Contents:
- Medical Video: Anaesthesia | What Is An Epidural? | StreamingWell.com
- The difference is straining with epidural injections
- How long do you have to wait for the right time to push?
- What are the risks of reducing pain with epidural injections?
Medical Video: Anaesthesia | What Is An Epidural? | StreamingWell.com
Sometimes, an epidural injection you might receive during normal delivery. This injection is useful to reduce the pain you feel during childbirth. In other words, this injection is given to make the area injected numb. Then, if you are numb, how can you feel like straining with an epidural injection during childbirth?
The difference is straining with epidural injections
Epidural injections may be beneficial in some pregnant women who are giving birth. Epidurals can reduce or eliminate pain and the urge to push during the delivery process. At this time, you can rest a little and wait for the baby to be ready to be born.
Even if you have been given an epidural injection, your uterus will continue to contract and the baby will continue to move under your body. Wait until the baby is sufficiently at your pelvic floor and you can push to give birth to your baby. This method is commonly called labor down.
This can save you energy, so you can push with your maximum strength in the right time to give birth to a baby. Waiting until the right time can also prevent fetal distress, fatigue, too much time spent pushing the baby, and the position of the baby is wrong.
However, numbness due to epidural injections might make it difficult for you to coordinate your muscles when straining. You may not feel the urge to push. At this time, you should listen to your doctor's instructions when you have to push. Usually you are advised to push after your cervix has expanded by 10 cm. Or, some doctors may reduce the dose of the epidural injection so that you can still feel a natural urge to push and have body control when you push.
How long do you have to wait for the right time to push?
There is a time limit for how long the mother has to wait until she is allowed to push, usually two to three hours. If it is past this time limit, you may need assisted labor or delivery by cesarean section.
Waiting too long until the baby descends into the mother's pelvis can make the labor time longer. But, research has shown that waiting for the right time to push does not increase the time needed during the second stage of labor (the stage of pushing the baby out). Changing your position during childbirth may help your baby's movement down, so that it can speed up labor.
What are the risks of reducing pain with epidural injections?
Even though epidural injections are useful for making you numb and feel no pain during contractions, these injections can also increase your risk for:
- Get an episiotomy or vaginal scissors
- Requires labor assisted by forceps or vacuum
- Requires more time to push than you think
- Requires more time during the second stage of labor because your muscles are less able to help the baby be in a good position to be born
- Requires pitocin (a form of synthesis from the oxytocin hormone), which may not be safe
