Epidural
An epidural is a procedure where an anaesthetic (a drug that gives either partial or total loss of sensation) is injected into the small space in your back near your spinal cord by a specialist anaesthetist. Information about the use of epidural anaesthesia for pain relief can be found at
www.anzca.edu.au/Patients.
After an epidural, you will have altered sensation from the waist down. How much you can move your legs after an epidural will depend on the type and dose of anaesthetic used. A very thin tube will be left in your back so the anaesthetic can be topped up. Sometimes the tube is attached to a machine so that you have control over when the epidural is topped up.
The benefits of an epidural are that it takes away the pain of contractions, it can be effective for hours and can be increased in strength if you need to have an emergency caesarean. In a long labour, it can allow you to sleep and recover your strength. Epidurals can cause a fall in blood pressure, so you will usually have an intravenous drip (a bag of liquid that enters your body through a tube) put into your arm or the back of your hand, and your blood pressure will be monitored more closely. You may also lose the sensation to pass urine, so you will have a catheter tube inserted into your bladder to drain your urine.
Because of the potential side effects such as low blood pressure, the baby’s heart rate will need to be continuously monitored by a CTG machine following an epidural. Further information about monitoring the baby’s heart rate in labour can be found on the RANZCOG website under patient information. The chance of you needing assistance with the birth of your baby increases once you have had an epidural. A stronger epidural or ‘top up’ will help relieve the pain of these procedures.
Not all birth places can offer every method of pain management. You might like to talk to your care provider about the pain relief options available to you at your planned place of birth and which methods of pain relief can and can’t be used together. You can choose one method or a few, or you change from one to another during labour. Remember it is important to keep an open mind and have a positive attitude and confidence in your ability to labour.