Womb to Bloom - Maternity & Beyond

When I had my son I was fortunate enough to have a relatively easy labor and have a fully natural delivery. Unfortunately as they say, each baby is different, and my daughter was different indeed.

My daughter was not happy about being born. I had a difficult labor and soon found that a delivery without additional pain control was not an option. At first I decided to try narcotics as pain relief. Unfortunately, narcotics only last so long, and in no time I was back in serious pain and needing something else.

At that point my doctor suggested that we try an epidural. I was afraid of the risks involved in having an epidural. Before I had gone into labor, I felt that this would be a last resort due to the finite risk of paralysis from a misplaced needle.

The funny thing is that when labor was in full force, the last thing on my mind was that tiny little statistic. All I wanted was pain relief.

After having the necessary blood tests the anesthesiologist administered the epidural. I sat on the edge of the bed, doing my best to stay still through the contractions as I braced against my husband. The needle was nothing compared to the pain I had been enduring, but the uncomfortable position was difficult to hold and my poor husband had a tough time holding me as I pressed against him. Finally it was done and I was able to lie down.

It took some time for the pain to recede. Slowly my legs began to tingle and eventually I lost the feeling in them. Everything from the waist down was blissfully numb. For the first time since labor had accelerated I was able to relax.

Having been through both an unassisted labor and a more difficult one, I must say that epidurals are a blessing. While I would have loved to deliver my daughter the way I was able to deliver my son, it was not possible and the pain control was a necessity rather than a luxury.

There are drawbacks to having an epidural. You can’t go walking, or try using other positions to ease your discomfort. On the other hand, you no longer need to do the walking. Your pain is no longer an issue. You might be concerned about boredom, but after hours of painful and difficult labor the chance to just fall asleep was a welcome break.

You can’t feel your contractions with an epidural. This means that you will need to rely on the nurses to tell you when it is time to push. In my case this was a very good thing as I had been stuck in transitional labor for two hours and could not begin pushing yet even though my body was doing its best to try.

When the doctors finally told me to push it was the strangest feeling. I could not honestly tell that I was pushing at all. The doctor would tell me to push as though I was having a large BM, but I could not feel my muscles doing the job. Fortunately you do not need to feel it to successfully push the baby out. You just do your best and shove with all your might.

After the baby has been delivered you are stuck. You remain numb for a long time before the feeling returns to your legs. In fact, after delivering around 10:00 at night, I had no control over my legs until after 4:00 in the morning.

You may be wondering what happens when you need to go to the bathroom. Not to worry. The nurse will insert a catheter and attach it to a urine bag so that you will not have to worry about bathroom trip until after your legs have returned to your control.

Another good thing about an epidural is that if you happen to tear during delivery you will not feel it. I tore badly when my daughter arrived. The doctors did not even have to worry about injecting freezing when they stitched me up as I could not feel a thing. Instead I could relax and enjoy my new baby, rather than fretting about the discomfort down below.

If I have a third child I will definitely consider going to an epidural again. It is an effective form of pain control if administered early enough in the labor process. It lasts a long time and relieves a great deal of the stress involved in the delivery.

If you have a low pain tolerance, or if things are taking a long time and you can’t take it any more, don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about an epidural. It is not a failure to need pain control and an epidural is not a way to run away from the reality of delivery. It is a sensible and effective option for pain control and should be something on your list of pain management options as you approach your due date. You may never need it, but if you do it can be a huge help.