Why I Regret Getting An Epidural

During my pregnancy I was planning on not getting an epidural. When I started experiencing birth pains at 2am on July 3rd I began to understand why most women get epidurals. This was the worst pain I could ever imagine. I can't even describe it. I was yelling all the way to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital I told myself I wouldn't get an epidural until I absolutely couldn't handle it anymore.

Around 10am I requested the epidural. I didn't want to move or walk or change positions. The pain was just too great. I tend to be a bit more on the sensitive side as well. My pain tolerance has always been low. Once the epidural took effect I felt great! I was laughing and joking with my mother and the nurses. I was really able to enjoy my labor. When it was time to push I knew. I still retained all my urges to push this baby out of me. Afterwards my legs were still numb, so I couldn't walk for a while.

Now, when I look back on the choices I made, I think I made a poor choice in choosing an epidural. Yes, it helped me enjoy my labor but I definitely experienced side effects. Where the needle was injected, I have chronic back pain and tingling. It also feels cool/hot often, so I know it affected my nerves. I didn't make the best choice for myself considering the long term effects. Not all women experience side effects with an epidural, but I did.

Every woman should be educated when making decisions about their body. Here are some known possible side effects of epidurals:
-Increased risk of fever
-Increased risk of blood pressure drop
-severe headaches
-Problems with urination
-weakness
-weakness and numbness in legs and feet
-Interference with the natural production of oxytocin, which helps with bonding and breastfeeding
-Possible low breastmilk supply
-Triples the risk of vaginal tearing
-Increases the risks of pelvic floor problems
-Potential for permanent nerve damage

There are also possible risks for baby as well, but I don't even want to go there. It's just too sad to think about my epidural affecting my daughter. If I could do it over I would have taken advantage of natural pain relief options or had someone there to help me achieve this goal. Now that I have experienced an epidural, the after shocks, for me, are just not worth it. To each her own, but be educated. Obviously there are positive and negative things that come from choosing an epidural.