hi,
On topic of epidural... If you are thinking of opting for it, ask around for recommended anaethetist from your gynae. Mt E doesnt charge extra for that request. My SIL had 2 VERY diff experiences with 2 diff anaethetist, after effects also very diff.
I had a relatively good time as the on-call anaethetist for my first delivery happened to be one highly recommended by my "fussy" gynae. I didnt have shivering or extreme numbness nor vomitting. I had absolute control over when to push (though the mid wife will tell you when to). The only thing was my left leg was numb for quite a while.
As for being able to walk abt, for my case, I wasnt on epidural in the beginning, but they had to strap on the fetal monitoring machine to monitor the baby's heartbeat to see if baby is in distress during contractions. So I also had to stay in bed.
Contary to belief, there are also cases whereby the mother is so tired from all the pain that she has no more energy to push when the time comes, so end up vacuum or forceps or emergency c-section too.
However it is also known that epidural can cause prolonged labour. In your gyane's discretion, he can intro a drip via IV to hasten the process (or so I experienced in my case). I admitted at 11am, epidural at abt 1pm, drip 2+, gave birth 4.11pm, not too bad for a first pregnancy.
all in all, i just want to highlight the pros of epidural too. of course, there are medical & personal reasons why it should not be taken. But keep your options open, dun get stressed up and make an informed choice. most imptly, have a good recommended anaethetist in mind in the event that you wish to exercise the option.
