Connecting moms in Polk County, Fla.
Epidural Gone Terribly Wrong
Epidural Gone Terribly Wrong
The above heart wrenching story may be a half a world away, none-the-less, we can still connect with this. This tragedy happened to a fellow mother.
I've heard of epidural complications, but never to this extent.
So sad. :(
I sure hope none of us have such tragic testimony, but will you add your epidural story on whether it turned out well, or not so well, to help mothers consider the procedure.
Would you do it again?
The above heart wrenching story may be a half a world away, none-the-less, we can still connect with this. This tragedy happened to a fellow mother.
I've heard of epidural complications, but never to this extent.
So sad. :(
I sure hope none of us have such tragic testimony, but will you add your epidural story on whether it turned out well, or not so well, to help mothers consider the procedure.
Would you do it again?
Views: 1154
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Graham on -
2 kids delivered with no epidural here. . . possible side effects being one of the reasons I made this choice.
1st labor - went into labor on own, 27 hours of labor
2nd labor - induced w/ pitocin, 8 hours of labor (much more painful)
There are so many possible side effects for baby and mom, normally very minor but unfortunately some can be major like this one. This was obviously human error but even without human error there can still be more major side effects.
I understand emergencies happen and there is always the possibility of a c-section/epidural/etc but if there is no medical need for surgery while delivering I would NEVER opt for an epidural. God meant for delivery to be a part of the female body. Was it painful - definitely, is it worth every second of pain - without a doubt.
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Permalink Reply by Munchkin Mommy on -
I had epidurals with all four of my children and had no complications. In my last two labors, the dr. even agreed to the epidural before beginning the induction. Never felt a thing :)
I have no desire to suffer in pain----that is why medicines (like epidurals) were invented. Childbirth may be a natural process but that does not mean one should have to suffer in pain. Dying is also a natural process but that does not mean that one suffering from terminal cancer should not receive morphine.
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Permalink Reply by mommy of two on
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This story is so sad! I can't imagine what she is going through!! I find it hard to believe that putting the medication in a stainless steel dish was a standard practice years ago - seems like that is just asking for something like this to happen & I am very relieved to find out it is no longer the standard. Unfortunately, it does her little good & I wonder if there is even anything that can be done to help her now. Little Alexander is just beautiful. Heartbreaking!!
I did not have an epidural - but it was my intent too! I agree with Munchkin Mommy, it was invented for a reason & I have no need or desire to ever say I gave birth without any pain medicine! I ended up having a spinal block for my c-section since I had never had the epidural while I was in labor. I had no side effects from the spinal.
If I do have another child, I will still opt for the epidural if given the option to have a VBAC.
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Permalink Reply by MandyJay on -
I had an epidural with my first son. The pros: pain stopped, completely. There was also a nifty little head rush, which I've not seen written about at all frequently but let me tell you after nine months of saintly pregnant mommy behavior the little "buzz" was fun, LOL.
The cons: it took an hour to insert, was extremely dense to the point where I was utterly dead from the mid-chest down (he had to be delivered by vacuum because even after an hour of laboring down and three hours of pushing I was unable to push effectively to get him out), and I had a bruise and a backache for over six weeks afterward. Trying to walk a shrieking baby with a back that's in agony is not fun, let me tell you. It's not even fun if you're not in physical pain, but add that to the equation and it's pretty miserable.
As a side note: during the painful, hour-long, repeated attempts at insertion, I told the nurse and anesthesiologist I'd changed my mind and no longer wanted the epidural. They ignored me (they had sent out my then-husband and mother) and continued on as if I hadn't spoken. That was extremely upsetting. The anesthesiologist's practice ended up not billing me...
So I'd think carefully about an epidural. They certainly have their place, and can be quite useful in some circumstances. However, unless I was dealing with surgery I can't see myself opting for one ever again. My second son was born at home, so naturally there was no access to pain medication. I will grant you that I would have inserted my own epidural with an icepick if I could have during the pushing stage, but that was mid-labor and not with any degree of clear-headedness. He only took 45 minutes to push out, and was born just shy of 5 hours after my labor started.
No comparison -- I'd go natural again in a heartbeat. And I'd probably still want the epidural during pushing, LOL. But with the recovery aspect, not to mention the horrific insertion difficulties? Nope, never again.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Frihart on -
I had an epidural with both of my kids, and definitely plan to with this one also - who should be here in about 6 weeks. I can't believe the time is almost here. The pain relief was amazing, and it made labor so much easier. It took me about 30 minutes or so, with both, to push him out. Now, that I think about it, I guess it wasn't too bad. Though, that 30 minutes felt like forever. With my first one, my labor was so long, the epidural had basically worn off prior to pushing, so that made the pushing quite painful, but at least the labor itself wasn't quite so painful, after the epidural.
This story is horrible though. That is so sad.
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Permalink Reply by mommy of two on
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just wanted to say congratulations on your upcoming new arrival!! :)
Jessica Frihart said:I had an epidural with both of my kids, and definitely plan to with this one also - who should be here in about 6 weeks. I can't believe the time is almost here. The pain relief was amazing, and it made labor so much easier. It took me about 30 minutes or so, with both, to push him out. Now, that I think about it, I guess it wasn't too bad. Though, that 30 minutes felt like forever. With my first one, my labor was so long, the epidural had basically worn off prior to pushing, so that made the pushing quite painful, but at least the labor itself wasn't quite so painful, after the epidural.
This story is horrible though. That is so sad.
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Permalink Reply by Jessica Frihart on
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Thanks A Lot Selina!
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Permalink Reply by courtney on -
thanks for posting this shawn. did you forget i'm having a baby next week. you just had to do it. lol
i feel really bad for this monther i really hope they can do something to heal her but it doesn't sound promising.
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Permalink Reply by Alicia (Alsan) on -
I had an epidural with all 5 of mine. All 5 were induced for one reason or another. The last couple the epidural was given just prior to having my water broken. No problems whatsoever with the first 4. Even the last wasn't a biggie. The last one was more numbing or something than the other 4 had been and I could not stand for hours. That was annoying, my legs were DEAD - totally. I also had lower back spasms after that last one for several days after, but again in the grand scheme of things not too big a deal. If I had another child, I'm not sure if I'd have an epidural again. Probably...but not sure, I'd put more thought into it rather than the automatic "YES PLEASE NOW" of my past, lol. One of the kids the epidural was too late and didn't take effect until after he was born (number 4 I think). Really, since I've had so many of them, once the Dr breaks my water they come pretty quickly so I could probably get through it without it, but I a big part of me questions why I would want to.
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Permalink Reply by Connie on
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This is a horrible story. I feel so sorry for this woman and her family. This "mistake" is inexcusable. That being said why are they still using this antiseptic anyway? One drop paralyzed the other woman mentioned in the article. It is unreal that it hasn't been banned.
I did not have an epidural with either of mine. I also don't remember pain when pushing, only the pain of the contractions. Only exception is the first push for my daughter. She was sunny side up and that one hurt. She turned the right way during that first push tho so that was it. If I had had another I might have had the epidural, I don't know. I am not sqeamish except when it comes to my eyes and the thought of someone putting a needle in my back!
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Permalink Reply by Shawn Spivey on -
courtney said:thanks for posting this shawn. did you forget i'm having a baby next week. you just had to do it. lol
i feel really bad for this monther i really hope they can do something to heal her but it doesn't sound promising.
Sorry, Courtney. :) I'm excited for your pending delivery. Please keep us super updated at the best of your ability. :)
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Permalink Reply by mommy of two on
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Congratulations to you too!! :)
courtney said:thanks for posting this shawn. did you forget i'm having a baby next week. you just had to do it. lol
i feel really bad for this monther i really hope they can do something to heal her but it doesn't sound promising.
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