Painless Delivery
Labour pain occurs when there are contractions. The uterus contracts strongly to push the baby out. With labour pain, the uterus begins to contract and cervix dilates to make way for the baby to come out of the birth canal. This pain travels from the uterus to the brain through the spine.
With the help of an epidural process of childbirth takes place without pain. An epidural works like a regional anesthesia that is injected near the spinal cord (epidural space). Due to this medication sensation in the abdominal, genital area and pelvic area is lost and this feeling of numbness not only blocks the painful sensations but also prevents the pain from traveling to the brain.
Procedure
Only difference in the procedure of painless delivery and normal delivery is receiving epidural injections of ease labour contraction pains. The mother is given IV fluids before the procedure and before the medication is injected. An epidural medication is injected after the lower back is wiped with an antiseptic to prevent infection. This injection is given in the epidural space that is area between bones of the spine and around the spinal nerves. The doctor may ask the mother to arch the back by bending over a pillow or lying on the side or to sit up in order to ensure that the needle is inserted with ease at the right place and increase the efficacy of the epidural. Local anaesthetic is also given to numb the area. Then a small tube called catheter is inserted through the needle to deliver the anaesthetic that numb the pain when the contractions occur. Normally it takes from 5 minutes to 30 minutes for the pain to relieved.
Advantages
An epidural eases the pain in the lower part of the body without slowing or affecting the labour. The mother can be awake and alert and witness the process of delivery. During painless delivery mother and the baby are relatively calmer as absence of pain doesn’t put them in discomfort. Duration of painless delivery is significantly less than that of a normal delivery. In emergency cases it is easy to perform a C-section if required. During a normal delivery there are chances that the mother’s blood pressure increases, however in painless delivery mother’s blood pressure, pulse and heartbeat are under control. Painless delivery prevents damages that occur to the pelvic muscles.
Side Effects
- In rare cases the mother may experience blood pressure drop after getting an epidural. When the blood pressure drop blood flow to the baby gets affected. To curb the risk of low blood pressure, the mother is given IV fluids and medication and the blood pressure is monitored throughout the procedure.
- In some cases the mother may feel nauseated. These symptoms can be managed by anti- sickness medication.
- After receiving an epidural the mother loses bladder control as the lower body parts become numb. A catheter is inserted to empty the bladder. As the effect of the epidural reduces, bladder control is regained.
- Certain medications used in epidural can irritate the skin and cause itching. Doctor may recommend changes in the medication if such an irritation is caused.
- In some cases, the mother experience fever and severe headache. Headache and fever can be treated with appropriate medication, pain relievers and plenty of fluids. If the pain relievers fail to treat the headache then a sample of the mother’s blood is taken and injected into the hole where the epidural was injected. This blood patch deals the hole as the blood clots. This procedure helps in stopping the headache. This procedure is carried out in very rare cases.
- Some mothers have backache after the delivery due to soreness in the area of injection of epidural and due the excess belly weight exerted on the back.
