How hard is it to get an epidural?
Categories: Just for moms, Pregnancy & birth, Health & safety, Mommy wars
The debate as to whether or not epidurals are a good idea is one that has and will wage for ages. And that's not what I'm here to discuss. For the sake of argument, let's say you've decided to get an epidural. Let's also say you've established your decision with anyone who would need to know--your OB, anesthesiologist, attending physician, nurses, and anyone else who walks by the delivery room who can hear you begging for one. How long does it take before you actually get that epidural, and is it within the optimum time frame fabled to exist when you took that course on epidurals?
In the old days, from what I read and heard, anyway, epidurals were given way too early. Women showed up at the hospital, were hooked up and then basically were either knocked out or stuck in bed for the duration of the labor--which could have been hours upon hours. Now, you generally have to be at least 3-4 centimeters dilated (in both my personal experiences, anyway) before they'll administer the epidural. Before that happens, however, the anesthesiologist and others such as nurses, interns, et al, ask you a host of questions about your medical history as well as make you sign a bunch of paperwork after reading or reciting to you all the possible side effects, etc. Yes, there are possible side effects, and they'll go over each and every one of them with you while you sit there in pain trying to listen. The throes of labor are decidedly not the best time to be making such decision, so you'd think it would be better to receive such information and agree to any risks before you were screaming your head off.
On either side of the questioning and the speeches, the entire medical staff will dicker around endlessly, pretty much ensuring you'll get your epidural whenever they get around to it, and not necessarily when it's considered "optimal" to do so. Now, you say, hey--at least you opted for the drugs, so stop complaining. Sure, that's true, but what is the point if they don't have time to take effect before you start the heavy pushing? An informal survey indicates to me that not everyone gets her epidural when she wants it, when she needs it, or, in some cases, at all. Perhaps the medical profession take their time with all this because they secretly want women to opt for a natural childbirth. Perhaps I'm just a conspiracy theorist. And, perhaps, it really does take that long to get an epidural because it is a serious process and decision and the utmost care must be taken during every step of it.
Did you get your epidural when you wanted/needed it? Or were you the star of one of those infamous stories where it was too late?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
pantrygirl 10-26-2008 @ 11:37AM
I was 2 cm for awhile and by the time they checked on me, I was 8cm and they said that they couldn't give me an epidural but gave me an intrathecal which lasts for 2 hours. unfortunately I was pushing for 4 but by that time I was delirious from pushing and could care less about pain relief.
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Heather 10-26-2008 @ 12:41PM
With the birth of both of my daughters, the anesthesiologist was within 45 min to 1 hour to respond. With the birth of my first daughter I should say that I requested one at 3 cm because I was in full labor (contractions every 3-5) and was not even dilated yet. Also I had an issue with a test that needed to be run before it was administered, but as soon as I was in the clear to receive it, she was there. I gave birth at a woman's hospital, so one of their main focuses is birthing, so that could possibly be why. I loved it because there was no pressure to birth natural or medicated. They just simply said they would not administer before 4 cm or after 9 cm (with first) and 8 cm (with second), not sure if the policy changed or if they were concerned I'd dilate faster with second. I think anesthesiologists just get busy and may not have the time to administer the epidural if too many women need it at the same time, especially if one still hasn't decided whether to get one or not.
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Nicole 10-26-2008 @ 1:02PM
I was 4 cm when I got to the hospital, and the first thing I said to my L&D nurse was, "I'd like my epidural as soon as possible, please." It took a couple of hours because the anaesthesiologist was slammed (I guess a lot of us wanted epidurals that day!) but once she showed up it was quick - and they gave me narcotics while I was waiting - Good thing, because I was only at the hospital for about 5 hours before my daughter was born!
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Sabrina 10-26-2008 @ 1:42PM
I was induced with my first and told them RIGHT away that I planned to have an epidural as soon as I hit 4-5 centimeters (which was the policy at their hospital). I didn't even SEE the anesthesiologist until I was 7cm, and he never could figure out how to give one to me because I found out (at 7cm dilated in raging labor) that I have scoliosis. He tried, but it never did work. I didn't intend to give birth without drugs, but I did! With my second I told them when I came in (active labor, 4cm dilated) and they gave it to me at 6cm, about 3 hours later. They were fully aware of the scoliosis that time and it worked perfectly! Even though they gave me the little button thing to re-dose myself I never needed more than the first huge dose.
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Rachel 10-26-2008 @ 9:04PM
I gave birth at a Women's Hospital and had my epidural in no longer than 20 minutes after asking for it.
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Denise 10-26-2008 @ 10:03PM
Just to set the record straight, I've been a L&D nurse for 30 years and how fast you get your epidural depends on a multitude of factors. You are right, most Obstetricians do not like their patients to have epidurals before about 3 cms because it can knock out the labor. A little counterproductive wouldn't you say? They are the ones who have to order it before you can have it. Then the anesthesiologist has to get there if they are not in house. Then, you are also right, an informed consent has to be signed. Also, we like to have a CBC (complete blood count) and a blood type drawn first because it is not common but it does happen where the blood pressure drops and the patient needs an emergency Cesarean section. I am amazed at the rumors and stories that circulate about people's labors. We never let people push more than two hours and you are not in labor if you are not dilating. Part of the definition of labor is cervical change. I firmly believe that medical people are partly to blame for not explaining things fully. Never be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand what your nurse or doctor is telling you! They get in a hurry and forget that their medical terminology is not common knowledge. Also, please don't expect to have a baby with no pain. That is not even realistic. We do our best to keep you from the hardest transitional labor if that is what you want but we cannot see the future and we have to make an educated guess about when the best time for you to receive your IV pain med or epidural. You shouldn't get IV pain medicine too close to the baby's birth because we want the baby wide awake to breathe. Many obstetricians turn off the epidural at 9 cms so the urge to push is not hindered. Some studies show that epidurals increase the risk of Cesarean section for that reason. Anyway, thanks for letting me have my say and Happy Labor!
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Adrienne 10-26-2008 @ 10:33PM
With both of my kids, I did an epidural interview at the hospital a couple of weeks before actually going into labor. I filled out all the paperwork, watched a video, and met the anesthesiologist. When I was actually in labor, all I had to do was wait for him to get to me. The first time was about an hour. The second was about 90 minutes.
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Sissy 10-27-2008 @ 3:52AM
When I had my daughter 3.5 years ago, I was induced. The doctor broke my water (after trying unsuccesfully in the morning) in the afternoon, and after that the pain was so unbearable, I couldn't breath. As soon as I requested the epidural, I got it. I ended up pushing for about 3 hours, and when my daughter finally came out, she was born arm first. Thank God for a really strong epidural! She did a lot of damage on her way out and there was some major stiching afterward. After a few hours they decided to take the catheter out of my back, and it wouldn't come out. It was stuck and the nurse(?) kept tugging on it and it felt like bugs were crawling in my spine. Yuck! So an anesthesiologist came in and tried to get it out but couldn't. Finally, the head anesthesiologist came in and bent me over in different positions and managed to dislodge it. It was really scary. After I went home, I didn't have a BM for about a week and when I finally did, it felt like someone was stabbing me in the spine with an ice pick. That's a memory I'd like to forget. However, everything after that went fine, although I occasionally feel a twinge in that area of my back. It was so worth it, to not feel the pain of labor and delivery, I would do it again in a heartbeat!
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Nicci 10-27-2008 @ 7:44AM
I didn't get mine in time. I got to the hospital at 5 cm and had been having contractions for weeks. I immediately requested the epidural (had a good experience with my first). The anesthesiologist comes in an hour and a half later complained that it was taking me to long to sit up. Gee you try sitting up quickly at nine months and in what later was identified to be transition. She disappeared. They start searching for her while i'm actively laboring in a hunched over position b/c they wouldnt' let me move or lay back down incase she came back. They NEVER found her another one came in complaining bitterly about her disappearence about thirty minutes later by that time it was to late my little girl was practically crowning. So gee thanks but no thanks.
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Baron 10-27-2008 @ 11:11AM
Our doctor said it best (in my opinion)... "If you look out into the parking lot and it is raining, are you going to walk out into the rain and wait a little bit to put up your umbrella or are you going to put up your umbrella before you get covered in rain?" My wife got her's at 2 or 3cm, that was around 8:30 or 9:30 in the AM, she started to push around 3 or so and by 4ish our little girl was born.
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