Almost as long as I’ve been pregnant (actually if we’re being honest, loooong before I’ve been pregnant), I’ve known that I’d be getting an epidural.

You can’t lecture or make me change my mind so please don’t email me thinking you can because it juuuust won’t work.

Drugs!  I’ve had waaaaay too much unexpected pain (we’re talking a 10 on the pain scale) a few times when I didn’t know I had gallstones, and a few other times when I had an as-of-yet unidentified malady that I have always referred to as my ‘uterine’ attacks.  Unbelievable pain!  The kind of sheer agony that makes you vomit out of pain.  The kind of pain that will not let you get to the phone even though it’s only one foot out of your reach.  Awful, debilitating, fear inducing pain.

So, in the one instance where I can see the pain coming in advance…  I think I deserve to have a little help!  Here’s how it’s going to go…

They’re going to put me on intravenous fluids, swipe a brown iodine solution on my back over the injection site, and then I get a local anesthetic to stop me from feeling the more drastic sensation of having the larger needle inserted into my spinal cord.  Which will be administered while I’m either laying on my back or arching it and sitting forward.  I’ve heard laying down is best because there’s less chance of motion.  Then a small tube is pushed through the larger needle in my back and taped there to dispense the God sent pain relief while the needle itself is removed.  Voila!

There are two types of epidural available to me. There’s the one you always envision. The procedure of which is outlined above.  But you’re pretty much bed bound the rest of the birth.

A ‘walking’ epidural.  Which is not an epidural per-se but just a step below. It controls pain but only for up to 8 hours, and allows you your mobility.  You can shift position in the birthing bed without as much trouble as the ‘normal’ epidural. You may even be allowed to walk, thus the name.  You can request the stronger epidural at any time.

What I’m hoping to benefit by having the epidural?

• I’ll be able to rest between contractions, y’know… because I won’t be enveloped in pain!
• I’ll be more alert, able to understand what’s happening with my birth.
• I’ll be less exhausted, less crabby, less tired.
• Which means I’ll have a more positive birth experience!  Less trauma!

There are cons to every pro sure, but the cons are rare, and to my line of thought, not worth thinking about anymore this close to my due date.  Here’s looking forward to a happy, healthy birth!

Resource you might want to check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epidural