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Regional anesthesia that prevents pain in
certain parts of the body
The goal of having an epidural is to have
some pain relief instead of loosing feeling in
your whole body
You loose feeling in the lower half of your
body starting at your lower spine down to
your feet
There are two main types of epidurals
 1. Regular Epidural (used by most women)
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› Pumped or injected into your lower spine through a
catheter
› Combination of narcotics and anesthetics (given with
the epidural to decrease the required dose of local
anesthetic)
2. Combined Spinal-Epidural (CSE) “walking epidural”
- Inserted into the intrathecal area through a catheter
- Can be either a narcotic or anesthetic or both at once
- Allows you to move more freely (walk around)
- Allows pain relief for 4-8 hours
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Provides pain relief while your still conscious
Before the mother receives epidural she receives 1-2
liters of IV fluid throughout labor
For a regular epidural they lie the mother curled up
on her side and the anesthesiologist cleans your back
and injecting a numbing medicine into the spinal
column (where the needle is inserted).
Then they insert the needle in the lower part of the
spine through a catheter
Throughout labor more of the epidural is periodically
given after the catheter is in place
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http://video.about.com/pregnancy/D
uring-an-Epidural.htm
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Allows you to rest
Allows you to control the pain by adjusting
the amount given
Still conscious
Helps the recovery process
Once you have an epidural it can also be
used to provide anesthesia for a C-section or
any other complication during birth
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It can cause blood pressure to drop (if this
happens you will need to be treated with IV
fluids, medication and oxygen
Leaking of spinal fluid may cause severe
headaches
In rare occasions, permanent nerve damage
may result in the area where the catheter is
inserted
Shivering
 Ringing of ears
 Back aches
 Soreness when needle is inserted
 Nausea
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Low blood pressure
 A bleeding disorder
 A blood infection
 Skin infection on lower back
 Any allergies to local anesthetics
 If you take specific blood thinning
medications
 Low platelet counts
 If you are not at least 4 cm dialated
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Does getting an epidural hurt?
 Some women would say you would feel discomfort
and pressure where the back is numb and when
the catheter is inserted
When will an epidural be placed?
 Usually they are placed when the cervix is dilated
4-5 cm (active labor).
How will an epidural effect the labor?
 It causes the labor to slow down and it weakens the
contractions. If your labor does slow down Pitocin
will speed labor up.
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How will I feel after the epidural?
 After the initial dose the nerves of the uterus
will begin to numb after a couple of minutes.
After 10-20 minutes you will feel completely
numb. If labor prolongs for more than a few
hours, a urinary catheter will need to be
inserted because your abdomen will be numb.
As the medication wears off some women will
experience a burning feeling around the birth
canal.
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"Epidurals and Labor - What Happens During an Epidural
Video." How-to Videos: How-to and DIY Videos - About.com
Videos. Web. 03 Mar. 2010.
<http://video.about.com/pregnancy/During-anEpidural.htm>.
"Epidural Anesthesia : American Pregnancy Association."
Promoting Pregnancy Wellness : American Pregnancy
Association. Web. 03 Mar. 2010.
<http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/epidural.h
tml>.
 "Epidural Pain Relief for Labor | BabyCenter." BabyCenter |
Homepage - Pregnancy, Baby, Toddler, Kids. Web. 03 Mar.
2010. <http://www.babycenter.com/0_epidural-pain-relieffor-labor_1489911.bc>.