I think this might be an old thread but I am going to put my 2 cents worth in anyway... If you are hurting, get the epidural, the pain only gets worse and by the time you get ready to push you will be exhausted. They numb the area with a tiny needle before they put the epidural needle in and they put the needle in between the vertebrae until it is in the right spot and then thread a catheter in there, then they tape the catheter in place and that is how you get the medicine. It is best to wait until you are dilated to 4cm before getting the epidural so it don't slow your labor, but sometimes it helps speed your labor because it helps you to relax. Sometimes it does only numb on one side and sometimes they can't get into the right area and you don't get any relief at but that is very rare. There are other complications that can occur too but your doctor can talk to you about that. If your labor is progressing very rapid then you may not want to have the epidural, some people dont even have time to get the epidural before the baby is delivered, they are the lucky ones even though they don't know it at the time. I have noticed that people recover faster when they don't have an epidural though. Most people have a long labor, especially if it is the first baby, so epidurals are great for them. There is medication that they can give through the iv early in labor to help until you get to be dilated to 4cm, and some people do great with just the iv pain medication and don't even need the epidural. The bottom line is if you are hurting unbearable and your labor is not progressing fast then the epidural is an option for you. Why would you want to go through severe pain if you don't have to?
Another option is an intrathecal. It is given the same way as a spinal. They insert a spinal needle in the space between the vertebrae and inject the medication and then remove the needle. The differnece is that the intrathecal ususally only lasts for 4 hours for good pain controll during labor. It works really good unless it wears off before the baby is born, so it is best to get this when you are dilated 5-6cm.
This has been my experience as a labor and delivery nurse for 10 years. Everyone is different and every labor and delivery is different. If you are in pain get the epidural, take a nap and wake up when it is time to push the baby out. Good luck.
