Pros And Cons Of Epidurals

Giving birth should be a beautiful experience even though delivery can be terrifying and discomfort. Even though women have the decision to choose between having a natural childbirth or get an epidural majority of women give birth at a hospital get an epidural. Make sure when you base your decision on what’s best for your infant and not base off anyone influencing you. What constitutes a “Natural childbirth”? A natural childbirth is when a woman gives birth without any medication. You can choose between having a mid-wife and having an at home birth or you can give birth at the hospital without any medication either way is consider giving natural childbirth. According to Kristeen, an epidural is drugs called local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine, chloroprocaine, or liocaine it numbs the abdomen or pelvic region during labor. An epidural is given when the women is about 4 or 5 centimeters dilated (Cherney, par.2-6). In order to get an epidural you have to get a shot in your spine (lower back). In 1909, the first caudal anaesthesia was given for labor pains by a German obstetrical, Walter Stoeckel, and he study 141 cases of healthy laboring women with epidurals. In 1931, the first catheter was used in an epidural. By the 1940s, epidural were being used sporadically for labor but did not gain true momentum until the 1970s. This was in large part due to the fact that other

In the past, in the United States the majority of women delivered at home with no anesthetics; women might have received assistance through a family doctor, including midwife care (Thomas, 2011). A radical change happened by the 1960s, when hospital childbirths had become the norm, the pain of the experience was reduced by epidural anesthesia controlled by a physician. Pregnant women received education on breastfeeding and other topics during their medical visits (Thomas, 2011).

According to the American Pregnancy organization “more than 50% of woman giving birth at hospitals use Epidural Anesthesia”. These women turn to epidural to relieve the pain of labor; however this decision poses many risks to both mother and child. An epidural is a type of regional anesthesia where pain medication is administered to the lumbar and sacral region of the back near clusters of nerves. The placement allows for nerve impulses to be blocked from the lower regions of the body resulting in decreased sensations. Although the epidural is known for taking pain away it could very well cause it too. Epidurals include the use of various narcotics and have side effects like hypotension, fever, fetal malposition, decreased fetal heart rate, respiratory depression, breastfeeding complications, an increased likelihood of operative vaginal delivery and cesarean and many more. These are the effects faced in result to a procedure that is not definite to work. In Fact “One in every 8 women” (OAA) will experience inadequate pain relief and must venture to other means of medication. Therefore, mothers should abstain from epidural anesthesia due to the risks it poses to themselves and to the fetus.

A study conducted from 1997 to 2006 shows an increase of Medicare patients receiving an epidural of one hundred and two percent per 100,000 people (Manchikanti). Epidurals allow the blockade of discomfort in a specific area with an injection of an anesthetic directly into the epidural space, located along the spinal column just below the spinal cord; however, the goal of this administration route is not to eliminate total lack of feeling but to provide the patient with relief from strain so they may continue their activities of daily living. Pain, the body’s number one defense mechanism, transmits signals through nerves to the final destination of the brain. By blocking irritated nerve signals with an epidural, the mind and body can relax. Narcotics, an alternative option for uneasiness, only last for a limited amount of time and require frequent administration, while epidurals possess a longer mechanism of action and only require a one-time injection. Therefore, it remains as the primary line of method of pain alleviation for labor. Epidurals provide effective pain relief for expectant mothers without causing harm to her or the newborn baby, which has, caused a dramatic increase in the popularity of epidurals over the past decade.

Two things that all living people can not avoid is sickness and pain. Along with you and I, an additional 1.5 billion people worldwide and 116 million Americans suffer from pain and are usually prescribed opioid pain relievers to ease their troubles. (Rough, Lisa) With more states and people becoming more aware of ,medical marijuana, a controversial drug that has the potential to sooth the millions of people who suffer from chronic pains. However due to the controversy of prescribing people a drug that is commonly abused, many people tend to either shy away or chastise it, forgetting the problems that come with opioids. With both drugs having their own sets of pros and cons it is necessary to compare and contrast both to find which one is better for the good of everyone.

There are several people that cannot make up their mind. Things do not go as planned and spontaneous things just occur. During pregnancy, the mothers plan their birth plan and the procedure that they would like. Things just happen, and they need to change their plans. There are several debates on the best birth plan. With continuous debates on epidural and natural childbirth, it is difficult to see if one or the other has more benefits. Further investigation will reveal the facts and science along with experiences with epidural and natural childbirth. If there are less factors that cause harm using epidural than natural birth, then they will prefer epidural over natural birth.

Expectant mothers should educate themselves more about natural birth. This is because there are many consequences and high risk associated with drug intake to release pain and caesarean delivery. This is because if more women are aware about the facts involved with using these medications, they will correctly choose what is best for their own bodies and the health of their babies.

There is enough footage and personal stories of childbirth for anyone to know how excruciating it can be to give birth. This could be one reason why more mothers are asking for epidural anesthesia in order to avoid labor pain. This medication is injected into a small space outside the spinal cord in the lower back. Why is this becoming more popular and is it even safe?

As stated by Penny Simkin, April Bolding, Ann Keppler, Janelle Durham, and Janet Whalley, the authors of the number one best-selling book, Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn: The Complete Guide, “While maternity care practices are continually changing the way women are helped to give birth, childbirth itself hasn’t changed. How a women’s body functions during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period—and what she needs during these things—hasn’t changed since the beginning of humankind.” The process of birth is one of God’s greatest miracles. Although all babies go through the same stages of conception and development while in utero, that “average gestation period is 280 days, but it can be shorter or longer by as many as 14 days. At the end of the gestation period, the fetus has reached full term and is positioned for the birth process. The process, generally referred to as labor, includes three stages” (Wittmer, Petersen, Puckett, 2013, pg. 103). However, not all babies are born through vaginal births and as technology has increased many doctors are beginning to see a trend of patients asking for elective C-sections for non-medical reasons for convenience and avoiding the pain of labor, as well as concerns about vaginal tearing, incontinence, or other complications.

This article, Natural Childbirth doesn’t have to be a painful delivery written by Janelle green emphasizes that woman’s body is designed to birth babies and so, natural childbirth must be considered as a natural event. Natural childbirth (NCB) means laboring and delivering using no medication at all, rather depending on non-drug pain relief, such as hydrotherapy (using water in a shower or tub), massaging, breathing, visualization, meditation, position changes, and hypnosis. Moreover, non-drug pain relief methods are efficient due to these techniques interfere the sensory pathways to the brain that communicate pain, and also, this reducing catecholamines; so, can help the labor more calm and manageable. Experiencing labor pain doesn’t mean

The role of epidural steroid injections in the treatment of sciatica due to lumber disc herniation has generated much discussion and debate over the last 50 years and highly variable results have produced.

The patient will likely endure immense pain during labor throughout their series of contractions and continued dilation. An epidural injection is recommended to ease the pains of labor. The injection site is located in between the Lumbar spinal column, and will negate the pain signals from the waist down that would otherwise be sometimes unbearable to the mother.

The use of epidural analgesia negatively affect the parent- newborn relationship, because the drug causes complications for both parties. First, the labor becomes prolong, which put stress on the mother and newborn. Also, when the newborn becomes exposed to the drug he or she tend to be sleepy and withdrawn, which does not provide the mother and child a chance to bond. This takes away from the emotional attachment a baby receives from their mother, when their initially placed in their arms. Also, the drug effects the newborn ability to be breastfed, because he or she suck poorly, and tend to be irritable when awake. Further, creating a negative mother-newborn interaction, because the newborn is withdrawn emotionally and physically from their

Childbirth is a beautiful thing. After the hours of labor, there is nothing more special than having the newly mother able to hold her child the minute after it’s born. It makes the pain that you had just experienced go away because all that matters in the world is that newborn child in your arms. During labor, every woman has her own experience but one common experience is the pain. According to Kitzinger (1978) “Labor pain can have negative or positive meaning, depending on whether the child is wanted, the interaction of the laboring woman with those attending her, her sense of ease or dis-ease in the environment provided for birth, her relationship with the father of her child and her attitude to her body throughout the reproductive

Childbirth can be described as one of the most rewarding and also painful experiences in a woman’s life. Most women choose some type of method to ease pain, however, there has been a lot of controversy over with pain management method is the most effective. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), In 2013, there were 3,932,181 births recorded in the United States, 32.7% of those births were surgical procedures. In 2012, 1.36% of recorded births occurred out-of-hospital, meaning these births took place mostly in homes or birthing centers. Without the option of medicine that a hospital provides, how were these women able to manage their pain during labor and delivery. There are many different methods for easing pain during childbirth, some methods involve the use of medicine and surgery, and others include natural techniques, such as hypnosis, Lamaze, and many others. It is a personal preference of the parents over which method is right for the needs of the mother and child. This can be an overwhelming decision for new parents to make because they have to take into consideration the safety of the mother and child, pain management for the mother and desire for medical involvement.