Why perform an epidural? Epidural anesthesia for pain control is performed at normal childbirth, stimulated labor, delivery using forceps or vacuum extraction and even caesarean section.

How to perform an epidural?

Epidural anesthesia is usually performed when a woman in labor sitting upright or lying on his side, curled up to the anesthesiologist to optimize access to the spine. After the adoption of the necessary provisions giving birth her back rubbed with a very cold cleansing solution. If before that giving birth for pain did local anesthesia, she will feel a prick of the needle in the spine. First test dose is administered anesthesia to verify the accuracy of hitting. Then take out the needle from the spine, and instead insert a thin plastic catheter, which is secured with tape.

How epidurals relieve pain?

If the test is successful dose, parturient connected to a reservoir of drug, which smoothly enters the spine until the catheter is not removed. Depending on the needs of mothers medicine replace or increase the dose.

What feelings arise during insertion of the needle for epidural anesthesia?

The procedure itself describes a wide variety of epithets of "unpleasant" to "very painful." Often, because of the labor giving birth is very difficult to bend. Local anesthesia is more painful than the epidural needle, because at the time the needle is already a woman in labor feels nothing. Most women feel at this moment "a push and tingling." In rare cases, the needle may catch a nerve that causes leg cramps or sudden "shooting" pain. This is normal and does not mean that you threatened paralysis.

How epidurals relieve pain during childbirth?

Feelings mothers depend on the combination of medications, stages of labor and many other factors. Some women feel the contractions but do not feel their pain. Others recall that felt absolutely nothing - from the nipples to the knees of their body numb. Be sure to discuss with your anesthesiologist can sense that they were not a surprise to you.

What happens after the birth?

After the birth of the baby removed the catheter and fixing it with tape. However, even after this mother during several hours can feel numb feet. In rare cases, the period of numbness can last for a longer time. Not excluded soreness at the injection needle.

The dangerous epidural?

Epidural anesthesia has many drawbacks. The most common complication - mother fall in blood pressure that can be quickly corrected with medication or changes in posture. Other complications - inhibition of fetal malposition, increase in the risk of caesarean section, but they will also be corrected. Paralysis, numbness, nerve damage and infection of the mother - a rarity, but, unfortunately, can not be excluded.

Can we all do an epidural?

Epidurals are not permitted to all. There are physical reasons why an epidural may be contraindicated.

When you can perform epidluralnuyu anesthesia?

Policy of some maternity hospitals (as well as doctors and midwives) is to resort to an epidural until a certain point of delivery. This delay is due to the fact that epidurals can slow down or even stop the delivery. In addition, such a delay avoids certain complications. Be sure to Ask the doctor and midwife, when you do anesthesia. Before resort to epidural anesthesia using other methods, such as IV drug group and relaxation techniques Relaxation and stress - calm, not panic! .

Can I refuse an epidural?

If you want to give birth without an epidural, you will not make it to use. Many mothers prefer to give birth on their own, without any medication and anesthesia. In addition, some women can deal with the pain of the presence of a nurse.

Childbirth - a natural process, nevertheless, sometimes it happens that for some reason, the birth process is slowed or stopped altogether. In this case, the child may be affected, which is not getting enough oxygen and nutrients. So sometimes you need to encourage births.

How long flowing natural process of childbirth

Previously it was thought that normal delivery lasts no more than a day. Today, this period was reduced to 18 hours for the first birth and up to 12 hours for multiparous women. In practice, labor rarely last more than 10 hours, since the longer labors, the more increases the risk of infection and connection of injury to the mother and fetus.

During childbirth occurs first disclosure of the birth canal (birth pangs) and then expulsion of the fetus (attempts). The longest process of disclosure of the birth canal. The degree of readiness of the birth canal to the expulsion of the fetus is judged by the disclosure of the cervix. She revealed a rate of about a centimeter per hour, a full disclosure of the same - 10 cm. If the cervix dilates slowly, begins to suffer from bouts child. He suffers and if during childbirth stuck in the birth canal. So sometimes a situation arises when you want to encourage childbirth.

Why can drag birth

If you went into labor suddenly slowed down or completely stopped, it is called uterine inertia and requires special assistance. The weakness of labor can be the primary or original when contractions occur sluggish from the start and their force is not growing, and secondary, when the beginning is normal labors suddenly subsides.

The weakness of the labor can be inherited, occur in obesity, diabetes Diabetes - threatening and incurable disease Inflammatory gynecological diseases, in very young women in childbirth, or after the age of 40 years, polyhydramnios, multiple pregnancy, a large baby.

When additional efforts

In order to induce childbirth, there are special arrangements for their stimulation is required in cases of primary and secondary weakness of labor.

Induction of labor is contraindicated in:

• when the volume of the fetal head does not match the birth canal (pelvic size) women;
• When we showed signs of fetal hypoxia (oxygen starvation) - a testimony for caesarean section;
• when there is a malposition (eg, cross);
• if mothers previously cesarean section;
• if mothers sharply increased blood pressure Blood pressure - dangerous if his swing? .

Stepwise Guide

No single drug that can induce labor, does not exist, to this end, an array of activities. They are held under the supervision of the state of the fetus. Call the generic activities can by amniotomy (opening fetal bladder) administration of drugs that stimulate contractility of the muscles of the uterus and causing dilatation of the cervix.

As a result, amniotomy (procedure simple and painless) depart amniotic fluid and increases the impact of the fetal head in the birth canal, which causes increased secretion of biologically active substances (prostaglandins) that encourage the disclosure of the cervix.

To stimulate uterine muscle contractions usually administered oxytocin, but the drug has no effect on the uterine cervix, thus independently at undisclosed cervix it is not used. For rapid cervical dilatation administered drugs such as Nospanum No-spa - lowers the tone of smooth muscles   - It relieves muscle spasm of the cervix. It will help to open up the cervix and the additional administration of prostaglandins, they are administered in the form of a gel or a candle, sometimes - intravenously.

Duration of induction of labor should not be more than five hours, if all efforts do not achieve the result (generic activities must comply with a fight no less than five minutes), the caesarean section.

Various drugs are also introduced in order to remove or at least reduce oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) of the fetus.

Prevention of the weakness of labor pays great attention to the women's clinic in the monitoring of the pregnant woman. To do this, try to identify and promptly treat all the diseases in women, to prevent excessive weight gain and obesity. Women describe in detail, how to eat at antenatal mothers of school always work in which women are engaged in physiotherapy, which is of great importance to the training of the musculoskeletal system to leave.

Induction of labor - is quite complicated and dangerous process, so it is best to make sure that these methods are not useful.

Galina Romanenko