I still regret getting an epidural...

by Elizabeth Bennett
(Sandoval, IL 62882)

I still regret getting an epidural with my 1st son who will be 10 years old this comming March.

I made up my mind before hand that I didn't want any pain meds but after I had to be induced and the pain got really bad I decided to get an epidural when I was dilated to an 8.

It only worked for about half an hour and then all the pain was back and it was worse than it was when I got the epidural.

My son was 9 lbs 4 oz so with the combination of him being big and getting the epidural I had to have an episiotomy.

After he was born I couldn't move around that good because of the episiotomy and the epidural makes yours legs not work so good for a while. I wanted to brestfeed and everything was going good at first but then I started getting a headache about 24 hours after I gave birth and it kept getting worse.

However, the headache would go completely away if I turned my head sideways. This just didn't make since to me and the headache got so bad that I had to go back out to the hospital.

I told them that I had just gave birth the day before and had an epidural so they started the admition process right away. My baby boy got to stay in the hospital with me and I tried so hard to sit up and brestfeed but the pain was so bad that I couldn't do it for more than a few min.

After two days of being in the hospial I had to go to the bottle. Because the Dr. wanted to rule out everything possible before doing a blood patch. After 4 days, I finally got the blood patch and the headache went away instantly. But I was so depressed that I couldn't take care of my baby or brestfeed him. I felt like my son was going to bond with my mother more than me since she was the one taking care of him. I also felt like my son was going to think I didn't want him.

Luckly, he is almost 10 years old now and we are really close but I still feel like I robbed him of the first few and most important days of bonding. And he was robbed of getting the best start with breastfeeding. I always said that I would never get another one but during my third child's birth I broke down and got one and everything went fine.

However, just because I got another one doesn't mean that I dont think they are risky. I do. However I think that then women get induced it makes the pain so much more unbearable and that it is your choice to say no to getting induced. I didn't say no because I didnt know I had the choice.

But I'm pregnant with my 6th baby that is due on 03-24-11. And I plan to wait as long as possible to have this baby so I can do it natural. So for all the moms out there who can't wait. Just think of all the good you will be doing for for baby by waiting.

Over one-third of your baby's brain growth happens in the last six weeks of pregnancy. And in this development includes the baby's ability to breathe properly and the ability to suck. Which will help him/her eat. The pain is not near as bad if you go into labor on your own and not taking any meds will greatly better your chance of the baby's corroperating during breastfeeding because when you get the pain meds it can take up to two weeks for some of the meds to leave your system and when the baby is born they can smell and taste it in your milk which makes them resistant to breastfeeding.

This isn't everything I would like to tell you about but I have to go. But thank you so much for reading and I hope this helps you in more ways than one!!!