pregnancy, breastfeeding, childbirth, homebirth

Epidural Side Effects

Epidural side effects and risks, do you know what they are?

Since the very first epidural in 1885 (injected with cocaine!), we have been told they are safe and more than 2/3 of women submit to one. This statistic does not only include c-sections but rather includes over 59% of women who deliver vaginally.

You must know at least one person who received an epidural for childbirth. Before she signed the consent form was she made aware of all the risks?

Most of the time, the answer to this question is no.

Most women sign on the dotted line without ever being told about epidural risks or epidural complications.

Don't you think that when you are not told the whole truth and nothing but...you are still being lied to?

It is a fallacy - an untruth - to think that epidurals are consequence free...they are not. Moreover, epidural long term side effects have also been documented in scientific literature. Certainly it is no big discovery that epidurals interfere with the normal progress of labor as well as have been proven unsafe to you and your baby.

Epidural side effects and risks are three fold:

The risks to you

The risks associated with the process of labor - which in the short and long run affect you and your baby

The risks to your baby

Epidural Side Effects and Risks: What is an Epidural?

An epidural involves an injection of local anesthetic into the epidural space around the coverings that protect your spinal cord.

Note: The anesthetics used are still derived from cocaine.

There are two types of epidurals:

Conventional: This type of epidural will numb you from the waist down and will be very effective in blocking all sensations as well as all movement. So as far as pain relief is concerned, yes it is very effective.

Walking epidural: Since the turn of the 21st century, a new form of epidural has emerged onto the scene. It uses lower concentrations of local anesthetics in combination with opiate painkillers.

Epidural side effects come with both kinds.

When it comes to pain relief, women love epidurals. However, ultimately, many women do not enjoy epidural side effects and how they interfere with their birth experience and sometimes their very live and the life of their unborn baby.

It is well known - and not up for debate - that one of epidural side effects is that it interferes with your labor hormones and therefore the speed - as well as quality - of your labor. In rare cases, an epidural can have dire consequences and can lead to death.

Epidural Side Effects and Risks: Your Labor Hormones

"Epidural analgesia is one of the most striking examples of the medicalization of normal birth, transforming a physiological event into a medical procedure."

World Health Organization

During labor, your body produces very important hormones...it is well known that an epidural interferes with this process.

An epidural will interfere with the release of oxytocin. Oxytocin is the hormone that helps your uterus contract effectively. Therefore, most women that use an epidural will also require synthetic oxytocin in the form of Pitocin.

However, the epidural's ability to mess with oxytocin also has another profound effect. In fact, oxytocin is also called "the love hormone." At birth, it helps a mother "fall in love" and bond with her baby. Research has effectively proven that a sheep who gives birth to a young with an epidural will NOT bond with but rather reject her young. Many believe that human mothers who receive an epidural are at a disadvantage when it comes to bonding with their newborn. Research does bear this out.

During the course of a natural labor, another hormone - Beta-endorphin (a stress hormone)- builds up in your blood stream. What is the function of this hormone?

...Natural pain relief.

Two other stress hormones - Adrenaline and Nonadrenaline also known as catecholamines - are released under stressful situations. This is the case for everyone not just laboring moms.

When you experience a natural labor, these catecholamines are slowly released into your blood stream. At the end of your labor, a natural "push" of these hormones will give you renewed energy to birth your baby. It will also enable you to be fully alert to great her.

On the down side, too many of these catecholamines building too fast will impede your labor. So under what conditions do catecholamines build too rapidly? Under severe stress: hunger (you are not allowed to eat in labor), cold, with strangers (hospital staff) and different environments (like a hospital).

On the other hand, an epidural reduces the release of these important hormones. This reduction makes it difficult for a mom who has received an epidural to effectively push her infant which increases the risks for an assisted delivery (vacuum, forceps or even a c-section).

Epidural Side Effects and Risks: To You The Mother

To you, the risks of epidural anesthesia are many and some of them - albeit rare - are deadly:

A drop in your blood pressure - also called hypotension.

This occurs about 30 to over 50% of the time and it is the most common side effect.

So why is this bad?

Your blood pressure must be sufficient to assure proper oxygenation to your baby. Obviously, a baby with an inadequate oxygenated blood supply will be a distressed baby.

Moreover, a drop in blood pressure can lead to respiratory distress for you and your baby and even to cardiac arrest!

Urinary retention and postpartum urinary dysfunction

Urinary retention is a problem in labor for various reasons:

It increases your risks of urinary tract infection

If your bladder is too full it will inhibit the dilation of your cervix and the rotation of your baby's head

In order to avoid this, a urinary catheter will be placed at the same time as the epidural.

Urinary dysfunction - loss of bladder control may occur and can last for hours, days, weeks and even months.

You might shiver uncontrollably

It is uncomfortable and sadly this happens frequently.

Your face, neck and throat may itch

This is common. You will be given another drug to combat the itchiness.

Nausea and vomiting

It is common but usually does not last too long. You might be given a drug to counteract the nausea. One of the side effects of the nausea medication is drowsiness.

Fever

This occurs 15% of the time and the risks increase the longer the epidural is in.

Epidural anesthesia affects your ability to sweat and obviously if you can't sweat...you can't dissipate excess body heat.

So you will be quite uncomfortable but for your baby it is a much added stress. That's right, your baby's heart rate may become erratic and that increases your risk of a c-section.

If the medical staff is concerned they might give you IV antibiotic as a precaution. When your baby is born he may be taken to NICU to be observed and make sure he does not suffer from an infection as well.

Spinal headache

This occurs 1 to 10% of the time and it can range from mild to debilitating. Its duration can be up to days and even weeks.

Uneven, incomplete or even nonexistent pain relief: This occurs 10% of the time.

Inability to move about freely on your own

This occurs 100% of the time. The inability to move will hinder the progress of your labor and it also increases the likelihood of other interventions leading to an emergency c-section.

Increased risk of hemorrhage

A British study found that women were twice as likely to experience postpartum hemorrhaging when they used an epidural in labor.

Here some very serious epidural risks which are rare. However if they happen to you it is a statistic of 100%:

Convulsions

Respiratory paralysis: Indeed the opiate drugs administered can cause breathing difficulties which may last for hours after the birth of your baby.

Cardiac arrest. To read a case study, Click Here

Allergic shock to the epidural medications

Maternal death

Epidural Side Effects: Long Term Effects

As mentioned previously:

Fecal and urinary incontinence or bladder dysfunction: 25 to 34%

Spinal headache: 1 to 10%

Feelings of Emotional detachment

Postpartum feelings of regret and/or loss

Loss of perineal sensation and sexual function

Postpartum Backache: Months to years

Serious Long Term Epidural Side Effects and Risks:

Nerve injury

Epidural abscess

Maternal death: Sadly it does not get more long term than that! To read a case study, Click Here

Epidural Side Effects: Other Interventions

You will have to be on IV and hooked to an EFM - electronic fetal monitor - which will restrict mobility AND affect the progress of labor leading to added interventions such as pitocin augmentation.

You will be hooked to a blood pressure cuff for the remainder of labor

You will have to be catherized

Increased risk of pitocin augmentation

Increased risk of internal fetal monitoring

Increased risk of forcep or vacuum delivery

increased risk of episiotomy

Increased risk of c-section

Part II

The risks to your labor

The risks to your baby

Top of Epidural Side Effects

Natural Pregnancy Mentor Home

Free Newsletter

Hi, we are Alisha and Florence, two stay at home moms. We welcome you to this site.

We work from home on our web site. This is "work" that is fun, simple and that we can tailor around our children. This is also work that brings us an income that enables us to be home and opt out of the recession!

Everyone - and we mean everyone - has a passion...a gift. You are no exception! You know something of value to someone else.

If you have ever dreamed of being your own boss or of sharing your passion with others then you have 2 choices:

1. Do nothing.

2. Click here now to find out how like us - with no computer experience at all - you can build a web site and make your dreams come true!

What's New

Natural Motherhood Bloggreat free widgetsWidgetbox

Parenting Directory

**NEW** Forum

Pregnancy

Pregnancy Test Expectant See Due When? Your Questions Facts Pregnancy Books Stages in Pregnancy Prenatal Care Prenatal Fitness Prenatal Nutrition Prenatal Tests Ultrasounds Common Ailments Twin Pregnancy