What You Need to Know About Epidurals

Are you worried about the labour pain? It is perhaps the most difficult phase of a woman's life. But today, there is no reason to worry for. Thanks to epidurals, you can give birth to your baby without experiencing the pain involved.

Epidural is the new age anaesthesia. It is used to block pain in a specific region of the body. A patient is not made unconscious fully at the time of any surgery. He or she is given epidural for regional anaesthesia. Its use has become popular during childbirth. A pregnant woman is given epidural at the time of labour or c-section. It provides relief from the pain rather than cutting off the patient's feelings or senses.

Although it has become a widely accepted technique, women worry about the safety of epidurals. They are concerned about the safety of the baby and their health. But it is absolutely safe.

• How do these work?: There are nerves in our body, which carry the pain signals to the brain. These nerves pass through epidural spaces. Therefore, anaesthesia is injected into these spaces to stop the pain signal from reaching the brain. This blocks the pain. If you are pregnant and thinking whether to go for epidural or not, you will have a lot of questions in mind. Here's all that you need to know about epidurals:
• Effect on baby's and mother's health: Use of epidurals tends to increase the time of labour by 20 minutes approximately. The mother may develop fever. However, it blocks the pain. This is some relief to the mother. As there is no pain, stress hormones are not released. Thus, blood will not be diverted from uterus and placenta. Baby's supply of nutrients and oxygen will remain intact.
• How painful it is?: Women mostly worry about the painful insertion of the epidural needle. However, this will not hurt you. A small needle is first inserted to make the area numb. Thereafter the bigger needle is inserted. You may feel the discomfort for five seconds. The epidural medicine starts functioning just after 5 minutes of insertion.
• Procedure: First the patient is made to take the suitable position. While some may be asked to lie sideways, others may be asked to sit straight. The area is cleaned with a solution. The small needle is first inserted to create numbness in the area. Once the area is numb, the bigger needle is inserted. You might feel a pinching sensation. Thereafter, a catheter is threaded to the epidural space, where the nerve carrying signal of pain passes through. Epidural medicines are pushed into the region via the catheter. Epidurals don't affect your nerve endings or spinal cord. They are pushed into the epidural space. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a gynaecologist and ask a free question.