Will I have labor pain with epidural anesthesia?
The pain experienced during childbirth can be very scary for pregnant women, what role does the epidural play in this case?
More and more women decide to have an epidural administered so that they do not feel so much pain during labor. Despite the general acceptance and safety of the current epidural, there are still many women who prefer to give birth without the ‘magic injection’ to feel the force of labor and also to avoid possible risks.
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EPIDURAL
The goal of the epidural is to block pain. Nerves send pain signals through the epidural space to the path that leads to the brain. The epidural is injected between the layers of the epidural space to block pain signals and therefore, it is possible to deliver without pain thanks to this injection.
Everyone experiences pain differently, the intensity that is felt has nothing to do with who is harder or stronger. If you are considering using an epidural but don’t know if you will really feel pain or not, don’t worry and read on to find out.
PAIN AND EPIDURAL
It depends on the moment of dilation in which you are, the epidural can have more or less effect. It has to be applied from a few centimeters of dilation to really take effect, because if you wait too long and for example you are in 7 cm of dilation, even if they administer it to you it is likely that it will not have the same effect as if you They put it at the right time, for example, if you are 3 or 4 cm dilated.
There are women who fear epidurals more than childbirth, but when they receive the epidural they realize that the procedure is less painful and uncomfortable and even the contractions are more bearable, as well as the delicate moment of delivery, when the baby begins. to take the head out of the vagina until the entire body is removed.
Other women fear the size of the needle, but in reality the size of the needle does not matter since an initial needle is used that is really small and that the area is numbed just before inserting the needle for the epidural, which although it is considerably bigger is no longer noticeable. You may feel some stinging or stinging for about 5 seconds. The epidural will begin to take effect 5 to 15 minutes after its application.
THE EFFECT OF AN EPIDURAL FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY
Although epidurals do not slow the dilation of the cervix or increase the risk of needing a cesarean section, they can prolong the pushing phase by an average of 20 minutes. The procedure can also increase your body temperature and increase your chances of developing a fever. This can confuse your doctor, who may not be able to tell if the rise in temperature is due to the epidural or an underlying cause such as an infection.
Pain causes the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream, which can increase your heart rate and divert blood from the uterus. Pain can also make you hyperventilate, which can also divert blood away from the placenta, the part of the uterus where your baby receives oxygen and nutrients. As epidurals block this pain, you would not suffer these negative consequences.
When it comes to your baby’s health, there is no significant research to show that anesthesia harms babies in any way. Therefore, epidural anesthesia if applied at the right time can block pain. If it is applied incorrectly, it may block some of the pain but not all … Therefore, if you feel anything strange after the application of the epidural, you should immediately notify your doctor to see what exactly happens.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.