32 week update and question!!

 Karen, I was also against getting an epidural.  I wanted to have a natural child birth and have an extremely high pain tolerance.  Well, I ended up having to be induced, which my doctor warned me is much more painful than going in to labor on your own, and after 17  hours I finally gave in and got the epidural.  I couldn't wait to get that thing, it couldn't come fast enough or work fast enough.  My husband was able to stay in the room with me and I think my Mom might have been there as well.  Thankfully too because they had a hard time getting in it me.  I have 12 screws in my back and forgot to tell them.  The anesthesiologist was an a-hole and told me to bring xrays with me next time.  I ended up having a c-section like 30 min later.  Libby's heart rate started going crazy, she was exhausted and I was exhausted.  I just couldn't handle it any more.  It sucked.  The epidural was pretty fast, on the 4th try, and took a few minutes (I honestly want to say 10 or 15) to work.  That might have been my adrenalin working against it though.  Honestly, if you have a hard time with pain I would do the epidural and just get it out of the way.  That small minute of being uncomfortable is worth the hours of pain relief you may need.  Also, I honestly believe I would have had a vaginal birth had I gotten the epidural sooner and allowed my body to rest and not get all stressed out.

I agree with the other posters, since you'll probably be having some wicked contractions, you almost won't even notice they are putting it in because you are so focussed on breathing through the contraction and they've already numbed you up a bit. The most uncomfortable thing about it is the electric sensation you get when it crosses the nerve area, but that just means they are getting it close to the right place!

I've had 3 epis (two for delivery and one spinal for another surgery). Two of them didn't take and they had to re-do them each several times until it did. I also have my babies very quickly so I pretty much went the whole time without the drugs until they could get it to work. And I can tell you from my experience, once it started to work I was beyond thankful! I fully intend on using the drugs for each and every baby I deliver, even a little bit of rest is worth it in my opinion!!!

Nope, they didn't kick my hubby out, in fact they had me sit on the side of the bed with my feet on his knees and had him help me stay hunched forward. I would say the spidural itself hurt less than the contractions. It is a very strong "pinch" feeling and then a brief burning sensation, but it is over pretty fast. I was still able to move my legs after mine, but it took care of the pain quite well. They don't have to do it until you're between 5 and 8cm dilated, so you have time to decide if you really want it.
For me the biggest difference it made once I got it is that I felt like I had more energy! I was starting to get so tired between contractions that it was hard to stay awake, once I had the epi I felt less drained by the pain and more able to focus.

Also, you never know what you might need pain relief for - I wasn't dilating even after getting pitocin for quite a while, and it turned out that scar tissue on my cervix (from a cryo procedure 10 yrs ago) was keeping it from dilating. My OB had to manually "break up" the scar tissue (i.e. stretch my cervix with his hand), which would have been too painful to do if I didn't already have the epi in place. The external monitors that monitor contractions also weren't working well on me, so they tried to place an internal monitor, another thing that would have been a nightmare without the epi.

I've been having lots and lots of BH contractions lately too...and they do hurt. I always thought I had a high pain tolerance until I was in labor. I tried really hard all 3 times to do without, but wound up caving. This time, I've already told the doctor, the nurse, and anyone else who'd listen that I'd like the epidural as soon as I can possibly get it. I really would like to enjoy this birth instead of fighting my way through it.

I agree with the other comments on how it feels. I really didn't pay too much attention to the insertion of the needle or catheter because I was busy dealing with my contractions and trying not to move. All I felt was a brief sting (local anesthetic) and then some pressure, but it was not bad at all and the pain relief was glorious.

Here is my story:

I got to the hospital dilated to 5 and the contractions were getting to the point of being unbearable! They got me up to L&D and into my birthing suite. They said I had to get an IV and 1 bag of fluids before they could administer the epidural. Side note - the whole time I was preggo I was sure that I was going to make the hospital get a lab tech or even an anesthesiologistto put in the IV because it hurt like a SOB when I had my surgery and I was NOT about to deal with that again. Now back to labor - I was at a 6/7 and they wanted to put in the IV and I did NOT argue!! I wanted that IV in ASAP so I could get my epidural because the contractions hurt like HELL!!! I didn't care who put in my IV! It could have been the freakin janitor for heaven sake as long as they got it in! I told them to ignore my contractions and just stick me where ever as many times as they needed because I just wanted my epidural! After those contractions the IV felt like a mosquito bite! LOL! I finally got my epidural about 20 mins after they got my IV in and I took in the bag of fluids. The anesthesiologist had me sit on the bed hunched over the hospital table thingy they use for meals and what not. The nurse and my husband helped me thru the contractions while he put in the catheter (the thing they put in your spine.) From what I remember the epidural didn't hurt at all. I actually had to do it twice because the first one must have been in wrong because it didn't help with the pain one bit. I don't know if others have had different experiences but I don't remember any pain other than a little stinging when I got my epidural. Honestly tho after you feel those contractions your idea of pain is going to change dramatically!! lol!! I would have to say that I fully credit that epidural for the amazing labor and delivery I had but that's just my opinion! :-)

-Ashlie

Why not play it by ear? Every labor is different. You may find that you can tolerate more than you thought that you could or vice-versa. The drugs are there if you need them. No need to decide ahead. You're gonna be fine, girl, you have a strong constitution