How long did it take for your epidural to wear off?

During my first labor and delivery, I received an epidural around 10 am and had my son at 4:30 pm that same day. The epidural was taken out around 6 pm, and I wasn’t able to walk until the next day, around 7 am. During labor, I had no feeling in my legs at all but felt some of the contractions still. After the epidural was taken out, the feeling in my left leg came back faster than my right. I was told that some people do take longer to regain feeling, but I never expected it to take that long. My second baby is due in August, and I would like to know if others have experienced this? And if I can expect to experience this again if I receive an epidural with baby number 2.

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When I had my second, I was held upstairs under observation until my legs could move. I spent 4 hours there and they only let me go because they felt bad, telling the nurse to keep an eye on me. Took until the next day before I could move well enough and get up

Mine literally took forever. All 4 of them did. I was stuck in bed all gross after giving birth and couldn’t get up up for HOURS

I was able to walk by myself within an hour or 2(by the time they transfer rooms) with all 3 of my babies .each epidural has been much different than each other’s also.

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My epidural decided to stop working half way through an emergency c-section lol ended up having to be knocked out once baby was out i refused to let them put me to sleep till I had seen the wee one lol :joy: , I think everyone is different when it comes to certain drugs and there bodies take longer to get it out there systems than others x

I had the same kinda thing with my first but just had my third last week and didnt experience it this time.

It’s legit different every time. With my first, I couldn’t walk for like 10 hours. With my second, I was in the shower an hour after I had her. I got the epidural late, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t get as much because of that. I was 8cm and caved.

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It all depends on the person doing it. I’ve had it done for 3 different births and they were all different. 1st time didn’t work all that well and they kept giving me more- still only partially working. I don’t remember any issues walking. 2nd time it only worked on my left side and both legs. Felt everything on my right side. Couldn’t walk into the next day and nurses even dropped me trying to have me get out of bed to go to the rest room. The 3rd one worked perfectly and I didn’t feel a thing! Was able to walk and sooner than other times with no issues. Note: 1&2 was induced. 3 I wasnt

My first lasted 12 hrs, because I got it right before she was born and my second, I was able to move as soon as they cleared me for a shower, about an hour I believe

I’m expecting my 9th baby and this happens to me everytime, one leg regains feeling before the other. I found having a nurse help you stand once one of your legs has feeling makes the numb leg come back faster. I was told this happens to a lot of women and is normal. Good luck and congratulations.

With my first one about a half hour and with my second right away. With my second one the epidural didn’t really work so I was able to walk right after.

With my first I was able to get up and walk around within an hour of them taking it out. I was able to walk when they came in to transfer our rooms. I’m due with my second in a few weeks and hoping it’s the same this time. Good luck with your new baby! :heart:

My first I couldn’t feel ANYTHING, move, nothing. People had to move my legs for me and roll me when I could :joy: It freaked me out and took a while. My second though, I couldn’t feel any pain just the pressure and could still move my legs. Was up walking around just a little while after having him.

I think everyone is different. The dr told the nurse to shut it off and I felt everything 100% right there and then. No waiting needed

Omg I was like dead after my second m for like 2 weeks in the dark in my room with my kid major headache and pain just felt like dieing took the pain meds they gave me and then finally just stopped taking them and layed there for 3 days in the dark after the 2 weeks with the help of my mom with the baby . And finally started feeling better. It was hell . I was a bitch all the time and felt so bad .

I had to have 2 epidurals placed with my first birth because the first person didnt do it correctly :woman_facepalming: After I gave birth o told them I was getting up to go pee, the nurse said I couldnt and I told her I was with or without her. I wasnt even out of the delivery room yet, my legs felt a little off but I could walk on my own. The first epidural was placed around 10am the day before I had my baby, the second was sometime the night before and she was born early in the morning.
Babies 2 and 3 came to quick to get an epidural and honestly the recovery was much easier for me.

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I got the Epidural fairly late in the laboring process they checked me after it was placed and I was 9cm. I was up and walking within an hour of having her. They made me walk to the bathroom and go pee before I could move to the mother baby unit.

My epidural ran out by the time I actually pushed my daughter out. I was able to walk after I fed her. So within an hour or 2.

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20mins to.hour after pushing the baby out. I always have to pee.

There is absolutely no way to know. You can not compare your body to someone else’s. If the pain is too much and you need an epidural that’s ok. You just need to understand that it takes time to wear off. Sometimes it doesn’t work like we think it should. Every woman and every single pregnancy is different in the same woman.

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With my first two I honestly don’t remember. I was too focused on my baby to pay attention to my legs. With my third it wore off at 8cm while it was still inserted in my back. It just stopped working for me and I ended up with a natural birth.

I had my first epidural around midnight, it wore off around 7am so I got a second dose put in, my son was born at 10.10am I was back up in the ward with him at about 1pm and with help
Of my husband I was able to walk to shower and back, by about 3pm I was fine and could walk about

My first I was too tired to even try. My second as soon as they took the needle out I went and took a shower. It didn’t really kick in before my son came out. The Dr asked if I had even just had a baby. Lol

It’s never the same. With my first I didn’t walk until about 9 hours later. My second literally 2 hours later and I was walking around. I mean I shouldn’t have been but I could.

I usually get feeling back within a few hours. With my 3rd something happened and I felt everything on my right side still and I was able to pretty much walk (limp really because my right leg was 100%) right after birth. Even with my repeat csection and the epidural was extremely strong it started to wear off 3 hours after but walking it took maybe a total of 5-6 hours.

Every experience is different. With my first I had complications with it, some of the same as u described and more. I honestly wished after my first baby that I had never even got the epidural because it was a horrible experience! It was wearing off too soon, it numbed one side of my body way harder than the other, I couldn’t even walk the next day, I had severe back pain at my epidural site for MONTHS after his birth. With my second I decided kind of last minute to just take my chances and get the epidural again and I was much happier with my second experience. It worked as it should have, I was able to move around and get up and walk fine & normal after, I didn’t have back pain, All was good.

With both my kids i was up in 2 hours or less. Had to move to delivery bed to wheelchair to recovery bed :slightly_smiling_face: both vaginal births

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Both timed took about an hour to feel my legs and about 1.5 hours to walk unassisted

I’m very confused as to why they kept the epidural going an hour and a half after you had your baby?

Maybe all my experiences were all different but mine always got taken out within 30min or so, and then 2-3 hours later I was walking around.
I’m sure it varies person to person how long it takes to wear off though. If the doctors weren’t worried I wouldn’t be either. But if you are worried about it I would do some research on other types of pain relief/management you can try first.

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My first one took a little longer to wear off. I just had a baby in December and this one wore off a lot quicker.

I was up and walking 20min after having my son

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They screwed up my epi. I was never numb. It just made my back hurt more. I told them they brushed me off. After she was born I told them my back hurt. They looked & said it looks normal. To this day, 9yrs later I get shooting pain in my back. I can tell you exactly where it was injected. My legs have randomly gone numb since then. I’ve fallen because my legs “disappear”. If you can handle not having an epi I recommend it. It’s miserable but only for a short time. Better than years.

I got my epidural pretty late with 4 of my 5 and was able to walk pretty quickly after labor for instance I had my 3rd at 12:13pm and my doctor allowed .e to take my oldest to Dr appointment in the same hospital at 2:45

Took me 3 months to gain the feeling back in my lower left leg and it still gets crampy at times 3 years later

My first one i didn’t have anything. Second one i had the epidural and it went fine i was able to move around and have feeling back prolly 20 mins after. My third they gave me to much at first and had to have it wear out a bit (couldnt feel anything even to push) my third was too big for my size of body but they didnt realize that until it was too late. They upped my dosage after he was out because i needed repairs. I couldn’t feel anything for almost two days. But everyone is different. And every delivery is different. Good luck mama

Some people respond differently to it. I had to get a different kind with my first kid cuz the regular did nothing, and then needed extra with my third because it quit working after an hour, even then there was a section of my belly I felt everything. Everyone is different, I’d say be prepared for it to be similar but you can’t know for sure

I had both my epidurals late with my boys. I didn’t get it until about 20 minutes before pushing. After giving birth each time I walked directly after pushing them out. I only pushed for 25 minutes with my second. So 2 hours after receiving the epidural I was up and walking.

My first I was up and walking in about 15-20 minutes after having my daughter, but I had two jars of epidural because they gave it to me so early and I wouldn’t progress. I am due in 8weeks with baby number 2 so I hope i react the same way. Just a faster delivery this go around.

Sounds pretty normal to me

I had my baby at 1:34 pm and I was able to walk about an hour or two later. Just to bathroom and they took my catheter out and I was able to use the bathroom.

It was already wearing off by the time I was being wheeled upstairs to recovery room, could walk around not long after that.

I got the epidural at noon and it wore off by the time I woke up the next morning an d I felt everything I had to have a emergency c-section and I definitely felt the pain the next morning

I dislocated my hip pushing my 1st child out n nobody could figure it out at 1st. Luckily the nurse caught me. So I left the hospital w a new baby n crutches cuz my left leg didn’t work. I had physical therapy n finally asked if I could try a chiropractor n w in 2 visits I was walking again! Weird stuff can happen w ur legs pulled up to ur ears. Ur body has been thru trama. I delivered my 2nd on my side so it didn’t happen again! It had nothing to do with the epidural.

Mine was taken out before everyone left the room after I had my girls I was able to walk to the wheelchair an hour later to get up to recovery

I mean, I had an epidural around noon. By midnight, it had completely worn off and I delivered without it (I asked for more booster but it was almost time to push by then)

They took my epidural out shortly after I had my son. By the time they settled us in my room you stay in after birth (recovery? I’m not sure what it would be called lol, but not the laboring and delivery room) my epidural had completely worn off, it had been about 2 hours since they’d removed it. They told me when I needed to go to the bathroom to get a nurse bc they had to be with me to make sure I could walk okay/not fall. Me and my fiancé at the time pushed my son out to the nurses station in his bassinet to go tell them I need to use the bathroom, and they were all surprised because I was walking on my own so soon afterwards. I think it just depends on your body and how it reacts with the medicine

I think it’s different for everybody, just like all medications. I had it with my son back in june 2020 in hopes I would have an easy labor as my first was terrible and I wish I would’ve not taken it. It hurt my back more than anything just for it not to numb me, I felt my contractions and I felt my labor, not to mention it was just a pain to go through anyway. I was up walking right after having him.
That being said it is ultimately your choice, big hugs :smiling_face_with_three_hearts::blue_heart:

My first epideral took forever like that for me to get feeling back. I think it was my second one that I could feel and move my feet and lower legs the entire time and I think I walked as soon as I was done delivering. My third was something in between that if I remember correctly

I got mine at about 8 pm and I still couldn’t walk at 2:30 am. I made my husband help me because I couldn’t see my son until.i was able to walk into the nicu

Im more stubborn than most. I forced myself to wiggle my toes and move my legs even if I couldn’t feel it. I was walking laps around the nurses station within 2 hours… but only on baby 2 and 3. Baby no. 1 there were other complications.

I was able to walk from my labor and delivery room to recovery room with my second baby. The first one I couldn’t feel my legs for a few hours after

I never had an epidural with either of my kids that’s been 30 years ago but I would never have one all they did to me was give me some sort of shot like for pain and everything sped up fast the pain was worth it

If I could go back
I would have never gotten a epidural…
I ended up having a c-section

It’s been 2 years iv gotten body slammed to the floor and it caused issues to my waist and lower back
Recently in a rolling my car and it had made matters worse
That just my experience

Mine lasted at least 12 hours with my first son. I was hoping for an epidural with my second, but my blood work came back and I couldn’t get one.