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Although I've never had one (though plan to), from what I gather, it only effects you from the waist down. Not saying that things won't fly out of your mouth that aren't drug related, what with the pain and all.

No.. it is simply a numbing agent that is injected into the area around your spine, making everything from there down have less or no sensation.. it doesn't affect your head at all. Plus, mine was painless.. well compared to the contractions it was painless... really didn't feel the epidural going in at all.

Hi Dianne, i've had 2 epidurals and will soon receive a 3rd, i'll be 39 weeks in 4 days. Mama-Beans was correct, you are paralyzed from the waist down. The only gripe that i've encountered so far was that because you can't walk, you cannot go to the bathroom, so they inserted a catheter into my bladder, so you can urinate dierctly into a tube to a bag, that was extremely uncomfortable, especially after it was removed, it was like peeing razor blades.

with my first birth,I wanted and had said all along that I wanted an epidural.The epi did not take,it paralized only one leg,I felt the contractions,and it was awful.I never wanted that again,in contrast I had a section for the next,it was much easier.The thing is,epidurals,as women will tell you are great when they work.Other Mum's I have soken to said they would like to kiss,pay,the guy who invented it,but there are times when an epidural is impossible,either you get to the hospital too, late for it to be administered or the people who can do it are tied up on more important cases,so you are left waiting,or as inmy case it does not take.If I got pregnant again,which I do not intend on doing,I would not want to endure what I went through in a natural birth...good luck to you,keep your options open.

Marcie, do you think it would have been easier if you had prepared for a natural birth?

No,I do not think so.The pain I experienced having a "natural birth"was so bad.I knew it was going to be painful,but never that bad.I felt as if my legs were being ripped open.I swore I would never forget this pain.I told my husband unless next time we had a section there would never be a "next time"so I was allowed to have my 2nd by section.

I had an epidural with my first that didnt take completely but it was enough that it was worth it. I had really really hard back labor and was grateful for what it did. Unfortunatly it didnt effect my pelvic area and they ended up having to do an emergency c-section, so they had to put me under general anastesia to do it. With my second the epidurla worked perfectly. I was able to get it just in time, and when my labor got really hard. I'm currently pregnant with my thirdand fully intend to skip the other drugs that make you loopy and go straight for the epidural