Risks of Epidural Use During Labor

In the US, 71% of women choose to have some type of epidural anesthesia pain relief during labor (Stanford Medicine, 2017). Most of the time, epidural anesthesia is not medically necessary. It is chosen by mothers who do not want to experience the pain that comes with childbirth, or it’s been suggested to get an epidural. Epidurals are also used when a woman is not progressing, or they have hit their threshold for labor pain and ask for it.

An epidural is administered through a large needle into the back of a laboring woman. The most common anesthesia drugs used are Bupivacaine, Lidocaine, or Chloroprocaine. The anesthesia works by blocking nerve impulses to the lower part of the body. While this may relieve pain, it also confines a woman to a bed, limits the movement necessary for spontaneous birth, and increases the likelihood of other interventions and birth injuries.

When mothers give birth in hospitals, the combination of an unfamiliar environment, unfamiliar people and anxiety provoking medical equipment, can make it more difficult to get into the "zone", a space that is very primal and necessary for labor and birth. When a woman isn't fully in the "zone", labor can be more painful, progress can be slower and sometimes progress just stops completely. But perhaps the most alarming result of this, is that if a woman chooses to birth in the hospital and opts-in for an epidural, the risk of cesarean section increases by 50%! (The Journal of Perinatal Education, 2015)

Until the early 1900's, woman always labored at home with midwives. But since the medicalization of birth started, women began to lose confidence in their innate ability to birth their babies. Hospitals are essentially meant to help the ill and injured. But pregnancy and birth are not illnesses or injuries, so why is this the standard? Why do women grow up believing that to have a baby, means you go to the hospital? Why is the first question, “what hospital are you going to?” More on that later...

The bottom line is that for high-risk women, we are so grateful for modern medicine. In the event of an emergency, being near medical assistance in a hospital can save the lives of a mama and her baby. But for most women who maintain normal, healthy pregnancies, the risks are very low (until the cascade of interventions begins).

Before choosing an epidural, women need to consider the benefits vs. the risks. We’ve listed them for you here:

EPIDURAL BENEFITS:

• Pain Relief

• Rest time during prolonged labor (over 24 hours)

EPIDURAL RISKS TO MOTHER:

• Interrupts the natural birth process

• Being confined to a bed is NOT an ideal position for spontaneous birth

• Interrupts essential hormones like OXYTOCIN (the love hormone)

• Can make breastfeeding difficult

• Lowers blood pressure

• Seizures and dizziness

• Infections

• Spinal membrane injuries

• Arachnoiditis

• Breathing problems

• Nerve damage

• Long-term back pain

• Increased risk of vacuum extraction or forceps use during delivery

• Increased risk of CESAREAN section

EPIDURAL RISKS TO BABY:

• Decreased heart rate

• Decreased oxygen, leading to more serious health problems, such as cognitive disorders and cerebral palsy

• Disruption of the oxytocin release necessary for bonding and breastfeeding

• Lethargy

• Seizures

• Strokes

• Brain bleeding

• Loss of strength needed to suckle at the breast

• Lower Apgar scores

• Poor muscle tone
  (Birth Injury Guide, 2015)

An epidural is nothing to be taken lightly. While it's become the norm for birthing mothers who birth in the hospital, it shouldn't be. Our bodies were beautifully and wonderfully designed to birth our babies. Though childbirth can seem scary (much thanks to the media throughout the years, that's only shown the miserable woman, confined to a hospital bed, screaming in agony), it's really not. Any woman with the right mindset can do it without pain medication.

The truth of the matter is that mamas who choose loving midwives have better birth outcomes across the board. At the hospital your risk of cesarean section is over 30%. At a birth center or at home, your risk drops to 6%! There is much evidence to support the fact that low-risk, healthy mamas are often safer birthing at home or a birth center with a midwife.

Women who work with midwives understand that birth is a natural process, not a medical condition. They go through their pregnancies with awareness. They keep their bodies and babies as healthy as they can to ensure the best birth outcome. They opt out of any pain relief other than the natural pain relief of water, movement, massage, and a calming environment. They get rest, food if needed, and the loving support of people they've chosen to surround them.

Women who birth safely out-of-the-hospital aren't "rogue", they aren't "hippie's". They are normal women who believe in their primal wisdom and power. They have the belief that mothers deliver babies, not doctors. They choose midwives and still do appropriate testing throughout pregnancy to make sure they are healthy and their risks are low. They love their babies, trust their bodies and believe in their power as birthing women. The mindset of a natural birth mama under the care of a loving midwife can be much different than a woman under the care of an OB.

Natural, unmedicated birth is a beautiful thing. While natural birth women have to work really hard, and feel everything, they report a much higher level of satisfaction with their birth experience. They feel empowered. They don't have to spend time recovering from unnecessary interventions and drug use during their babies birth. They have healthy, alert babies that they just get to love on and bond with.

A healthy woman wouldn't intentionally take heroin while she's pregnant, so what makes epidural anesthesia okay? They might say it will have little effect on the baby, but the fact of the matter is that it WILL have an effect on the baby. What might take an adult woman a few hours to clear from her system will take a newborn baby much longer, not to mention can be potentially toxic to their little bodies.

Throughout pregnancy, women listen to a doctors advice to avoid things like deli meat and sushi, but then voluntarily inject heavy duty drugs into their body and baby's body during birth. This leaves us asking the question, what's more important, a mother’s comfort, or her baby’s health?

We aren't knocking anyone's birth experience. A woman has a right to choose where, how, and with whom she births her baby. Birth is birth, whether it's completely natural, medicated or cesarean birth. Every mama is a warrior! We know birth can be unpredictable. We are just saying the fact of the matter is, MOST WOMEN CAN HANDLE THE PAIN, THEY JUST NEED OTHERS TO HELP THEM BELIEVE THEY CAN. A healthy woman doesn't need to fear childbirth, but accept and surrender to what she was so beautifully made to do.

Written by Christine Rapsys, Writer and Pure Births Mama