Professional Documents
Culture Documents
What is an Epidural ?
Does the Epidural Hurt ?
With an Epidural what will I feel during labor ?
When can I have an Epidural ?
Do Epidural medications adversely affect my baby ?
Am I a good candidate for an Epidural ?
What if I need to have a C-section ?
Is a Spinal the same as an Epidural ?
What are some problems with Epidurals ?
What is an Epidural?
An epidural is a regional anesthesia technique used in labor and delivery for the relief of labor pain.
Position of the patient is very important to the success of an epidural. Epidurals are placed with the
patient on the side or in the sitting position. The patient will be helped to assume the correct position. An
epidural is performed using sterile technique under local anesthesia at the injection site. Local
anesthetics are injected into the epidural space and this "numbs" the nerves that cause labor pain. Most
labor epidurals are made "continuous" by placing a small soft tube or catheter into the epidural space
through the needle. This tube is secured to the patient's back with a sterile dressing. Epidural analgesic
medications are infused through this catheter to keep the patient comfortable during labor and delivery.
amount of medicine transmitted from the mother to the baby by the placenta does not cause any
appreciable effect on the baby's Apgar scores or behavioral tests. Epidural labor analgesia has been safely
used to treat labor pain for many decades and has a good record.
If you have concerns about you ability to have an epidural and are planning epidural analgesia to manage
your labor pain control, you may wish to consult with our healthcare provider and if necessary seek
consultation with our Anesthesiology department prior to your due date.
Hypotension sometimes may occur after the epidural but is corrected immediately if at all it
occurs.
Soreness at the site of injection, like any other injection, is possible and normal. Chronic back
pain is not generally associated with labor epidurals. The incidence of back pain in patients after
delivery is similar for patients with and without epidurals. In fact, epidural injections are used to
treat chronic back pain disorders.
Spotty, "Hot Spot" or one sided epidurals do occur but infrequently. The factors involved are
generally individual to the patient's anatomy, epidural catheter location and response to the
medications. Generally, problems with lack of adequate analgesia can be resolved by additional
injections of medications through the epidural catheter or repositioning the catheter. Rarely, an
epidural will have to be replaced to provide proper analgesia.