Posted by
ellie55
19 yrs ago
during V delivery,does it really take away the pain when the baby is coming out?or was it no use for you?
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I had the epidural during virginal delivery and it definately takes away the pain during labour and birth. I really have no tolerence for pain as I am such a chicken and will definately be having the epidural again for my second birth in May :)
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I do agree with TC that one of the negatives is that you don't get to feel what it's like to have a baby with epidural and it was one of the questions my doctor asked me about. She mentioned some women did regret having the painkiller after the birth and offered to only administered 50% of the epidural so I will have some feeling of the birth. As I said before, being a total chicken, I insisted on the 100% and don't regret a minute of it. I believe in America, they call it 'happydural' :)
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right!in america,they do call it happydural.
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19 yrs ago
You can't walk or move your legs at all because it numbs the feeling from the base of the back down.
I thought of trying one but the idea of the shunt sticking out of my back and not being able to move around (what if I had a long labour?) put me off.
So I went into delivery with a "lets see how we go" attitude which was good. Of course the midwives prefer you not to have one so they can guage the progress. There are a lot of indicators in how the pain is progressing which is lost with epidural and they can only know what they see upon examination.
Everytime I asked when I should be planning some pain relief they would say "let's give it another hour", such a sucker..
My labour was only 4 hours so in the end it was lucky I went this way (natural, just gas). I apparently do the last part of dilation EXTREMELY quickly so it was lucky I wasn't numbed. If the midwife hadn't asked me if I felt an urge to "do a poo" she would not have known I had fully dilated already, by my earlier progress she had thought I would be at least another 2 or 3 hours and hadn't planned to check me again for a half hour or more.
My mother is the same and most follow their mums, check how long your mum's deliveries were if you can.
It is something that is good to have if you have a very long labour - otherwise you will be too exhausted to push. But you could wait until the labour has progressed a couple of hours before administering one.
And if you have a short or medium labour, and it ends up too late for one, although it is painful, it is really over so fast and you feel like superwoman! Your recovery is much better.
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I also opted not to have epidural and go for all natural - my choice. My husband begged me to get one so he could relax (he was forced to massage my back and help me through the strenous 36 hour labor) but I refused one because the idea of a needle in my spine freaked me out. My father (an Ob/GYN) kept bellowing to my husband on the phone to get me to get one so that I wasn't in so much agony.
BUT I have to say - I don't regret my decision - and I had the BEST FEELING right after the baby was born. (better than orgasm I have to say.) It was an awesome feeling and I couldn't imagine how great it woudl feel. I did have an extremely horribly long labor where I passed out in between contractions - but it was worth it in the end for me.
Then again - I haven't had an epidural so I don't know. Ellie - I think you have a kid already - did you do that one naturally?
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ciji
19 yrs ago
I had one. I still "felt" the birth. It just was more tolerable. My threshold for pain is pretty high however, during the hard labor, the pain was so intense that I wouldn't stop throwing up. After the epidural, I stopped throwing up and started concentrating on what I was doing . Helped me a great deal. Will probably have one for my second child.
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you all brave women!!!
i havent had one,but first was a c sect,so im contemplating if i shd het normal delivery after all.problem is my doc is going on holiday during /almost the time when i should be nearing delivery..i mabbe force to change another doc to see me through,if not she suggested c sect on the 26jan.this is my second,does any1 knows if sec delivery will come knockg earlier than the first?
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19 yrs ago
They say 2nd should be earlier than first, but mine wasn't!!
1st was on time to the day!
2nd 10days late and had to be induced.
I don't think you can predict early or late.
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i see ,every pregnancy is different.does anyone knows can a pregnancy be induced at 37 weeks?
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I don't know if you can induce as early as 37 weeks if your baby is not in any danger or anything...I think the earliest they induce is at 38 weeks - but you can always ask your OB. Perhaps he/she will make an exception for you. So this will be a vaginal birth after a c-section? That's awesome! I wish you all the best.
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seriously hkchoichoi,i havent decided.wait till another 2 more appointment,then i will tell you.
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anyway some mothers i talked to said that induced labour is worst and more painful
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I just wish babies really were just delivered by a stork...
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Chy
19 yrs ago
i've read a lot about epidurals and know that that it's described as uncomfortable or a tingling sensation when the needle is inserted. would love to hear some first hand experiences as to how it really feels. i'm 6 months and still considering my options, really am quite lost at the moment. also really worried about the recovery process as i will have to take care of baby myself afterwards.
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Hi Chy
I was actually quite surprised at how quick and painless the insertion of the needle was. I felt no pain apart from a small pin prick, it wasn't uncomfortable and felt no tingling sensation. I was laid on my side when the needle was inserted and afterwards the doctor told me lie on my back. At that point, I was like "what! but I have a needle in my back!" He assured me it was fine and felt absolutely nothing when I laid on my back, just like normal.
After the birth, the epidural wore off pretty quickly as the doctor switched off the machine as soon as I'd given birth and I was able to walk around a couple of hours later.
I know some women have side effects later on, but I had nothing. No back pain, no headaches, no nausea. That's why I plan on having epidural again for my second.
I never wanted a ceasarean as I was looking after my daughter myself and don't have a DH so the recovery for that would be so much longer and also I kept thinking it was more dangerous as you are literally going under the knive. Also I had a friend who had to have a blood transfusion after having a ceasarean, which is rare but freaked me out big time!
I hope I've helped and not put you off instead! LOL!
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rach7
19 yrs ago
I had an epidural for the birth of my first baby. Don't woory about the needle hurting, the pain of labour is so intense that the needle is a walk in the park in comparison! I certainly don't regret getting an epidural, like one of the previous replies I was vomiting between every contraction and finally had enough, the epidural gave me a couple hours relief to rest and build up some strength for the pushing bit.
There were, however, two major negatives. One, being immobilised on the bed was restrictive, and two I ended up needing help with forceps to deliver. I have since read that an epidural increases the likelihood of further medical interventions being necessary (like forceps). But, I was up and out of bed within an hour of giving birth, so the epidural gave me no lasting side effects.
Having said that, baby number two is due in 7 weeks time, and I still fully intend to get an epidural if I feel I need it. In the end you have to decide what you feel is best for you. Can I just suggest that whatever you decide, make sure your partner knows what you want, and in what order, as I found it very, very hard to think logically while in labour, you need your partner to do the "thinking" for you!
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Chy
19 yrs ago
thank you all for sharing your experiences, woudl also like to know if you're going with public or private, just that I still haven't decided and the cost of going private is a little overhwhelming.
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I went private at St Paul's in Causeway Bay and plan on doing so again this time round. It's not as posh as hospitals like the Matilda but I never had medical insurance and nearly fainted at their prices. I think for the birth of my daughter about 4 years ago, my total package came to about HKD50,000, this was for a semi private room (2 sharing) including epidural and doctors bills.
I know one of my friends is seriously thinking about going public at the Queen Mary, which is supposed to be a really good hospital and I will let you know what she thinks as she went for a visit yesterday.
Having said that one of my other friends had a caesarian there and had to leave after 3 days due to shortage of beds! She was in total agony! but apart from that, she had no problems.
I suppose one of the reasons I didn't go with public the first time round was that I don't read or write cantonese (just spoken) and had only been in HK for about 6 months and had no idea what to expect and was a little scared.
I had a good experience with St.Paul's and that is why I am planning on having my second there.
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Hi Happychick, could you let me know who your doctor is and how much he/she charges per visit? I'd like to know some doctors who practice at places other than the Adventist and Matilda, but on HK side...
I registered myself at the Pamela Youde Eastern Hospital because I heard good things about it. I have insurance but it will cover only a portion of total maternity expenses, so I thought I'd do the free prenatal checkups at a govt. hospital and deliver in private. But its a right pain in the a$$ waiting for at least two hours for your turn at govt hosps. I found the doctor there very very good though. However, I spent 200 bucks going to and fro in a cab from work. That's still better than about 800-1000 bucks each time...
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Hi firsttimemom
I use Dr.Anna Yung in Central and with a scan every time costs me $500 per visit (I go for a check up which includes a scan every month). I'm using her again with this pregnancy as she already knows my history and I find her to be really good and thorough as she always takes her time to answer my questions and calms my nerves about anything I may have. She delivers at St.Paul's, Canossa and Sanatoriun.
My friend who has just visited the Queen Mary, also uses Anna Yung but also visits the Pamela Youde as well just to keep her options open as to whether to go private or public as they still haven't decided what to do yet. She also said that although the doctors are fantastic there, she wastes so much time waiting for checkups at Pamela and it's such a pain as she works full time and has to take so much time out.
Unfortunately the only other doctor I know on HK island is Lucy Lord but I think she is very expensive.
Do let me know if you would like Anna'a details and I will pass them along.
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Yes please Happychick. Does she give you a disk with the ultrasound too?
Thanks much!
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Hi Happychick.
May I also have the contact of Dr. Anna Yung & Lucy Lord (in Central as well)? Thank you.
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firsttimemom and YS2005, I have sent you both a PM.
I hope the information helps!
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crj
19 yrs ago
Another Vote for Epidural.
I wanted an epidural from day one, and am a total wimp - hate pain, hate needles, can't look at blood or injections. Would have been glad if the baby could have come in an egg shell that we had to keep warm for 9 months :)
My waters broke (but no contractions) at 39 weeks and I had to be induced.
I arrived at Matilda at mid-day, had an epidural within an hour, then a drip with something called Sentosin (or something like that, we kept calling it Sentosa) to induce.
Around 6 hours later it was over (or life with our baby had just begun!). My cervix had fully dialated, they gave me one last heavy dose of epidural drugs, then as they wore off, I started to push.
I could feel the contractions and knew when to push. I had 30 minutes of pushing. The last 15 hurt, with the last 10 being very painful, and in the end they needed to use a vacuum delivery - but this was not because of the epidural, it was to do with other factors.
I can't say what a relief the process was - it was painless until the last 15 minutes, yet I could tell when I was having a contraction and had control over the pushing. It was pretty fascinating to recognise the contractions but not have the pain.
The Anesthesiologist was Dr Henry Au, he is wonderful - he even came to check on me a few times.
It was a great experience.
My husband said the worst part was watching me get the epidural - he was in front of me and holding me so I wouldn't move. The midwife held my feet. He could see the needle and it made him feel faint - especially because I was really scared and he knew it (I really hate needles!). But it was a worse experience for him than for me.
Once the epidural was in I was very relaxed. As soon as you feel anything you can ask for a 'top up' - and wooosh! they add more medicine and it takes about 10 minutes to work and it is magic.
One thing is they call it a 'walking epidural' - but please remember that this means walking with the midwife holding one arm and your husband the other - my legs were jelly-like.
After the delivery, I aske them if they could leave it in - but alas, they said no :)
A few other notes - after the delivery I was shaking for a while, and that evening needed my husband to practically carry me to the toilet as my legs were still weak - that was my only side effect and it was gone 6 hours after.
It is not for everyone, but for me it was really great and I thank Dr Au for his superb bedside manner and work. He works at Matilda, Adventist and other hospitals. Maybe you could contact him with any concerns or further questions you have about epidurals.
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