Epidural: Anesthesia for Pain During Childbirth
An epidural is a procedure that allows the mother-to-be to manage and cope with the pain of labor and childbirth.
But how does it work and what are the advantages/disadvantages of this technique? Midwife Maria Chiara answers all the doubts regarding this topic.
1. What is an epidural?
An epidural is an anesthetic technique that allows the mother to control and tolerate the pain of labor and delivery and is performed by an anesthetist.
The procedure involves injecting anesthetic drugs and/or opioids into the epidural space of the spine. This is located between the outer part of the dura mater (one of the three meninges) and the bony part of the spinal canal.
The use of this technique allows for the temporary blocking of the nerve fibers that are responsible for the pain.
Awareness and information in prenatal courses
In antenatal courses, women are informed about the possibility of using epidural analgesia.
Subsequently, hospitals usually organize a meeting with the anesthetist around the 34th-35th week of pregnancy to fully and exhaustively inform all aspects of this choice.
If the woman thinks she will need to use an epidural during labor, she will sign an informed consent form with an attached information sheet and will proceed to carry out specific tests.
2. When is epidural anesthesia done?
The epidural is performed only when the woman has regular contractions and her dilation is 3-4cm .
The mother is made to lie on her side or on all fours, her back is disinfected and the anesthetist administers a local anesthesia to make the insertion of the needle painless.
Afterwards, the needle will be removed and a small catheter inserted through which the drugs will be administered. In fact, it is possible to administer the drugs several times depending on the duration of labor and delivery.
During and after epidural analgesia, the mother's vital signs and fetal heart rate will be continuously monitored via CTG.
When does it take effect and how long does it last?
The epidural does not completely eliminate the pain, but it makes it bearable and manageable for the woman.
In fact, the woman will continue to feel uterine contractions .
The drugs take effect within 15/20 minutes of administration and last from 1 to 3 hours . When the woman feels some pain again, a new dose is given based on what is agreed with the midwife.
After the epidural, it is also checked that the woman is able to move her lower limbs easily so that she can move and walk freely.
Does getting an epidural hurt?
The use of local anesthesia for the insertion of the needle allows the woman not to feel pain.
The removal procedure should also be painless .