Normal delivery hurts when performed without anesthesia, as the woman’s body undergoes significant changes so that the baby can pass through the genital canal. However, in most cases, it is possible to have an epidural anesthesia shortly after the onset of contractions, as soon as the woman arrives at the hospital, immediately relieving the pain.
In some women, the epidural, in addition to completely eliminating pain, can also alter the sensitivity to contractions, and therefore the doctor may use a device to indicate when the pregnant woman has a contraction, so that it can push and help the fetus. Baby.
Here are some questions about anesthesia during childbirth
The anesthesia given to the pregnant woman during a normal birth is the epidural, also called epidural, which is applied in the lumbar region, in the vertebral space, to reach the nerves of the region, providing analgesia and waist down.
Learn more about epidural anesthesia.
Epidural anesthesia is performed with the pregnant woman sitting or lying on her side, with her knees and chin bent. The anaesthetist opens the gaps between the vertebrae of the spine with his hand and inserts the needle and a thin plastic tube, called a catheter, which passes through the center of the needle, where the doctor injects the anesthetic drug.
When anesthesia begins to take effect, the pregnant woman begins to experience a gradual loss of sensation, heat, heaviness in the legs and tingling. However, the anaesthetist will check the level of anesthesia to see if the pregnant woman is ready for delivery.
The effects of anesthesia can last one to two hours after the baby is born, i.e. when the catheter is removed, and the woman may feel numbness in the lower extremities.
Epidural anesthesia is counterapantal in women allergic to anesthetic drugs, vertebral prostheses, hemorrhagic diseases, who take blood thinners, who have back infections or low blood platelet levels.
In addition, it should not be given if your doctor cannot detect the epidural space, or if delivery occurs too quickly, making anesthesia impossible.
The most common side effect of analgesia is a decrease in blood pressure. In addition, other effects that may occur include lumbalgia, skin lesions, in the area where anesthesia was administered, headaches, which may occur hours after delivery, tremors, nausea and vomiting, itching and urinary retention.
While effectiveness is very different from that obtained with epidural anesthesia, for pregnant women who do not want to use anesthesia during a normal delivery, there are natural techniques that help control pain and include:
See a more comprehensive list of work pain relief tips
In addition, it is very important that the pregnanter takes all doubts from the obstetrician during the prenatal period so that at the time of delivery she feels confident in the medical team and knows what will happen, facilitating relaxation.