How an epidural is given during childbirth

"Coming to labour epidural analgesia. This is a technique which is used in labouring mothers where the epidural injection is given in a space above the spinal space where a small plastic tube called a catheter is placed and the injection is given in pulses or infusion pump. The epidural analgesia is given when the woman starts off with an active labour. That is when she's getting contractions with high intensity or when the cervical dilatation is at least more than 3 cm. In this technique the woman is made to sit with making a hunch the lower waist region of the woman is cleaned with bad so that we avoid any infection . Spot is checked near the spinal canal and numbing dose is given first and then injection is inserted and a small plastic tube or a catheter is placed in it and the dose is given wherein the woman will start having a numbness of her lower part of the waist and even the lower limbs. So this catheter is plastered over her back and the injection is given in pulses or hourly doses or a continuous infusion pump is connected. During this epidural analgesia the woman is given IV fluid so that her blood pressure is maintained and the injection can be adjusted accordingly to the contraction levels of the woman and sometimes those will be cut at the duration where the woman is almost fully dilated or the crowning of the head is happening. Side effects of epidural what everyone should know is the mother can sometimes have urinary difficulties because of numbing of the lower part. She may not be able to pass urine. So a urinary catheter is placed and the blood pressure may be lowered. So prior to giving epidural IV fluids are administered so that the blood pressure is maintained sometimes epidural anesthesia or analgesia can be incomplete. Sometimes it doesn't so that moment again the process has to be repeated and some women experience transient headache with the injection and very rarely. Some women complained of backache but this backache is also transient. Coming to the advantages what are the advantages of epidural analgesia in this the woman is being helped with the pain relief so that she doesn't know the contractions. Sometimes even walking epidurals are given wherein the mother can be ambulatory throughout the labor which helps in the progress of labor and the epidural is mainly helpful in mothers with highrisk pregnancies like complicated pregnancies with high blood pressures or high blood sugars and in these women wherein pain associated with contractions can increase the pain the epidural helps in reducing the blood pressure and as such labour itself is an anxious state for the mother. So the stress hormones and all which increase makes them more tensed while the muscles are also getting relaxed and helps in a smooth labour"