is induction or epi the problem?

**bronny-jane** · 14-11-2007 07:53

ok im sure we have all read here that being induced means your a high risk for a c/sec..... i disagree... having been induced 3 times with nice quick labours....once it started... no problems at all... i did use pethidine, which i now know helps me to dilate (i cant breathe through contractions, i tense up so they dont do the job as well as when im relaxed).

having friends who have been induced all had no problems either...that is unless they had an epidural...

i dont want to offend anyone right now..but i most likely will

... i think epidurals are the biggest risk of a c/sect..more then being induced...

so please tell me your thoughts and experiences... im just curious.... also if you had an epi..werent you paranoid that you couldnt feel your legs

... ive always wondered about that..

please dont be offended..just tell me your own experience

**luckymama** · 14-11-2007 08:03

hey BJ

For me personally, i think that both were the problem. I was induced with the gel first then needed all three doses of the drip. This made the contractions unbearable for me, so i begged for an epi. Once i had the epi, my legs were so numb, actually i was numb from the waist down. When it was time to push, it was nearly impossible. After two hours of pushing, DS just wasn't moving down, and i know if i didn't have an epi i could have pushed him out

Which of course wouldn't have occured if i hadn't been induced.
So yeah for me, both was the problem.

**tootiredtosleep** · 14-11-2007 08:14

I was induced with the drip after my waters broke (with mec) and nothing else happened.
I wasn't given or offered an epi at the same time, just gas and pethedine.
In the end I had an emergency caesar with a spinal. After over 12 hours on the drip I was only 5cm.
By that stage I did not want to feel anything.

ETA: the only problem I had was bad care, and the fact that I put too much faith in the midwife. I don't blame the drugs, just poor, inexperienced decision making.

**Tan-mumof3** · 14-11-2007 09:03

I like you BJ have been induced 3 times and had 3 very quick and easy labours. I didn't have an epi i was scared of it and i was determined to do it without lol.
I am interested to see what others say i really don't know. iIjust know that i had 3 very intense but great and quick labours very positive for me

.

**daisy1984** · 14-11-2007 09:17

I was induced. I had two lots of gel, then my waters were broken, then the drip. I laboured for 12 hours with no pain relief, but I only dialated 3-4cm and bubs became distressed. Only then did I agree to an epi, but it didn't work anyway, it only numbed one side of my body. So I consider that the epidural had no bearing on the outcome (emergency c-section), I think it was just the result of being induced and my body reacting badly to a forced labour.

No more inductions for me!

**QTB** · 14-11-2007 09:25

i think its a combo of the 2...

if you get induced and have an epi you have ALOT higher c-sec risk...

if you get induced contractions are usually hard and fast, which makes people ask for an epi, which again, can lead to a c-sec

KWIM? lol

**luckymama** · 14-11-2007 09:43

Originally Posted by QTB

i think its a combo of the 2...

if you get induced and have an epi you have ALOT higher c-sec risk...

if you get induced contractions are usually hard and fast, which makes people ask for an epi, which again, can lead to a c-sec

KWIM? lol

yup exactly how it was for me

**biscotti** · 14-11-2007 10:33

I have been induced twice with the two girls (just with gel) and had two very quick labours (2 hrs and the other 3hrs), no drugs or pain relief and both wonderful birthing experiences

I went into labour naturally with my son and ended up with an Epi (which was stuffed up due to incompetency) and the birth from hell and it was a terrible terrible experience and resulted in him being born bleeding from the face with the enormous forceps. Never, ever again

**~Emmylou~** · 14-11-2007 13:18

Originally Posted by QTB

i think its a combo of the 2...

if you get induced and have an epi you have ALOT higher c-sec risk...

if you get induced contractions are usually hard and fast, which makes people ask for an epi, which again, can lead to a c-sec

KWIM? lol

Also labours that are induced by breaking water are more likely to run into dramas because once the fluid is gone it's much harder for the baby to position itself properly.

But yeah, I think the big issue is that drip-induced labours are very, very painful and hard to manage without an epidural - particularly in a really long labour. Some women will get through shortish labours like this without pain relief but I haven't heard of many who can tolerate 15 or more hours on the drip without an epidural. Very very hard work.
So the two end up going hand-in-hand.

It's good BJ that you've been induced and had no problems, but the statistics are pretty clear that this is usually not the case, especially for first time mums

**missie_mack** · 14-11-2007 13:23

I would think the problem with inducement leading to c sections is where the baby gets distressed or the body doesnt dialate within whatever is considered the appropriate time frame. Having a epi may add to this but this seems to be the norm with or without the epi.