What Is Epidural & What Are Its Side Effects During Labor?

Pregnancy can be an experience that leaves you rather overwhelmed. Every day is a new learning experience, introducing you to a new joyous discovery, another exciting or poignant moment. However, with the passing of each day, there is also the nervous anticipation for your D-day. Yes, your final day—the due date. With the (not so) helpful recounting of long, painful labor stories that you’ve probably had to sit through, it’s perfectly normal to be afraid. However, if you ever came across the term epidural, you’ve probably wondered about it.  Read on to learn its action and side effects.

So, What Is An Epidural?

 An epidural is the most effective form of pain relief available during labor. It’s an extremely common practice in hospitals across the world, where a local anesthetic is injected into your ‘epidural space’—the space surrounding the tough layers that protect your spinal cord—to effectively block any pain signals.

Do You Need It?

It all depends on you, really. Each individual has a different pain threshold. If at any moment during that time of labor, the pain of your contraction becomes unbearable and you believe you can’t manage the pain anymore, then you could opt for an epidural.

How Does Epidural Work During Labor?

 An epidural’s mechanism of action is the same as injecting a local anesthetic—you can successfully block any pain signals temporarily that are sent by the nerves responsible for emitting pain from your uterus and cervix to your brain. The epidural will be injected in the lower part of your back, thereby numbing any sensation in the lower regions of your body. Though the drug will begin to manifest its effects in your body, relieving you of any pain, you will remain entirely conscious throughout.

Side Effects Of Taking AN Epidural During Labor:

 Though epidurals come with their set of benefits, they could also possibly have an adverse impact on your labor or delivery. It is widely thought that epidurals could be associated with the following:

1. An epidural could possibly lower your chances of having a spontaneous, natural birthing through your vagina by increasing the probability of your baby being face up by 4 times.

2. It could raise your risk of requiring synthetic oxytocin (medicine that facilitates childbirth) by up to 3 times.

3. It could also increase your chances of having to undergo a caesarean birth, aka C-section, by roughly 2.5 times.

4. It could increase the risk of a rather severe ‘perineal tear’—tearing of the ‘perineum’, the skin plus soft tissue structures that separate the vagina from the anus In women—by up to 3 times.

5. It could possibly lengthen the duration of your labor.

6. It could increase your risks of suffering several complications, which may require that you undergo an assisted vaginal delivery such as ‘forceps.’ In a forceps delivery, the health care provider supervising your birth will apply a pair of forceps (an instrument largely resembling big salad tongs) upon the head of your baby to guide him or her out of your birth canal.

This procedure could raise your risks of episiotomy (making a surgical incision at the opening of your vagina to quickly enlarge the passage for your baby to pass through), bruising and vaginal tears. It could also increase the risks of your baby suffering from facial injuries, having his or her bones of the skull be displaced and a possible formation of a blood clot in their scalp.

7. An epidural could also raise the risks of your suffering from pelvic floor related problems after the birthing.

8. Commonly, there is a decrease in the baby’s heart rate following the birth if an epidural has been used. This is due to the fact that babies require a longer period of time in order to get the drug out of their system in contrast to adults.

9. It could also perhaps raise your risk of suffering maternal fever, which may very well affect your baby too.

10. It is said that mothers who are able to receive epidurals during their labor are found to spend lesser time with their newborns. There seems to be a correlation between the dosage, higher the dose of the drug injected, the lesser time the new mother is said to spend bonding with her newborn.

11. It has also been found that women who have partaken an epidural during their labor are x2 times more likely to forego breastfeeding than those women who chose not to have undertaken the drug.

In conclusion, epidurals have significant benefits, but they also come with their share of serious possible risks for a mother and her child. If you’re a soon to be a first-time mom who is even more confused as to whether to opt for an epidural during labor then visit your gynecologist or healthcare provider. In this case, your doctor is the right person capable of assessing your risks if choosing an epidural.

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Chandrama Deshmukh

   

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