Epidural Help

Hello everyone,

My MIL suggested not taking Epidural or any other pain medication during delivery. She told that if Epidural is taken terrible back aches may occur immediately after delivery and may last till after 10 years or so. She also said that back pains may trouble us a lot in the Menopausal phase. Actually that was the case with one of her neices who delivered in USA a few years back. She is still suffering.

But when I asked my doctor he said that there were no direct or indirect side effects of taking Epidural. When I mentioned about girl in ref. he said that could be due to the stress of carrying the baby in and out of the crib etc.

Somehow I am not fully convinced with either of the explainations. Pl share your opinions and experiences.

Hi Manasa, I had epidural twice so far... once for a d&c and second for my c-section. I assure you I had no backpains immediately after the procedures or afterwards. It's been 3 years since my c-section. I know couple of my friends too who had to have a caesarian operation after normal labor pains and were given epidural and they're also doing fine. Back pain stems from several other factors. If we bend like normal times during pregnancy then there is a strain on the back. Lack of fitness during and after birth is also one reason. Most pregnant women experience back pain during pregnancy because of the expanding uterus and baby. But with proper care (i mean the sleeping position, mattress type and little exercises) it can be handled well. This is my experience! Latha

Hi kmanasa,

Your doctor knows best. I had epidural one and a half years back and I never had any back pain because of that.

My MIL and SIL also tried to scare me a lot about how my back will give lots of problems after epidural and pain killers, but after I spoke to my doctor, and lots of other ladies who had had epidurals in my office (some of them had it 10 yrs back), I decided that epidural was safe to use during delivery.

For me the epidural made my labor experience a wonderful thing to remember..the pain was gone in a few seconds and the whole thing after was a breeze. As my doc said, there is no point in suffering so much pain, its not like you will win any medal etc.

As for your relative, as Latha said, it might be due to other problems. I don't think epidural played any role in that.

Hope this helps.

love,
Aarushi

HI,
I had epidural twice and that to for more than 12 hrs each time.
I guess, now they are giving epidural for other types of sugeries too...

Regards.

Hi

I too had epidural and i felt back pain but not that severe.. Now i dont get that pain..

I have a question,when i had epidural i felt nothing, no pain but felt as though my legs have swollen and i cudnt move,even wen doctor came for checking me.Is it normal ladies, also if it continues how will u lift ur legs to push,i m unaware of it as i had C-section!!!!!

hi dear,

I was stupid not to have epidural, i recently gave birth, have 4 month old, it was like H--- broke loose, i thought i will wait till i can tolerate pain and then go for it, till 7 cm could tolerate then nurse asked whether i wanted i said no , not yet, then my contractions were so fast and painful at 9cms it was unbearable then asked for it , she said its too late because i was shivering a lot and dilation was quickly progressing.

as aarushi said[my baby name is also aarushi, hope she becomes like lady here in IL, beauty with brains], no one awarded me, gave birth like they did in olden days, go for it girl, once baby s head is fixed [sometimes happens at last moment], then contractions are often they will ask you , say yes, its my opinion, no point in taking soooo much pain.

about backpain, i have backpain now, because of stress and feeding in wrong position and sleeping on very soft bed. sleep on firm bed.

all the best honey,

everything will be fine , take care,

shwetha

thanks for the frank info, Shwetha:) For cases like me who skipped the last pushing pain (due to c-section in first delivery) and have no clue it can be really helpful. Hope you're feeling better now with your back pain. Latha

thanks for the concern latha,

my backpain comes now and then, often evenings end of the day, as i had no help after delivary, it may also be because of stress, my in laws will be coming this week, so hopefully i may get better.

warm regards, shwetha

Hi Manasa,

An Epidural would be a great idea during labor and delivery. I recently attended our hospital's Childbirth Orientation Class. Someone asked what percentage of women take epidural help. The answer was 95%. All of them want it, but some end up waiting too late and a small percentage (like folks who have sciatica or earlier spinal problems) are not good candidates.

One very important point to keep in mind that your epidural must be given by an Anesthesiologist and not by a nurse. An Anesthesiologist as you know is a medical doctor who is trained to administer anesthesia and manage the medical care of patients before, during, and after surgery. Nurses are great and are acutally your biggest help and support during delivery. But you should make sure your epidural is given by an Anesthesiologist and not a nurse.

One of my friends has two kids, her first epidural was given by a nurse. The nurse took a few tries poking her spine with that looooong needle before getting it right. My friend does have pain upon contact in the area that she was poked wrongly. For her second baby an Anesthesiologist gave her epidural and she felt it was the best thing ever. It took just 1 quick poke and the pain was gone within 5 minutes.

She advised me to make sure that I only take epidural from an Anesthesiologist. I think it will help if you also attend your hospital childbirth orientation and make sure of this a couple of months before your delivery.

Hi friend,
I had epidural for c-section.Its 2 years back.I dint get any back pain.If the body posture is wrong and too much weight gain after delivery ,it may lead to back pain..but epidural may not be the reason.