its kind of hard to say when you should get one. i have talked to a lot of people that have had them and some have gotten them almost immediately and it lasted through the whole thing and they never felt any pain but some it wore off. you dont wanna get it to early and risk that happening but if you want one then you dont wanna put it off too long and it end up being too late. thats what happened with my mom with both her pregnancies they kept telling her it was too soon then they said it was too late. she was in labor with me for 32 hrs and they just kept telling her to wait til it was too late and then she had trouble pushing us out and we had to be vaccuum sucked out. i would be soooo mad if my dr kept blowing me off and made me go through all that with no help
Yeah i heard after you are about 8 cm you can still get it but lots of dr's prefer you not. I would dread being told no to something like that. Next month i will get to have another u/s to see how big the baby has gotten...The dr. said he's measuring big when she measures my tummy but wants to know for sure.
My bf and i go to the hospital today at 7pm for a tour to get instructions on everything we are to do for that special day of delivery...hopefully this will prepare us so that we wont be confused when the time comes. I'll ask them alot of questions. and report back to you all.
I cant wait till pregnancy is over i want to hold my little man and take care of him. My bf always says he cant wait till the baby gets here so he can play with him....I always say "Oh you'll be doing lots more then playing with him Mr." I told him once the baby is born he's taking over and im taking a long nap "On-my-belly"....lol.
Well, being that I just went through this......I had my baby girl on Friday I feel comfortable saying that you can ask for the epidural, but it is your dr's decision to make when you do get it. Everyone is different. One thing that does have to be done prior is a blood draw to check your CBC before they are to do it. I had mine at 6 cm and wasn't progressing. They switched it from a one dose at placement to a constant dosage on a pump until I delievered and a little there after. Everyone reacts different to an epidural. Your body structure is differrent and the placement can effect people different ways. With each of my children the experience has been different. With the last, I could feel a little bit of the contraction, but by no means was in pain from it. With all my babies....once they got down far enough to push....I felt it. You need to feel something in order to push. The pain was tollerable
The only medication that I have heard that you use for pain as a "patient controlled pump" is morphine or something similar. Never heard that for childbirth only trauma/surg.
The medication that I have heard for pain in labor is Staydohl (spelling?) It actually takes the edge off and is a euphoric. Good luck to you. Hope this is helpful
With my first pregnancy, I stayed at home until the pain was unbearable. My doc kept telling me to wait, that if I went to the hospital too soon they'd send me home. So, I waited and by the time I got to the hospital I was already 5 cm. I asked for the epidural immediately, but it took FOREVER to get. I don't remember exactly how long, but I'm sure it was at least and hour and half. My doc had the epidural shut off when I got close to pushing. Unfortunately, in my case, the doc went to the wrong hospital (that's a WHOLE other story) and so by the time she finally got to me, I felt everything!! It would have been nice to have had a little pain relief . . . . I plan on being more "in control" this time around!
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Mommy to 2 1/2 year old Brayden and 5 day old Leighton.
I think if the epidural wears off too early and you're still far from delivery, they can give you more, so I wouldn't worry about that. But I wouldn't get it too soon, just for the fact that it can interfere with your progressing normally. Both my sister and my SIL had their epidurals like, an hour after going into active labor and then they wouldn't dilate all the way, so ended up with c-sections. I waited until I was about 8 hours into labor, and although I was only 2cm dilated (yes, STILL after being in labor for 8 hours), I had the epidural because they thought that would help my cervix to relax and dilate, which it did. After I got it, I was able to fully dilate and give birth a few hours later.
Once the baby is out, most of the pain goes away, although you may still have very mild contractions until the placenta is delivered, which is normally right away. However, depending on how your delivery goes, the pain you were having before may be traded for a whole new kind of pain! But it almost certainly won't be as bad.
Whiskers is right. My epidural wore off about 45 minutes before I started pushing. After the first few pushes I started freaking out because it hurt so bad. The doctor told me that he could call the anestisiolgist and have him give me more medicine but that it would really slow down the process. After I heard that I said forget it. There was no way I was going to make it take any longer than it already had. While it hurt, it was worth it to me to get it over with. But again, if it does wear off, they should be able to give you more if you so choose.
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***Anna***
~Ella Ann, July 2, 2007~
~Madilyn Mya, September 21, 2008~
Hi Sweetest ~ The most important thing you need to know about epidurals is IF you want one or not. If you know for a fact that you would like one or even considering it (even if you're not in unbearable pain yet), ASK FOR IT. Sometimes the anthesiologist has other patients before you, so you'll be ready when he/she does get to you. If you're unsure and then suddenly change your mind to "Yes, I do want one" at the last minute, it may be too late.
I was 4 cm when I got mine and it lasted until 10cm. My doc. turned mine off, but you can request for it to stay on.
I feel comfortable saying that you can ask for the epidural, but it is your dr's decision to make when you do get it. Everyone is different. One thing that does have to be done prior is a blood draw to check your CBC before they are to do it. I had mine at 6 cm and wasn't progressing. They switched it from a one dose at placement to a constant dosage on a pump until I delievered and a little there after. Everyone reacts different to an epidural. Your body structure is differrent and the placement can effect people different ways. With each of my children the experience has been different. With the last, I could feel a little bit of the contraction, but by no means was in pain from it. With all my babies....once they got down far enough to push....I felt it. You need to feel something in order to push. The pain was tollerable
