Does an epidural slow down labor??,

Question

Is it true that if you get an epidural it slows down your labor, and you don't dilate or dilate very slowly??

Answer

The main reasons they slow labor are 1. You can't move around anymore once you get it, there is no gravity helping work the baby down into the birth canal (if you want to get ketchup out of the bottle, you stand it upright with the opening at the bottom, you don't lay it on its side) and 2. It hinders your ability to connect with your labor and work WITH your body to get your baby out. You can't feel anything that's happening, you brain doesn't get signals to do what it's supposed to do, etc.

Answer

For some women, yes. For me it didn't. With my last pregnancy, I went from a four to fully dilated within an hour of getting my epidural. And all of my other pregnancies, I continued steady progression after receiving it. I also only pushed for 5-10 minutes and was up taking a shower within about an hour of delivering. Everyone's experiences are totally different. My sister in law was progressing nicely, having wonderful contractions and as soon as she got the epidural, she stalled completely. There's no way to tell what your body will do.

Answer

Try to walk and stay upright for as long as you can and the. Get an epidural. They've been known to slow labor down if you get them too early but getting them later when you've progressed can actually help your body relax and baby come quicker.

Answer

I got one and when I laid back down my water broke and I was pushing an hour later lol

Answer

There is no way to know if an epidural slows down a specific labour ... if you are in the middle of labour with an epidural how would anyone know what your labour would have been like without it....

There are lots of pros and cons with an epidural you should speak to your doctor or midwife and make an informed decision. How it works for one person isn't necessarily going to be how it works for you.

I had a very slow labour up UNTIL I got my epidural then it all went quite quickly and baby was out. And i had no complications from the epidural.

Answer

My labour sped up once I was able to relax a bit more with epidural

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Within an hour of me getting my epidural my water broke, and everything went SUPER fast from there.

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I'm sure in some cases they can.... but they sped up my labor. I went from a 3 to a 9 in one hour.

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I would suggest doing your own research on epidurals. Yes they CAN slow down labor which can cause I whole snowball effect

Answer

My epidural sped up my labor.