I have never had a kid but I was there for both of my sisters. Im sure I wont be much help, but im sure it hurts going in, but you will feel A LOT better once they give you the meds through it..lol

My sister in law said that getting all three of her epidurals hurt way less than the actual contractions. She said they mostly felt like pressure. They numb the area first so that will feel like a stick but the actual epidural needle, she claims, was just pressure.

ugh i hate needles and i hate medicine

i just wanted to know what it feels like so i can be prepared for it if its what i end up doing

Suzy, I'm hijacking your thread really quick
I've read on a few sites that you can't get an epidural if your platelet counts are under 80...does anyone know anything about that? Is it true?

And I've heard that it feels just like a quick pinch, but I've heard a lot of women swear by that it was heaven afterwords. lol.

When I had my daughter they tried to give me one six times but it wouldn't work for me. They couldn't get to the right spot in between my vertebrae with the needle and catheter so finally i just said forget it because it was driving me crazy to have to sit so still during my contractions.

It is a little uncomfortable to have an epi put in but I will say that it is nothing compared to what labor feels like. There isn't any pain like labor pain. And remember that usually you get the epidural at around 4-5 cm.........the contractions at 4-5 are much less intense than the ones at 8-10. So if you can't handle the pain at 4-5 it really only gets worse....so don't feel bad if you need the epidural......take it. It may take about an hour or so after for the feeling to come back.......it kinda feels like pins and needles......so I've been told. But to me it is so worth it. Not very many women regret having one. I sure wish that it would have worked for me.

lol thats ok you can high jack it amy!!!!

my mom said hers hurt like helllll. lol but im sure it it wayy better than contractions eh?

That's the only pain i remember from giving birth to my first. But i'm going to get it again because i don't do well with pain. And it is wonderful compared to the contractions. Just remember you don't win an award for the woman that can do it with out a epi if you need it get it.

Trust me when you are having contractions you won't care what they have to do to you to make the pain go away. I have a very high pain tolerance.........and I am not trying to frighten you but man contractions are crazy painful. Not so much in the beginning but as you progress they get really intense. Needles will be your bestest friend as long as they have pain meds in them...lol

LOL I feel like I can't even ask for an epidural even if I wanted one.
Both my mother and mil have never had an epidural and they've had 5-7 kids. So if they can do it, I should be able to.

lol

ahh im not thrilled abut it either way lol

its going to hurt no matter what

geez im terrified

Ya you can definitely do it without one but why would you want to.........women don't need to suffer anymore. I am sure that if your mom and mil would have had the option to have an epidural they would have taken it.

My mom had me without any pain medication, and she said its the pain you have never felt before, you want to die thats how much it hurts. But when she had her second child with epi she said she will have 10 more kids if she can have epi lol She said it hurts much less than having your teeth drilled or something like that.

lol yay

im so exited lol

I had an epidural with Brayden, and it went perfect.

I'm planning on having one again whenever I get pregnant. It doesn't hurt, just lots of weird pressure.

Ditto. I have an extremely low tolerance for pain and it really wasn't that bad compared to the contractions.

My epidural went like this.

I was having killer contractions and was sitting on the end of the bed bent over. It's hard trying to hold still when your body feels like it's being torn in half, by the way. Anyway, they give you a numbing shot first... this feels like a bee sting. After that, you feel lots of pressure for probably 45 seconds or so. Then it felt like somebody was pouring cold water down my spine. At one point my leg spasmed and kicked Aaron (I think it was a reflex) and the doctor said that I might get a sharp pain... and for a split second I was hurting more than all of my contractions put together, but it lasted a FRACTION of a second and was gone before I could yell. After that, the medicine kicked in and I felt great.

So, yeah. Nice and detailed for you.

I am a complete F-R-E-A-K when it comes to needles hun... but after having contractions for six hours I decided it was time to get one... they told me to get in then or in 4 hours because the specialist had somethign to do, so I opted to do it.
My mom and cousin held onto me from the front and they try to get a feel of your contractions so they know when toi give it to you.
If it so happens that you do decide to get one, just completly relax, I know thats hard under the circumstances but the more relaxed you are the easier it is on you...At first there was strange pressure but I hadn't even realized she'd done it and then I just didn't feel any pain any longer... it was amazing!

This makes my back hurt just thinking about the epidural

Mine actually didn't hurt, but it makes my back tingle to remember the little jolt it sent down my leg *shiver*

i don't remember feeling a thing. i went 12 hours without one and by the time i got it i think i was just so relieved that i didn't feel anything. i do remember telling my nurse that if i wasn't already married i would have proposed to the anesthesiologist.

then an hour later it wore off on half my body and i was in twice as much pain as i had been. plus, it's a very strange sensation having only half your body numb.

but the hour i had it was heaven!