Epidural

I was terrified of having an epidural and was determined to have a natural water birth... the best laid plans and all that. I had to be induced and so the contractions came on strong and quickly and I wasn't even 3cm dilated before I was screaming out and my husband begged them to do something. Bring on the epidural! I had had a pethadine injection beforehand because there was a delay in the epidural so I cannot say whether it hurt or not - I was just far too spaced out to notice to be honest! The numbness kicked in instantly. It was such a wonderful release from the pain. It meant I could not labour very effectively but the relief ...  Read the complete review

I have had two epidurals in my three labours. The last one was just over 3 months ago so still fresh in my mind. My first epidural was perfect. I arrived at the hospital at 12pm that day, by 2pm i was pain free. I felt no needles, though it was a bit uncomfortable with the amount of pushing on my back to get it in. The IV drip wasn't much fun either, but necessary to keep your blood pressure in check. I was totally numb but could still feel the pressure of a contraction which helped me know when to push. It does restrict you from moving about much if it is not a mobile one. When the pushing stage came, I felt no pain and gave birth to my middle ...  Read the complete review

I consider myself to have a fairly high pain threshold, but by the time I was about 20 weeks pregnant with my first, I knew that I wanted pain relief during the birth. Although I knew it would be nice to say that I had got through with just gas and air and a lot of gritting of teeth, I wasn't at all sure that, actually, that was what I wanted. At parentcraft classes, from about 30 weeks, I was surrounded by mums-to-be who frowned upon my decision, saying that I should at least give it a chance "naturally" before deciding on something so invasive. Thankfully, I stuck with my decision, and did my own thing. As soon as I arrived at the ...  Read the complete review

An epidural is a form of anestetic primarly used during child birth to reduce sensation from the stomach down, it is also used as an alternative to general anestetic for certain operations and as a form of pain relief for chronic pain. This review is based on my opinion and own personal experience and the reason I had an epidural. I am writing this because I feel there is a stigma against women who choose pain relief during labour as oppossed to those who choose the natural option. I felt women would chose the natural option feel they are somewhat better than women who have epidurals, they arent, they just did what was right for them. I went into labour ...  Read the complete review

An epidural is an injection into your spine which numbs the whole bottom half of your body so you feel no pain. It is slightly different from a spinal tap because the dosage can be adjusted and it will last as long as you need it to whereas a spinal tap only lasts for a certain amount of time. When you ask for an epidural the staff get you to sign a form saying that you have permitted it to take place because there are risks. The injection is so close to your spine that it if you move suddenly then it could cause permanent damage. The girl that did mine asked me to tell her when a contraction had pasted so I didn't move with the pain. Some ...  Read the complete review