To prep for the needle, you’ll receive local anesthesia on a small area of your low- to mid-back, which will be sterilized with antiseptic. The epidural needle is wider than the one used for flu shots and usually three and a half inches long. Very little medication is needed to numb and block the pain with an epidural, which makes it one of the safest methods of pain control during labor and delivery. Are epidurals safe?Įpidurals are known to be very safe and any serious complications or side effects that arise are extremely rare. In other hospitals, the bladder is drained with a catheter as needed. Depending on the hospital’s policies, a urinary catheter may be inserted into your bladder just before or after the epidural is administered to drain urine while the epidural is in effect, since you may not feel the urge to go to the bathroom. Labor Contractions: What Do Contractions Feel Like?Īs part of the epidural process, you’ll first be hooked up to IV fluids to prevent a blood pressure drop. Once an epidural is inserted, you’ll most likely feel pain relief within about 10 to 15 minutes. By placing it here, you can be given continuous medication as needed. A combined spinal-epidural (or CSE) is a mix of the above two and works to both block pain and offer continual relief as needed.Īn epidural is injected directly into the spine via a catheter - technically, into the epidural space, between the ligament that sheathes the vertebrae and the membrane that covers the spinal cord. It kicks in quickly, lasts about an hour or two, and is usually given during C-section deliveries. This single shot of pain relief is directed into the fluid surrounding the spinal cord. You’ll enjoy pain relief but will still be alert and able to push when the time comes. It’s given through a tiny tube in the lower back. This block, which is a combination of analgesics and anesthetics, is the most commonly administered type of epidural during childbirth. Here’s a little more about the various epidural types that you’ll likely be offered: It's the most common type of pain control used in childbirth.Įpidural drugs stay in the epidural space and do not enter the bloodstream, which means that the drugs don't circulate to your baby.

An epidural is a numbing agent that may be a combination of analgesics (pain relief without the loss of muscle movement) and anesthetics (pain relief with a loss of sensation).

Epidural after effects