Is epidural really painless?

Nowadays, rehabilitation medicine is relatively developed and has labor analgesia, which can relieve the pain of pregnant women and can be said to be a welfare plan for pregnant women. But despite this, there are still pregnant women who worry that if they get this shot, will it be bad for the baby in the abdomen, and will the risks during delivery be unknown to them? Let’s master it together!

1. Labor analgesia

First, let us understand what labor analgesia is. The operating procedure is to perform epidural puncture behind the pregnant woman, but with local anesthesia. The therapeutic drug will enter the pregnant woman's subarachnoid space, and then leave an external tube behind it. This tube is connected to an electronic pump. If the pregnant woman feels pain during labor, she can press the button to relieve the pain. The therapeutic drug will immediately enter the pregnant woman's epidural space to relieve the pain.

2. What are the risks of labor analgesia?

Because the amount of local anesthetic used for labor analgesia is low, it is only about one-seventh of that in caesarean section. Therefore, when therapeutic drugs are introduced into the pregnant woman's body, they are less likely to reach the fetus via the blood. Therefore, it has basically no harm to the fetus!

Although it can have a pain-free effect, it does not make pregnant women completely pain-free. After all, frequent uterine contractions are required for pregnant women to give birth. Moreover, not every pregnant woman can have a painless delivery. If this technology is needed, the doctor will perform various tests on the pregnant woman before giving birth to ensure safety.

The benefits of labor analgesia

1. It can help pregnant women reduce pain, which is conducive to the smooth progress of pregnant women's delivery. Generally speaking, 10 minutes after the introduction of the drug, pregnant women will not feel strong uterine contraction pain, and the introduction of the drug can last about 30 minutes, sometimes even longer.

2. Since the degree of anesthesia is low, it is not easy to affect the activities of expectant mothers. If pregnant women want to walk, they can walk after the doctor's permission.

3. When a person feels severe pain, they secrete a substance that is not good for the baby or the pregnant mother. Therefore, labor analgesia can reduce the possibility of fetal oxygen deficiency.

Whether or not to use this technology is up to the expectant mothers to consider for themselves, and whether it can be used depends on the test results done by the doctor.