Just my experience over the last year and a half.
Try it for yourself and come back and report. You aren't going to hurt my feelings, either way.
I'm not here to brag or chide people who do things a different way, but after a year and a half of doing it this way, I see no reason to go back to making multiple stabs. And--again, not to brag--but even having gotten a reputation as a fast guy, I still get nurses who simply can't help themselves and have to look over the patient's shoulder to confirm I'm finished when I say "all done." No, fast is not the primary goal. A safe, functioning epidural catheter is the goal. If she gets more comfortable more quickly with this technique in my hands that the standard, fuddy-duddy method of multiple sticks, even better.
And, as to the guy who honorably stands up for his wife and won't allow this technique on his wife: Yeah, I'm going to offer you the most favorable possible interpretation of your snark and figure that you meant to say that you won't try this on any patient at all, because you are uncomfortable trying it on your own wife. Good for you. I will counter that I treat all my patients exactly as I would want my loved ones treated, and there ain't no way in Hell I would suggest a stylistic improvement on a public forum if I didn't prefer that very same technique for my own wife.
On a separate note, is the private forum any better? I have thick skin and don't really care that internet strangers come here not for advice or suggestions but to crap all over novel advice and suggestions. I can't help but be reminded of this thread (
Securing epidural) where abolt18 sketched a very helpful way of securing epidural catheters, and then everybody dumped on him because his sketch wasn't up to JAMA's editorial standards
I'd probably go check out the private forum, but last I looked into it, you had to be an ASA member, which I am not.