Benefits Of Epidural

Benefits of Epidural

The only method of really describing labor pain is experience, and no person can prepare a lady for it. There have been numerous opinions given on this issue, but each woman has a unique pain threshold. An epidural refers to the medication used for reducing the pain related to labor. Some women even opt to use this medical procedure far before giving birth, whereas others are forced by their situations to have it.

1. The epidural process
A large number of women nowadays give birth using an epidural. This procedure is generally performed by an expert anesthesiologist. A needle is inserted into a small space close to the woman’s spinal cord, which is called epidural space. A catheter is then placed there and then local anesthesia will be administered through this catheter so as to lower labor pains.

2. Lowering the pain
Local anesthesia is used in an epidural and this means that it blocks pain in specific parts of the recipient’s body. Simply put, epidural interrupts the pain message that would have otherwise been sent directly to the nerves. This prevents the woman from feeling intense labor pains and ensures a healthy childbirth.

3. Who should have an epidural?
Most hospitals have specific limitations for epidurals with some requiring that they are only given during certain labor times. Therefore, women who have already exceeded the dilation point set by the doctors; they will not receive an epidural. Furthermore, certain drugs can interact badly with the medication used in an epidural. Hence, if a patient uses any kind of blood thinners, then this process would be harmful to her.

4. Side effects
Resting in labor as well has experiencing less pain in childbirth enables women to have better birth experiences. Nevertheless, epidurals do have certain drawbacks. Since the nerves will be numb when an epidural is administered, the pelvic muscles and leg muscles are numb as well. This makes pushing the child out harder and it could take longer.

Moreover, the child might get some of the epidural anesthesia via the placenta, which could be injurious.

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