King's College Births - Epidurals

[Saffron]

Saffron Wrote:

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> Ok for an interesting summary article with

> links/citations to primary sources, see

> scienceandsensibility.org 'Birth by Numbers' for a

> short and interesting talk on the effects of birth

> culture and cascade of interventions. xx

Link here: http://www.scienceandsensibility.org/birth-by-the-numbers-releases-new-video-myth-and-reality-concerning-us-cesareans/

xx

[EmilyPie]

I had a walking or mobile epidural which meant I could still move around and that I didn't need a catheter in my bladder. This was nearly 4 years ago and I remember the anaesthetist saying to the midwives that this was now best practice and the midwives seeming unaware. May be worth enquiring about?

And big congratulations to klh!!

[sillywoman]

Hmmmm, all epidurals given for pain relief in labour are low dose (used to be called 'mobile') epidurals. It is standard practise and certainly all the midwives I've met have been aware of it. The name was changed from 'mobile' to 'low dose' as women's expectations for being able to walk around with an epidural were too high. Each epidural works on each women in a slightly different way - it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with skill of the anaesthetist either - we all metabolise medications in different ways, our bodies have individual responses. There are a very small number of women for whom the epidural works in the way you describe EmilyPie, and I have encountered one woman (in the last 3 years) for whom a urinary catheter was not needed after epidural- a similar situation to you. The large majority of women I've attended with epidurals have not maintained mobility and have definitely needed, and had catheterisation. I know that EmilyPie's description is epidural at it's best, and this is how an epidural CAN work, and I am aware that I'm only describing my observations, not evidence based anything, but I would be cautious. In practice I've only it seen them work this way very rarely indeed.

[esme]

I wanted as natural an experience with my first as possible but when it came to it the pain was nothing like I imagined. I wished then I'd put epidural on my birth plan instead of birth pool and gas and air! I'd say best to plan for it then change your mind if you wish, rather than the other way around as I was told I cdnt have an epidural (during the night) and given pethidine (apparently only pain relief they could give me) which was awful.

I'd say its pot luck but generally the midwives at Kings are lovely.