Written by Dr Nihan Khan
Giving birth to a child is an experience that every woman wants to experience. As the day of delivery approaches, women start thinking and searching around for pain relief options. It’s a good time to head to the hospital and ask your doctor about a detailed birth plan and pain management options. Let us understand the process of epidural during pregnancy and how it helps in pain relief.
An epidural injection is one popular and safe option for pain relief during labor. It can be a good alternative for your pain management. Hence, a better understanding of how the epidural is given, the benefits, and the possible risks associated with it can help you prepare better.
In This Article
An epidural is one of the most common and effective types of anesthetic used to relieve pain during labor.[1] It is a procedure where an expert injects a local anesthetic into the space around the spinal nerves of the lower back. This numbing medicine creates a band of numbness extending from the belly button to the top of the legs. Epidural during pregnancy allows the pregnant woman to stay awake during labor and can feel the pressure of labor without any pain.
The epidural works by the use of injecting a catheter into the epidural space in the lower back. This helps in administering the pain-relieving drug that helps in numbing the birth canal and the lower abdomen. The needle is removed after insertion, but the catheter remains in the spine. It takes around 15 minutes for the pain medication to start working.
Analgesia is another term for pain relief. Epidural analgesia is pain relief without losing any consciousness or loss of any movements. This is used in providing pain relief in normal labor. On the other hand, anesthesia means the loss of physical sensation with or without the loss of consciousness. Epidural anesthesia is helpful in surgeries where the doctor wants the patient to not feel any pain and there are no movements during the procedure.
Epidural are quite common during pregnancy. It is used in a variety of conditions. Some of them are:
There are different kinds of epidural based on certain factors. For delivery and childbirth, there are two kinds of epidural.
In this type, the anesthetist delivers the medicine into the lower back with the help of a catheter. The catheter after insertion remains in the epidural space so that more medicine can be delivered if it needs to.
It is a combination of two injections, which are a spinal block (spinal injection) and an epidural. This combination provides better pain relief than an epidural alone. As it involves lower doses of medications, numbness is not much in the lower half. This allows changing positions and movements. Hence, it is also called a walking epidural.
Epidural is one of the most popular methods of pain relief during labor and delivery. It is a gold standard for pain relief during childbirth [3]. It is commonly used in cases of lower back pain with the use of epidural spinal injections.
Everyone cannot take an epidural during pregnancy. There are certain contraindications too. Hence, providing a detailed medical history is very important. The following people should avoid getting an epidural:
It is a minimally invasive procedure that requires following certain instructions. Your healthcare provider will guide you thoroughly about the dos and don’ts before the procedure.
The effect of an epidural during pregnancy will depend on the type of epidural you get and on the kind of medicine. In general, the duration of different epidurals is:
The process can be beneficial to a lot of people. Mostly, Epidural during pregnancy is of great use during labor . In the following ways, it can be useful in a pregnant woman:
Although the procedure is very safe, there can be a few complications:
Before your big day arrives, get yourself all the information about an epidural injection. For a lot of women, it is one of the best options. If you think it can be a good alternative for you, then discuss it in detail with your doctor.
Although rare, an epidural during pregnancy can lead to some long-term complications like chronic pain and neurological deficit due to nerve root damage. Permanent paralysis can also occur.
In an epidural, the injection is given in the epidural space around the spinal nerves. In a spinal block, an injection is given into the dural sac around the spinal nerves. The effect is immediate in a spinal block, while it takes around 20 minutes for an epidural to act.
There can be a little discomfort while injecting the medicine. The area is usually numbed before giving the injection. This can help prevent the pain.
As with any other minimally invasive procedure, the side effects of an epidural include infection, and bleeding at the site. There can be severe headaches as well as a drop in blood pressure.
The primary purpose is to provide pain relief during labor and childbirth, in certain surgeries, and for the management of chronic pain.
A woman can feel the contractions with an epidural with no pain. Hence, pushing with no pain becomes quite effective during labor.
References
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