Tricia: [00:00:00] Hey there. So this is a recording from an Instagram live that I did. If you're hearing it after the fact, we do our fearless birth experience. It's five days of free mini workshops and we do it every nine or 10 weeks. So you can always click the link in my show notes, labor nurse mama. com forward slash fearless.

If it's in between our live events, you can do our special little mini one. All right, you guys, listen in as we chat about some uncommon things that you may not hear about epidurals.

Okay, so we're going to talk about epidurals. And yes, I will talk about scoliosis a little bit. You may have to remind me, but I'll try to remember. [00:01:00] So I wanted I've got some information for you guys that you guys can get at the end. I'll give you a code word. I'm having Mackenzie set it up so that you guys make sure you get my guide.

I don't know if it's ready. Instagram has changed some things, so if you're not following somebody and they say comment whatever word to get my freebie, you won't get it unless you're following them. So you have to follow to be able to get the free epidural guide when it's ready. Yes, I am. So specifically what I want to talk about today are my most asked questions about epidurals.

And that is, when should I get one? Will it affect my labor? And what are the side effects? So we're going to talk about those different things. And so the very first thing obviously epidural is a form of anesthesia for labor. It blocks the pain, hopefully from about here down. You really, you have to make a decision.

What is your pain management plan? And I'm teaching [00:02:00] that next Friday during Fearless Birth Experience. I'm going to talk about epidurals, IV narcotics, nitrous oxide, and of course unmedicated options. But a lot of people either go unmedicated or they do the epidural. So I wanted to talk a little bit about the epidural because I've seen, we've been getting a lot of questions from you guys.

So we'll talk about the, when is the best time to get your epidural? That's going to be the first step, right? Okay, so here's what I teach my students inside my classes.

So when is the best time to get epidural? So here's where I want to start. start with that. What I want for each and every one of you, whether your plan is to get an epidural or whether your plan is to go unmedicated, is that I want you to be prepared to labor at home. This is why I teach my students, you have to have a plan A and a plan B when it comes to pain because every one [00:03:00] of you guys, now get prepared for a moment.

You're going to take this. Every one of you guys unless you're having a scheduled C section, every one of you guys are going to deal with the pain of labor. Now, my gifting and my jam is to help you guys not be afraid of the pain of labor, because you 100 percent should not be afraid. You do not need to be afraid.

Okay, so here's what I want you to know. You have to have your tool bag filled with unmedicated pain management.

options for when you're laboring at home. So everyone always says to me, when should I get my epidural? Like, when do I know? If you follow my training for staying at home, and I equip you for that, so you're not like at home, a hot mess, freaking out. Most of my students get to the hospital at seven to eight centimeters.

And they don't even know if they're going to get emitted. So they're not getting there [00:04:00] Ah! I need my epidural! Or, Oh my gosh! They're getting there Gosh, I hope I'm really in labor. And then they're 7 to 8 centimeters. And I see Jenny's on here. She's one of my students. That's what happened to her.

So if you follow what I teach you inside of my classes, you're going to stay at home longer than the average bee. and you're going to get to the hospital at the perfect time to get your epidural. So that's what I say. When is the best time to get my, your epidural is when you get to the hospital if you follow my training.

Now for the rest of you guys, if you get to the hospital and you're only a couple centimeters, I recommend that you wait until you're about five centimeters off. or you just can't deal anymore. So that's when I recommend you get your epidural. Usually four to five centimeters. Now the thing is, is that some of you guys won't even be laboring that much at four to five centimeters.

I've had students that are walking around for four to [00:05:00] five centimeters not in labor. So it's not just based on dilation. It's also based on your contraction pattern. You need to be getting towards the active labor cycle. which is why I say, if you, if I train you inside my classes and you know, my labor, my rules for going to the hospital, you're going to get there at the perfect time and you're going to shock your nurses.

It also is about your personal comfort, your personal pain tolerance level. One of the things that I pride myself on is helping you raise your pain threshold before you go into labor. And there are scientific, proven ways to do that I teach you guys. But again, if you in your head are saying to yourself I need my epidural to cope, get your epidural.

And that leads me to the next thing I want to talk about. I'm not going to talk about the process of getting the epidural. I have a podcast. I have a video on that. But what I do want to talk [00:06:00] about is some myths about getting your epidural. And one of them is that it will slow down your labor. Your epidural is not going to slow down your labor.

What will slow down your labor is two things. Getting it too early. and stopping moving or just not moving. So when you get your epidural, we actually have a guide for this. I think it's like 7. I don't remember. I think if you comment hashtag labor, you can get it. But if you're planning on joining the classes, you'll get it.

So don't do that. But we have a guide that we teach you how to move properly to still allow the baby to move down into your pelvis. after you get your epidural because what happens and why so many people will tell you that their labor slowed down after they got their epidural, it's because they stopped using purposeful positioning.

Once you get your epidural, it is so important that you're still moving and opening your pelvis [00:07:00] and your hips. So that's where the myth came from that your epidural will slow down your labor. So no, epidurals themselves do not slow down your labor. In fact, for some of you guys, your epidural might speed up your labor.

Okay. See, so someone just said I got mine at six and got to 10 in less than two hours when I was using purposeful positioning. Yes, that's right. That is, and that's why my course is called Purposeful Positioning. Another thing is epidurals will increase your likelihood for a c section.

No, they won't. What increases your likelihood of a c section is your ding dong doctor, actually. Probably shouldn't have said that, but not knowing. How to navigate interventions, not knowing how to say no can increase your chances of a c section. Epidurals, again, do not increase your chance of a c section.

What increases it is not moving, not [00:08:00] knowing your rights, not knowing when is a time to wait, when is a time to say yes to an intervention, when is a time to say no. So that is 100% Really important. Yes. So you aren't moving in the bed. You're not getting up. Once you get an epidural, you have anesthesia on board.

So you're a fall risk. You cannot move your legs. So when I'm talking about purposeful positioning after an epidural, it's in the bed. And you can do so many movements with an epidural, including hands and knees, squatting, all sorts of things. Okay, the other thing that I just want to squash right now that a lot of people believe is that an epidural can cause permanent back pain.

So you really definitely want to talk to your provider if you have back pain after delivery. A lot of times it has to do with something going on with your pelvic floor and not with the epidural. So you definitely want to explore [00:09:00] that. You do not want to just deal with the back pain because that's a part of the birth process.

It's not. Okay. So another thing is if you have scoliosis or you have some sort of spine deformity, what I recommend to you guys is, yes, Some of you can still get an epidural, not all of you, but what you need to do is talk to your obstetrician or your midwife and ask them if you can have a consult with the anesthesiologist team at the hospital that you're delivering at.

Then you go in, do a consult, they can check your spine and that way you're not surprised in labor They say, no, you can't get one, or yes you can. So you already know if for some reason you cannot get an epidural. So who could not? Who would fall into the category for not getting epidural? That's gonna be someone who has a spine deformity that they can't put one in.

Maybe someone that has an infection that they can't put one on, maybe. skin infection or someone who has low platelets when they're admitted or prior to being admitted, you [00:10:00] might know that you have low platelets. So those are can be some reasons that you can't get an epidural. But again, I go in that detail in the last video that I did on epidurals.

Okay, so we're going to talk about side effects. The most common side effects that I've 16 years. First is a drop in your blood pressure. This can be very common. What we do to try to prevent that is we give you a bolus of IV fluids prior to giving you your epidural, and that balances out. So what I tell my personal patients is that when you get your epidural the person who can tell us if that's going to happen is you.

So if you get your epidural and feel Suddenly you feel fuzzy, you feel dizzy, you just don't feel right in your head, let your nurse knowing, know that and she can check your blood pressure. They should be checking your blood pressure every five minutes or so to after you get your epidural because again, you just went through [00:11:00] anesthesia, you have anesthesia on board.

And we need to monitor you for a, good amount of time. The blood pressure dropping though, before it starts dropping, you usually know it's going to happen because you don't feel right. So let your nurse know that. If your blood pressure drops, then the baby's heart rate can drop. So we don't want that to happen.

If for some reason your blood pressure does drop, anesthesia is going to come back in the room. They're going to give you some medications and help it get back up, put some oxygen on you. Okay, so one of the other side effects that happens a lot that people are not perfect prepared for is the epidural shakes.

So I love if you've had an epidural and you got the shakes, hit or comment. or something in there because that is one of the most common side effects and hearing it right now if you've never had it you're probably like who cares that's not a big deal but it can be a huge deal and it can be very [00:12:00] annoying and it can drive you crazy so one of the tricks that we've learned in labor and delivery and I don't know why it works but you can actually stick out your tongue if you get the epidural so Just sticking your tongue out helps alleviate the shaking.

Do not ask me why. Someone said I was shaking before and after I got it, so I'm not sure if it was the transition or epidural. So transition can cause a epidural, it can cause shaking, but it's different. But the shaking afterwards from the anesthesia is very annoying and it does not stop. Transition shaking actually stops.

Once you actually go past that road bump. It stops, but you can stick your tongue out. That supposedly will stop it, and it works most of the time. Yes, absolutely. Okay, so another side effect can be itching, and you can ask your nurse to give you Benadryl if that's the case, which will also help you take a nap, and minor [00:13:00] headaches can be common after an epidural.

A severe headache, like a headache that is like no other, that one's going to have to be treated, and they do that a certain way. So one thing that I want to recommend, and this is what I tell my personal patients, a lot of times when you get an epidural, maybe you've had prodromal labor for a couple days, you've gotten to the hospital, you've been laboring in early labor, now you've got your epidural, and suddenly you're not feeling the pain, you're comfortable, and a lot of moms will want to entertain, or stay awake and hang out, maybe update their family because they haven't had time because they've been laboring.

What I recommend once you get your epidural is to rest. That is going to be the last solid sleep you have for a couple months, so trust me on this one, kick everyone out of your room except for your partner or maybe your doula, and turn off the lights and take a nap. That's my big takeaway for day. Stick your tongue out if you get the shakes.[00:14:00]

Benadryl if you get the itch. And take a nap. Okay, this was a short little training topic. I hope you guys enjoyed that. We also have an epidural prep kit that we give away. If you comment hashtag epidural, you'll get it sent to your DMs for free as long as you're following me.

If you're not following me, you have to follow me first, then comment hashtag epidural.

Alright you guys, have an amazing afternoon, I love y'all, and I hope you have an incredibly powerful birth.

Hey mamas, I hope this helps you prepare for your epidural. I know it's a little bit different than my normal teachings on epidurals. We have other podcasts and videos on Instagram, but I wanted you guys to have some practical tips so that if you're planning to get an epidural, you know when to get to the hospital, when to ask for it, and what to do if you experience an epidural.