What side effects may I experience? | Epidural anaesthesia at birth

What side effects may I experience?

The most common side effect in the patient is a drop in blood pressure. This is caused by dilation of the vessels in the anesthetized area. To prevent this, an infusion can be given and the blood pressure is regularly checked.

For patients with previous heart diseases, an epidural can be dangerous, but the personal risk should always be discussed with the doctor. Furthermore, headaches may occasionally occur. This is caused by pushing the needle too far forward and thus damaging the hard skin of the spinal cord (dura mater) and leaking cerebrospinal fluid.

If the injury is not noticed and the anaesthetic is injected into the spinal space, spinal anaesthesia may be inadvertently administered, in which the complete motor function of the abdominal and leg muscles is switched off. In rare cases, spinal cord or nerve injury may occur. However, since the epidural is placed very low down, below the end of the spinal cord, this complication is unlikely.

A bruise may also occur at the injection site. If a vein in the epidural space is hit during the procedure, bleeding may also occur in this same space. The resulting pressure can cause damage to the spinal cord.

Is birth under an epidural painless?

The birth under an epidural can be performed without pain. However, the doses of anesthetics required for this usually also severely restrict the mobility of the legs, so that the patient cannot walk around independently. In addition, when the patient is completely pain-free, the contractions are no longer noticeable.As a result, the woman does not feel the natural urge to push during the expulsion phase, which makes active cooperation more difficult. For these reasons, the dosage of the anesthetic is usually somewhat lower in the case of an epidural, so that the birth is not completely painless. The aim, however, is to reduce the pain to a level that is bearable for the patient, so that she can rest better during the opening phase.