Epidurals: Essential epidural information

Advantages of an epidural

• Epidurals make birth more smooth, less tiring, and easier for the dad-to-be if you're visibly in less pain.
  
• You remain conscious and all your muscles function as normal; only the transmission of pain is blocked.
  
• You recover more quickly and can be on your feet again 4 - 5 hours after the birth.

Disadvantages of having an epidural

• There can be side effects, most of which are benign. Serious accidents are extremely rare, as are complications.
  
• The drug can also trigger allergies or intolerances. Sometimes minor inflammation of the meninges (the membranes that envelop the central nervous system) can occur and cause pain when you stretch your back. This disappears within a few months.
  
• The common fear of paralysis is completely unfounded: the epidural is injected around, not into, the spinal cord. Either the spinal cord or a large amount of nerves have to be destroyed to cause paralysis, and there is no possibility of this happening the way epidurals are injected.
  
• Epidurals do not always work, you may not feel the full effect and may also experience windows of pain.
  
• Epidurals may increase the chance of you having to have an instrumental or Caesarean delivery.
  
• Epidurals may also increase the duration of your labour.

Alternative ways of coping with the pain of giving birth
 

Other forms of pain relief in labour include the following:

Aromatherapy
TENS
Hypnobirthing
Entonox (gas and air)
Pharmacological opiates such as Pethidine

More information about epidurals
 

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