Getting the most out of an epidural

Thought this was a really good article (it's American but still lots of relevance to Irish practices) http://pregnancy.about.com/od/epidurals ... l.htm?nl=1 Tracy

very interesting, i had an epidural on last baby, very true about being calm while having it, makes it easier for all involved. Only thing was, i felt as though i wanted to push while recieving the epidural, and as soon as the dr was finished giving it to me, i turned around and started the pushing phase, and in no time dd was born!! I felt absolutly nothing, but more than likely the epidural had not kicked in, i didnt expect any pain and i didnt get any The power of the mind eh!!

gosh isnt that interesting d.......yeah i wouldnt imagine it had kicked in if you pushed that fast!

Tracy, do you know if any Dublin hospitals offer a 'walking epidural'? I've read about it and my friend in Australia had it a couple of years ago. She liked it because she had more freedom of movement.

Hi Gonzo, There aren't 'waking epidurals' as such but I've seen Mums with low dose epidurals be able to change positions on the bed and be up on all fours (over the back of the bed) - especially if they have a supportive MW and a partner who can help reposition Mum. It really depends on how much sensation you have as to how 'mobile' you can be with an epidural but I have never seen a mum walking with one. Keep in mind you'll also have a drip in and the CTG on too which makes things a bit tricker but it can be done! Sparkly - what about your unit? Draiocht I've seen this happen too - part of is knowing that relief is coming soon that reduces the stress hormones and lets the body kick into high gear. Tracy

where i am they seem to have v heavy epidurals the mammies dont seem to have any control at all over their legs. def not enough for all fours as they cant even move them lying on the bed. tbh i way prefer looking after women with no epidurals!

A friend of mine had one baby in Rotunda and one in Holles St and said she got a much lower dose (not by choice) in Rotunda. I had babs in Rotunda 11 weeks ago and Epi ran out just before pushing and mw advised me not to have another dose put up so as to have some sensation for the pushing which i have to say helped as when i couldn't feel anything at the start of pushing and was all over the place and not doing it right. As it went on and i could feel a bit more it was easier to push effectively but by god i felt her head crown and i wasn't expecting that!

It never dawned on me untill afterwards that the epi may not have kicked in, it has defo given me the confidence to do hypnobirthing this time round.

yes id love to do hyponobirthing if im lucky enough to get pregnant think its v interesting

fingers and toes crossed for you sparkle babe