. Pretty scared either way though...!

The gas and air was fabulous! They had to prise the controller out of my hand! :)

Don't you are getting stupid scare stories they DO NOT do a total spinal block like they used to it has actually gone more upto date and they only isolate the nerves that are needed not the whole torso/legs like they used to.

You can actually move and walk about with the 'newer' version.

They're not 'stupid scare stories'. :rolleyes: They're people's genuine experiences - and ChloeH's baby is only just 6 months old, so hardly terribly out of date.

I never saw archie mentioned? wasnt he the youngest additon? She said mollie who is not 6months old.

Do a google jeangenie it will tell you about the walking epidural its only been 6yrs since i had my last child and i got the walking epidural then its 13yrs when i had the total spinal block and i suffered as much as you then and swore never again.

But times change maybe your hosptial wasnt upto date.

Hmmmm

"Blocking labor pain by injecting anesthetic into the epidural space of the spine is not a new technique: It's been used with great success for 20 years. However, while it does relieve a mother's pain during childbirth, its drawback is that it numbs her legs, leaving her stranded in bed.

"Walking" epidurals being given at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center block pain receptors without deadening nerves, allowing the mother to get up, walk around or visit the restroom"

Maybe its something to ask the hospital what type of epidural they use as i find it hard to believe a village hospital as mine were well advanced than your average hospital 6ys ago!

ChloeH said she's had 1 epidural and 2 spinal blocks - that's each of her children accounted for, with Archie being the latest. She's still having chiropractic treatment following them.

Mothers should most definitely ask the hospital exactly what the procedure is - it's very easy to be railroaded into something unsuitable.

New mothers should have it emphasised that childbirth pain is far less painful or scary than toothache, and the rewards afterwards are infinitely greater! :)

Ok one epidural and 2 spinal blocks? hmmm i have 3 chidren and have had exactly the same and i STILL reiterate epidurals are NOT what they used to be my youngest is 6 and i had a walking epidural and was up and about within an hour none of this numb leg carp.

And yes they should ask but i saw no mention in any post to do so and have you ever been so petrified to give birth? it is actually a recognised phobia and to scaremonger like has been done is not very helpfull especially for a practice not widely used anymore!

Isnt it so strange i bore the children yet my OH is having chiro on his back for just being a spark!!!

Nobody's suggested that there should be no pain relief! :rolleyes: Quite the opposite. Just that epidurals ain't all they're cracked up to be, and that the other options can be far better. :)

But your statement jeangenie saying it numbed your legs and whatever science has moved on hun i WAS THERE!!! i had numb legs i couldnt get out of bed for over 12hrs but it has moved on since then!!!

You're trying to scaremonger people to what you experinced and its moved on since then so your opinion is no longer relevant.

No offence but i had one MASSIVE phobia about giving birth and your statement would have sent me off the edge.
Spinal blocks are no longer offered as they hindered the recovery which is why hopsitals opt for the lighter version with very less side effects you and me suffered years ago.

What I said was entirely true, and even the medical staff at the time were surprised at what happened. The modern midwives who've proposed that epidurals shouldn't be used routinely have seen far more births than you or I, and they're the ones to listen to. The bottom line is that there are better forms of pain relief than an epidural.

Um, spinal blocks are most definitely given for C-sections - I had one 6 months ago and they are still routine. Epidurals (according to the hospital) have to be topped up and are too patchy for a c-section. As far as I am aware they don't give Spinal Blocks for "manual" labour :)

I believe there are more modern epidurals these days - but they don't offer them at my hospital.

A spinal block also wears off in a couple of hours.

You just proved my point then a spinal block IS needed for a c section but a walking epidural is not effective enough for that and that is the most routinely offered NOT the spinal block i had (and many others i suspect) years ago!

They do not in this day and age offer a spinal block for 'manual' labour they used to till they realised it hindered the recovery process and it advanced from then on in and the 'walking' epidural is more widely used but no-one mentioned that did they so started to worry the new mums which was unecessary.

As far as I know there are 3 types:

1. Spinal Block - used for c-sections only
2. Epidural
3. Walking Epidural

I know the top 2 are given at my local, but the 3rd isn't. I am not sure how widely it is used.

Ohh you poor thing...I can't imagine what that would be like!!! I am SO glad I can't have kids!

You can actually move and walk about with the 'newer' version

I will have to have a chat with the Professor I was under then I as my firmly on my back unable to move for 24 hours ;)

I am also not good with pain, but I cope rather well with labour pain. You will find a way to deal with it and concentrating on breathing (with, or without gas & air) is my advice :) I found moving quite difficult and preferred to curl up in bed, but the best thing my midwife offered was a rocking chair (this was just before I went for the emergency c-sec) and it was really good at alleviating the pain. You WILL be fine - think positively and ENJOY it! :D

i had 6 labours and i managed with pethadine only .....

I had 4 kids, 1 with pethadine, 3 with nothing! and believe me that hurt but I don't like needles/injections so refused pain relief, my own choice
Daughter had an epidural because of the pain she was in and the fact the baby was getting distressed, a long labour. Eventually she decided to take the offer of an epidural, almost immediately she was more relaxed and went on to have a lovely little girl :)

i never thought this would happen , but im feeling broody reading this thread , :)

Read the cheap to good home thread.............
There are plenty on there to choose from,
A child without the pain :D :D :D :D Te he he he he he
Lea :)

LOL :):):)

Ickle babies I wish I could have a nurfer :0

Surely it's impossible to say that an epidural should always be avoided or always be had, as all labours are different.

When I had my first child 14 years ago I begged for pain relief and was given an epidural, which slowed things down a LOT, everything stopped and when it came to it I wasn't able to push. There was still pain there so I just shouted for the midwives to get "the thing" out of me. 32 hours in total, forceps, lots of stitches and could not sit down for 3 weeks afterwards. Not great.

Next time, 11 years ago, I was TERRIFIED because of my first experience. However by now I had a bad case of symphis pubis and was virtually unable to walk and in a lot of pain so was induced early, and I was told I needed an epidural because of the considerable amount of pain I was in even BEFORE labour had started. So they  gave me a drip, set the epidural up, I read some magazines, watched some telly, fell asleep. Woke up, felt a bit of pain, the epidural was topped up, fell asleep again. Some time later the midwife came in, woke me up, lifted the sheet and said "Oh, I can see the head!" and 6 minutes later my daughter was born easy as anything with no pain whatsoever during the entire process! (In fact I felt less pain than during the pregnancy!)

Third time, 6 years ago, I'd READ about walking epidurals but was told it was not available. Again had to be induced due to symphis pubis which by then was so bad I was wheelchair bound if I had to go out, for the last 6 weeks it was strict bed rest and loads of pain. However there was no time for an epdiural then, in fact there wasn't time for anything. Got the drip to induce me, and the gel, nothing happened, no contractions, until I had a bath after a few hours, got out of the bath and oops, there was the contractions! 5 minutes later my son was born and he literally shot out like a rocket, I had burns inside me it was that fast.

So all very different, one epidural rubbish, one fantastic, third one never needed.

An SPD sufferer as well :rolleyes::rolleyes:

I was crippled with it :(

From 13 weeks until months after Indigo popped out.

I am just trying to get back to some normality now weight wise and fitness but it is difficult to say the least :(

A horrible condition that many healthcare professionals tend to ignore as a 'whinging condition'

Awful isn't it Lucy.:( I have a friend who had it bad too. When I was really bad with my 3rd pregnancy and eventually came into hospital (the pain was so bad at 34 weeks we actually thought I was in labour, even the ambulance men thought so, and I was given the choice of bed rest at home or in hospital, I stayed at home then was induced at 39 wks) I was told by 3 midwives that normally they tell women NOT to get pregnant again if they've had it once, as it will only get worse for each time and for each time it will be harder to recover and some NEVER recover. Great, NOBODY told me that BEFORE I got pregnant for the third time!! :rolleyes: As it is, it is now 6 years ago and I do have some lingering problems, it never cleared up as well as it did after the first time, and my friend was exactly the same -first prgenancy fine, second one problems, third one much worse and some symptoms stayed.

I found that although nervous on the lead up to the birth when i was in labour a feeling of calm came over me and i was able to concentrate on the birth without being scared.

Now im not being big heaeded here but i am a bit of an expert on pain relief and birth after having seven kids.:)

My first baby was 7lb 3 and i was so scared that i asked for an epidural.That was 18 years ago so i dont remember much apart from a pain free labour.
My second baby was 8 and a half lb and i didnt have any time for any pain relief at all,he was nearly born on route.I did try gas and air but it made me feel so sick i pushed it away.
Third baby was 7 and a half lb and no pain relief either.
Fourth baby same as the third.
Fith baby was 9lb and no pain relief.I tried gas and air again and yet again felt sick so i turned it away.
6th baby was 9 and a half lb and after a five year gap i had an epidural again.He was transverse lie and complicated and when he was born i just couldnt bond with him and he didnt feel like my own till got him home.
7th baby was unbelievably complicated so i had to have an epidural to start with.He was not in the birh canal,his head over my right hip.I had a prolapse cord and the baby was in distress.Whilst under the epidural the cord was pushed back and babys head put in the correct position,all done in the pre-op room.The epidural wore off about 2 hrs later and after 5 hours the baby was born weighing nearly 10lb.
Through all this i have found the more pain i go through the better i bond with the baby.When you have an epidural and dont feel anything you dont feel a mother.To me it felt like someone had just given me a child.Kind of mail order style. :)
I wish you the best of luck in what ever you decide and make the most of your darling new baby.
All my love and best wishes,
Liz and the crew
xxxx

Ok. Let's look at this way.
You have broken your leg, it is i imagine very, very painful.
but i don't think for one minute it is as painful as child birth can (and was for me) be.
Your Doctor has to re-set the bone. You will be given an anaesthetic, no questions asked!!
What you have with child birth is a choice of a pain free labour or natural.
You of course can tell the Dr. who is fixing your broken leg that, "no, no thanks. i would like a natural bone re-alignment".
I would imagine he would try his best at talking you out of this decision.
Why should it be any different with child birth, the option for a painfree delivery should always be there, and free of bloody charge!!
I had a 12 hour labour with my first child. I managed on gas and air and pethadine. However, with my second child he was a much faster labour and i was begging for an epidural, i couldn't have one as it was to late, all i had time for was gas and air. Aftrer the experience i had it has put me off  having anymore children as i could never go through that pain again. My midwife at the time could see how upset i was by it all and told me that you soon forget the pain and you will go on to have another. But i never did forget, and my husband niether.
Ask Yourselves this Oh high and mighty managers that have made this decesion. Tommorrow when you go for your vasectomy on the nhs, you do understand that it is policy now for it to be done au naturel, just gas and air that's all you need!!

Except, as I said already, it was MIDWIVES who are pushing for this and not managers ;)

Also, childbirth is a natural process and breaking a limb or having an operation is not :)

Seems like they need to make some more money to pay for the project managers / external consultants!!! :rolleyes:

>Why should it be any different with child birth, the option for a painfree delivery should always be there, and free of bloody charge!!

Interesting point :)

Having children is a choice a woman makes... why should the NHS have to pay to support it? Surely they should be obliged to offer the appropriate care and if a labour is progressing normally and the woman is coping perhaps, if epidurals were a little harder to get hold of, more women would deliver quicker, more naturally and with less intervention (ie forceps?)

Because, believe me, NO amount of pain relief can prepare you for a forceps birth.

I had forceps twice and I didn't have epidurals.  If epidurals increase the likelihood of forceps then I would say don't go there because the fear of things going wrong far outweigh the pain IMO.  After having two very frightening births and one of the babies battered and bruised from not only the long labour but the forceps as well I felt very cheated that I hadn't had a natural birth.  When I had my third naturally (except for prostine (sp?) for onset) I cannot describe the feelings I had.  Everything was made good because the baby was put straight onto my tummy and my immediate instinct was to wrap my arms round this warm wriggly little baby that a second before was inside me. 

When I had my children epidurals were available but had to be booked in advance but TBH I decided I wanted as little intervention as possible. My first labour was long (over 14 hours) and turned out to be complicated and my second almost ended in a c-section but I still wouldn't change what I did, epidurals should be the exception and not the rule as should c-sections.

While I was in the labour room after I had my 3rd child I asked to see the forceps close up.  I saw the Kellands that I had first time round and the Neville Barns second time and I can tell you if you see these and then consider that epidurals might increase the risk of them being used you would definitely think twice.  Kellands in particular felt like there was a JCB inside churning my insides out, it was horribly horribly frightening.

I say no pain relief whatsoever!!!  If it's extrutiatingly painful then maybe the undesirables would think twice before popping out yet another sprog! :D

(ok.. this is coming from someone who's never had any children and who's now going to hide... rapid!  I'm so gonna get lynched now LOL)

A very tongue in cheek Debs :D

Panorama
Sun 5 Mar, 10:15 pm - 11:05 pm  50mins

The NHS National Homes Swindle

Investigation into the way people have been unlawfully forced into selling the house of a close relative to pay for their medical care in a nursing home. The NHS has been widely disregarding a legal test case which established when the medical care of the long-term sick should be free. [S]


Subtitles   Stereo  Widescreen 

Website:  <a class='url' href='http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama'>http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama</a>

might make interesting watching!!??!?

Maybe if the young girls read some of these stories it would put them off I had a terrible delivery I had forceps but it was a terrible ordeal :(  Baby got stuck ! and epidural would have been nice but they left me to long and it was too late in the end  Got sterilised 6 months later I wouldn`t  do it again :( Everyones  experiences are different so if you are having a baby don`t read this thread as it would put you off . Good luck and hope all goes well with or without the epidural

Hasn't put me off - I want a 4th :D

I was thinking of names for the next when The Boy was two days old! :D