The botched epidurals making women terrified of giving birth: Is this the real reason for soaring Caesareans?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... z16DX78MtI

I've never had an epidural, so I can't comment on this, but I was wondering how those of you who had an epidural felt about it?

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im sure i posted a reply to this earlier think im losing the plot

i had epidural with thomas which was great worked fantastic too
decided to have one with sophie and it hurt like mad them doing it and it didnt work i felt every contraction arghhh suffered for a good while afterwards too
decided to try again with michael before they put the drip on as thought i would be more relaxed that didnt work except in my legs they explained that i have a spinal block from previous one i had

i was offered 1 when i had my hysterectomy but when i explained about what happened in labour they said it would be pointless doing one then

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Ive never had an epidural so cant really comment. I did ask for one when Adele was born, but as my labour progressed so quickly there was no time

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never had one

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Another reason to stick with gas & air!

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i had an epidural and it was magic! And the aniesthatist (sorry cant spell) was so amazing! He took his time arriving to give the epidural but he was great once he arrived! and i was basically chucking myself around and he managed to keep me still and calm for 10mins while contracting and completed the epidural 1st time no fuss! and i was sooo relieved having been in labour for like a day and 1/2 by time he came! lol But if i needed one again i would definitely have one! x Only if i do really need one though as petrified of needles lol x

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It's interesting that the article states that women that have already given birth are opting to have Caesarean sections the second time round. (It's an article from the Mail Online so there's little point in referring to stats used! ) if that's true, as the article says it's down to women's experiences of labour in their chosen hospitals that put them off wanting to give birth naturally the second time round.

For me, I knew I was safe, as I had chosen the best possible hospital in Windsor, and being the Royal Borough, the hospitals here are generally very good. As I was low risk, and had done a lot of research on pain relief during my maternity leave, I decided that I absolutely didn't want an epidural. I wanted the labour to be as relaxed as possible, and for me to be as relaxed as possible. That meant that having things attached to my back that restrained my movement were a definite 'NO'! I opted for a waterbirth and gas and air, and that was all. I wanted to be in full control and aware of what my body was doing, so that I could react to the contractions and make them more effective. As it turns out, I had a very short labour and couldn't have been happier with those nurses that cared for me during and after the labour.

Although I didn't want one, I was already too far gone for an epidural by the time I had arrived at the labour ward, but even if I had wanted/needed one, I know that at the time, Heatherwood had very experienced anethetists there also, which was very reassuring.

However, If you have ever heard of anyone's birth experience in Wexham (Slough) that involved epidurals, you'll know that a lot of them are traumatised by the experience. Junior anaethetists just shouldn't practice on women in labour that are imminently giving birth. They just don't have the skill or the experience.

As I have given birth naturally the first time round and all went very smoothly, I know I'll definitely give birth naturally the second time round. However, if I had a bodged epidural the first time round round, I definitely wouldn't risk having another one again.

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sel please dont go by your 1st birth hun it doesnt always work out that way thomas was born in just under 2 hours 1st time labour fantasic so thought sophie would be a doddle how wrong was i she was a nightmare i was in labour for ages actually in delivery room for over 12 hours and they said another 5 minutes and then c section luckily she came i was totally exhusted though i always thought the first labour was the worst but it wasnt for me
keep your options open xxx

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Thanks for that Sharon, but I didn't mean it in that way. The point I was making was that had I have had a bad natural birth the first time round without pain relief, I would still do the same again the second time around, as I already have an idea of what to expect. However, if I had a bad epidural first time round, I wouldn't have an epidural at all the second time round as the initial experience would have put me off. As it happens, my first birth went brilliantly and I know I will absolutely opt to be booked into the same hospital again due to the wonderful staff there. However, if I had a traumatic birth experience with an epidural at Heatherwood and the staff there, I would never consider going to the same hospital twice and I certainly wouldn't have an epidural again, regardless.

I'm very aware that no two pregnancies are the same, and neither are any two births, but as I didn't have an epidural the first time round, I wouldn't want one the next time. I hope I have made my point better now!

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