Back To The Hospital

It had been my intent throughout our entire pregnancy not to resort to getting the epidural unless I needed it.  I knew it was available, but I wanted to be able to make the decision to get it, if we needed it, on my terms.  I had absolutely no idea what we were getting into, but I did know that women have been giving birth to children for thousands of years.  Many of them without epidurals.

My reasoning for not wanting an epidural, initially, is threefold.  First, it scared me.  Anything that gets that close to your spine and that you have to sign a release for is serious.  I had heard so many different stories about epidurals, some good, some bad, but if we didn't need to tempt fate, then I wasn't going to sign up for an epidural.  (For the record, I had to sign a release when I went sky diving and didn't think twice about it.)  Second, I am not a huge advocate of medicine.  I will certainly take something when I need to but I don't like the abuse that is too common in modern medicine.  When I need to take medicine, I want it to work.  I don't want my body to be immune to it and have to take a larger dosage or resort to alternate methods.  And third, I absolutely can't stand side effects.  I don't like not feeling like myself because of medicine, and I didn't want to incur any side effects if we didn't need to, especially after the birth of our very first child.

I kind of went into our labor and delivery with the thought that my body will produce the contractions that I can handle.  I had confidence in my own body.  I wasn't going to be laboring in anyone's body but mine, it was all me, and I believed that my strength and pain tolerance would help me through.

And it did, but the fact that I went into labor so quickly and was under the impression that I was only dilated 4 cm when I was at 10 cm and was shaking non-stop because of the pain AND had heard the lady down the hall screaming bloody murder just hours before it was our turn, I chose to get the epidural.

I mentioned in our labor and delivery post that when we did get the epidural we were given some time to relax.  This is because had we not received the epidural we would have started pushing right then and there.  Everything happened the way it was supposed to.  We know now what to expect should there be a next time, but this first time took us both by surprise.

What was even worse was the fact that I had to go back to the hospital on Monday after our appointment with our pediatrician to get a blood patch because I was experiencing severe spinal headaches as a result of the epidural.  Fear #3 came to fruition.  I was experiencing a side effect of the epidural, except this one would end up lasting two weeks.  (Yes, this post is back dated.)

The persistent headache that began a few hours after delivery was terrible.  Any position other than laying 100% horizontal caused a severe throbbing, aching pain in the front of my head.  These headaches were worse than any headache I had ever had before and have been told they are worse than migraines, but I've not experienced a migraine so I cannot say if that is true.

We had a couple of days where my headache subsided enough for me to function.  It kind of went like this:

Wednesday, 10/31/12, 3:38 am - Kate was born.

Wednesday, 10/31/12, 7:30 am - An anesthesiologist checked in on me and I explained my headache.  She said that wasn't uncommon, especially when the epidural had to be administered twice and to drink some caffeine and stay on the fluids.  We learned that when our first epidural was administered, apparently it was not placed correctly, so the needle went in and did not hit the right spot so they had to put the needle in my back a second time...  Fear #1 also came to fruition.

Thursday, 11/1/12 - Another anesthesiologist checked in on me and my headache had subsided, but was still semi-present.

Friday, 11/2/12 - Our going home day - My headache was worse than it was on Wednesday.  I was told to keep up the caffeine and drink a lot of water.

Saturday, 11/3/12 - My headache was nearly gone.  I thought this was the end!

Sunday, 11/4/12 - My headache was back with a vengeance.  I tried to continue with the fluids.

Monday, 11/5/12 - I could barely function.  My headache was worse, and at the recommendation of our pediatrician, we headed back to the hospital for a blood patch.

Once again, I was getting an epidural.  A blood patch is where they give you an epidural but use your own blood in lieu of the pain medication that would normally be used.  I, at this point, had received two epidurals with this labor - a serious tempt of fate.  This would be number three.

We were told that the procedure would take approximately one hour. I fed Kate and then Brian and I headed to the hospital while my Mom stayed with Kate. We figured we had at least two good hours which seemed like plenty of time for an hour procedure.

Boy, were we wrong. FIVE AND A HALF hours later, we were home.

The blood patch was not fun and here's why:

1. I told one anesthesiologist that I have small veins and that it is sometimes hard to get blood.  Seven pokes later in both arms and he finally believed me.  He ended up pulling blood from an artery in my right wrist (WARNING: Close your eyes if reading blood descriptions is too graphic.) which started spurting blood everywhere.  And I thought if I didn't die or become paralyzed from this third epidural, I most certainly would be bleeding to death.

2. I had to lay flat for an hour and a half after the procedure was done.  This whole procedure took place in the recovery ward where patients were slowly coming to after surgery, so there were moans and groans and weird conversations everywhere.

3. Brian couldn't stay with me, so I had to do all of it alone.  And I was scared this time too.  Luckily, the nurse held my hand.  And, Brian was allowed back after the procedure, so he was able to comfort me then.  (THANK GOODNESS!)

4. My breasts were so engorged because I hadn't fed Kate in so long that they started leaking and they hurt.  How embarrassing.

5. We ended up having to pump some milk to get to Kate since we were at the hospital so long.  Brian ran the bottle of milk back home to my Mom and Kate, but when we started pumping my right nipple started bleeding...Seriously?!

6. The blood patch, which we were told had a 90% success rate and you start feeling better an HOUR after you get it done, didn't work.  I had headaches for another week and a half after the blood patch and a total of two weeks after our delivery.  They weren't nearly as severe, but they were definitely still there.  I think that was part of the reason that we got so far behind in our posts.  The anesthesiologist said that if we get the blood patch done a second time, there was a 99% success rate.  No.  We weren't going to get a FOURTH epidural.  Especially since the third didn't work.

What a roller coaster ride.  I am 150% thankful that we no longer have these headaches, but it was not easy taking care of a newborn and suffering.  I am also extremely grateful for my Mom and Brian who were huge helps while I was laid out flat. 

I cannot say that we will never get an epidural again.  It did take every ounce of pain in my body away.  But I do hope that if we do, it is a one time thing, and we don't have a spinal headache to contend with for two weeks.

I seriously doubt I could take care of a toddler and a newborn with a headache like I had!