As with all things in life, reactions and perceptions are very individual. So it is that each woman will have their own physical and emotional responses to having an epidural, as well their own personal views as to whether it contributed to a positive or negative birth experience. The effects can vary widely and it is important to bear in mind that epidurals are not guaranteed to produce the desired effect.
Even if the epidural is administered without technical problems, it may not provide the effect that the woman anticipated. In studies looking at satisfaction with epidurals, overall about 80 to 85% of women who receive an epidural in labour will be pain free, about 12 to 15 % will experience partial pain relief and about 3 to 5 % will obtain no pain relief. Partial pain relief usually means that the woman has 'windows' or areas on her body (for example one side) that are still quite painful with the contractions (rather than a low level of pain relief all over her body). This is known as a 'patchy block' or the epidural 'missing segments'.
The epidural can also provide varying levels of pain relief that do not meet expectations. Some women will feel distressed if they are able to sense any discomfort (even if it is much less than what they were experiencing before the epidural) while others are disappointed at how little they can feel and are unable to do. In a few cases dissatisfaction is purely because of poor timing, perhaps the epidural was given too late and the baby was born before the medications took full effect.
The following are some examples of the various responses women will express about their epidural. We have included some of the best and some of the worst to give you an idea of the wide spectrum that is possible, bearing in mind that there is a large grey area in between.