Anonymous
United States
Today, during the birth of my first child, my epidural didn't work. FML
Collection
Fall
Dead leaves, the first cold of the season and an umbrella flipped inside out: fall, the season of grace.
Same thing different taste
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Double standards
Today, my husband was offered, and accepted, pain relief during an ultrasound on his scrotum, and I’m sat here remembering how I wasn’t offered any pain relief at all while birthing a 9lb baby, because I was left in the waiting room so long they told me it was too late for an epidural. FML
OkieThePokie
Looking forward to it
Today, I found out that my unborn son has an abnormally large head. I have an abnormally small and narrow pelvis, and I'm allergic to local anesthetic, so no epidural or spinal for me. FML
newmother
Australia
Today, I went into labor with my first child, and as much as I pleaded, I had to wait for my husband to finish his raid in World of Warcraft before he'd take me to the hospital. FML
Anonymous
Family portrait
Today, I gave birth, but my husband was late and got here just in time to cut the cord. He was hung over after celebrating his impending fatherhood all night. He missed the cord twice, cut it, then fell over, and wound up in the bed next to mine, with a hydrating IV and a bashed head where he hit it on the baby's cot. FML
CalyenaL
Tijuana, Mexico
Prevention
Today, I'm found out I'm pregnant. My husband and I spoke at length about how we were going to handle things, which included him "forbidding" me from having an epidural, because he doesn't want our baby to "come out addicted to drugs." FML
Lennyr
Union City, United States
Get out
Today, I gave birth to my firstborn child. Somehow, my mom and mother-in-law made their way to the delivery room, and walked in mid-push. While they were escorted out, I overheard my mother-in-law asking the nurse how her son, my husband, was holding up. FML
Diana
Today, I gave birth to my first son. He was 11 pounds and the labour lasted 22 hours. My husband was absent for 8 of those hours because he slipped when my water broke, cracked his head, and ended up in the ER next door. FML
LadyAlyxandrea
Today, I almost died after getting an epidural in my neck. The medicine paralyzed my entire body, including my diaphragm and lungs. The doctor tried to say it was a panic attack. I had turned blue. FML
Anonymous
Cabot, United States
This pandemic is so 2019
Today, my water broke. Due to Covid-19, we couldn't go straight to labor and delivery, so had to go to the emergency room and wait to be taken up. I sat there for an hour with a ruptured sac and contractions. FML
Anonymous
United Kingdom
How could you?
Today, my wife was in labour and bouncing on her inflatable ball to relieve the pain when it popped. This thing has lasted her entire pregnancy and it chose to burst now, sending her crashing to the floor groin first while 8 cm dilated. And as the husband, it is of course all my fault, you bastard. FML
Top comments
Donut_Wizard 23
If this was your first child, how do you know it didn't work? The point of an epidural is to reduce the pain, not remove it entirely. I'm sure the medical staff told you this at some point.
Akitakat 31
I just love how people are giving you no sympathy (not an fml) or what did you expect? I was in labor 4 Days (no that isn’t a typo) & the epidural I finally got only worked on half my body till I went to surgery. Everyone is not the same! Just because you experience a wonderful labor with kittens & rainbows all around, doesn’t mean everyone else will. Be sympathetic/understanding. Life has a funny way of teaching you lessons otherwise. Shalom!
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Comments (26)
Donut_Wizard 23
If this was your first child, how do you know it didn't work? The point of an epidural is to reduce the pain, not remove it entirely. I'm sure the medical staff told you this at some point.
redheadedbabe420 14
a woman knows when it works
tacosaurus121314 6
trust me, if it worked, she would know. epidurals are strong. when i gave birth to my son, i didn't feel any pain at all. i was still able to slowly move my legs, but nothing hurt. i ended up with a second degree tear and didn't feel it at all when it happened
exileonmainst 16
How can you bring a child into a sick, depraved world where people destroy cakes?
redheadedbabe420 14
oh no! I'm so sorry!
EarthsMightiestHeroes 20
Epidurals are designed to limit pain, not eradicate it. Women experience pain on different levels; sometimes childbirth is pretty easy and painless, but mostly it is a very excruciating experience. Since this is your first child, not only are you not used to the pain of childbirth, but you also seem really uneducated when it came down to the moment of your baby's birth. You always have to expect that something won't go right, but if you were one of the "lucky" few that epidurals don't work at all, then yeah, your life sucks.
RockPrincess26 16
Comment moderated for rule-breaking.
This isn't an FML by any stretch of the imagination. Epidural fails have become increasing more common. And by failing, I mean the woman isn't given relief at all.
Cali 57
How does a shitty experience being common make it less shitty?
Lobby_Bee 18
If it's your first child birth, how did you know it didn't work? You got no benchmark. It could be ten times worse without it, but you wouldn't know.
never_three 21
Pretty sure she’d know. Pushing a tiny human out of a 10cm hole is not a pain free experience. I’ve been unlucky enough to go epidural free twice.
Guinnevere Rippenhagen Ebbeson 3
Comment moderated for rule-breaking.
This is really not an FML. I didn’t have an epidural with either of my kids and it wasn’t that big of a deal and I was fine. drugs don’t not always work.
blahblabbity 19
okay but you came out of it with a baby soooo
Girl, nah. 6
99.99% sure you're probably wrong. Just because you don't think it didn't work, doesn't mean it didnt. With my epidurals, I could still move my legs and all that jazz, and could still tell when I had to push....but it definitely did cut down on the contraction pain. Epidural with the first 2, 100% pain med free the last 2.
truecountrybitch 22
mine didn't either with any of my three kids. it sucks but we get through it!!