Taking a Look at Epidural Analgesia

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.

Only women are permitted during the labor and delivery of an infant. While in labor, women commonly express pain through facial expressions, verbalizations, and body movements. Women of these groups are often mistakenly considered to need more pain medication due to their level of expression throughout

Thanks for sharing your story. I know that epidural has become increasingly common for childbirth and has been an ideal tool for many doctors to offer patients with relief from the pains of labor and delivery; however, I was disappointed to those doctors or nurses who kept questioning you about this option although you did not want it at first. Your experience truly shows how physicians gave over medical control to this procedure rather than view it as a part of natural birth; but yet I guess it really depends on the nature of the cases, every woman and every labor are different. Probably, if I were in your situation, I would do the same thing too, especially if the baby had a fever and still inside of me, as a mother, like you, I would definitely

Epidural anesthesia is the most popular method of pain relief during labor. More women request an epidural than any other method of pain relief. More women giving birth use epidural anesthesia. The purpose of an epidural is to stipulate numbness and relief of pain. Epidurals restrict nerve impulses from the lower spine.

Some consider acetaminophen as the analgesic of choice for the short-term management of the pregnant patient’s oral-facial pain.1,2

As you prepare yourself for “labor day,” try to learn as much as possible about pain relief options so that you will be better prepared to make decisions during the labor and birth process. Understanding the different types of epidurals, how they are administered, and their benefits and risks will help you in your decision-making during the course of labor and delivery Epidural anesthesia is a regional anesthesia that blocks pain in a particular region of the body. The goal of an epidural is to provide analgesia, or pain relief, rather than anesthesia, which leads to total lack of feeling. Epidurals block the nerve impulses from the lower spinal segments. This results in decreased sensation in the lower half of the body.

According to the authors (Tussey, et. Al., 2015) “Because limited research is available on the use of exercise or peanut balls with women with an epidural, the research question was generated from a growing trend in hospital labor and birth units to use such balls” (p. 22).

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.

I picked this article because I am curious on what the side effects of an epidural are because of I’ve always known about the pros of Epidurals and how it is a successful pain reliever. An epidural makes the person so numb that it's hard to contract and push adequately and this makes the labor longer. With the labor process increasing it leads to cesarean which has more side effects and the recovering time longer than natural birth which impacts the mother and baby bond for the first couple days. a study that was done with women babies for the first time during the second phase stage of labor was much longer coming at 336 minutes with an epidural. Women that choose natural birth had 197 minutes of labor this was a difference of 2 hours and

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

The first category are methods that had been proven to work. These include the use of epidural injections, combined spinal epidural, and inhaled analgesic. These methods are effective at relieving pain but come with adverse reactions / side effects. Patients who use these methods may be at a higher risk for instrument-assisted vaginal birth and c-section. Use of inhaled analgesia may also produce nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and drowsiness.

Pharmacological comfort measures can provide partial or complete pain relief. The epidural is the most efficient way of reducing labor pain. Opioids can be given continuously or in intermittent doses at the patient 's request or through the patient controlled pump. There is the potential for these drugs to have some effect on the fetus, such as breathing difficulties that may require assistance through the use of Narcan. Providing pain relief during the labor process is solely the patient’s choice, and as the nurse only support and encouragement should be given for however she chooses to handle the pain. (Jansen, Gibson, Bowles, & Leach, 2013)

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

According to (cite), more women prefer the options of non-pharmacological, or natural, interventions during their labor and delivery. These women are seeking options, such as acupuncture, because they are regarded to be safer, simpler, and less costly when compared to pharmacological, or un-natural, pain management labor and delivery interventions. Acupuncture is also proven to effectively reduce the time of labor, which can positively influence the infant and mother’s physical and psychological wellbeing. The use of Acupuncture in a labor and delivery setting, may provide a simpler, safer, and more inexpensive non-pharmacological method to aid in pain management, reduction of labor time, and provide patient satisfaction.

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.