TheHolisticParent.ORG Epidural or No Epidural

Epidural or No Epidural: That is the Question

Okay, now we’re getting to the good stuff. The epidural. Have you actually
pondered giving birth without one? Then you’re in the minority. The epidural is
so commonplace nowadays that most women don’t even consider forgoing
one. I feel the epidural is a huge reason why women don’t trust their bodies to
give birth. The epidural starts a vicious cycle of a woman giving her power away
during her birth. I’ll admit. I’m guilty of it. There was a point in my life where I
actually believed I could not physically possibly give birth unless I had an
epidural. I had a moment of clarity one day… a real “Ah ha” moment where I
realized that my body would do what it needed to do and give birth even if I didn’t
have an epidural. It was a fantastic moment. I was so shocked. I now find my
previous belief rather silly, but I suspect I am not the only one that has harbored
this false belief. I think it is all to commonplace in our society.

Did you know that not every women who wants an epidural during labor gets
one? Sometimes the labor goes too quickly. Sometimes, an anesthesiologist is
not available. This happens more frequently than is assumed. I’ve also noticed
that when women decide they want an epidural, they want it right away. It is not
always possible to get one as soon as you want it. For one, the whole process
to get an epidural can take about an hour. That’s a good average. There’s a lot
of factors that may not allow you to get an epidural immediately when you want
one, and I would suggest that if you’re planning on going that route that you at
least have some preparation in coping mechanisms if you happen to have to
wait. What factors you may be asking? Did you know that if your platelet count is
lower than the recommended range or if your blood pressure is too low, you
cannot get an epidural? It’s true. How many women know they will be one of
these women beforehand? Almost none. It’s an interesting surprise to say the
least. Basically, don’t just assume you are guaranteed an epidural. It might be
wise to at least consider alternative options.

It’s interesting. There are women out there that have a very natural, holistic
mindset. They live their lives that way, except in the area of childbirth. For one
reason or another, they feel as though the epidural is completely acceptable. I
personally do not feel this is so. An epidural is not part of holistic living. Wait!
What? I know there will be some who vehemently do not agree with me. That’s
okay. Epidurals certainly are not benign, however. At the hospital, women in
labor are not given full disclosure of complications of an epidural. Here is my
take on problems an epidural can cause.

An epidural leads to greater risk of Caesarean section. Yes, it certainly does.
How so? An epidural numbs your lower half. You cannot walk. You will be stuck
in a hospital bed. This is a very unnatural way to labor. The very essence of an
epidural changes natural labor.

You’re at risk of not dilating properly. You’re at risk of your baby’s head not
properly descending . The baby’s head has to rotate during labor to get through
the birth canal. You are also at risk of the baby not being in an optimal position.
There are some positions that make it harder to push a baby out, particularly if
the baby is facing upwards. This position is more likely when lying on your back.
Gravity helps a baby’s head to rotate and helps a baby to position correctly,
which is a factor that an epidural takes away.

You’re at risk for a harder or longer pushing phase. Some women can feel
where and how to push effectively with an epidural, but many cannot. Pushing
ineffectively can have a lot of problems of its own.

You’re at risk of low blood pressure. The medication used for the epidural
causes your blood vessels to dilate and can cause a subsequent drop in your
blood pressure. The biggest complication of this is your baby not tolerating your
low blood pressure and will have a significant drop in his/her heart rate. If the
baby’s heart rate does not recover quickly enough, an emergency Cesarean
section will be performed. There is medication that can be given to raise your
blood pressure, but does not work in every case. This is definitely a real risk to
you and your baby that you do need to consider before accepting an epidural.

You’re also at an increased risk to “need” medication to continue your labor.
Labors can stall out. This is normal though the hospital that needs your room
for another patient isn’t going to tell you this. Epidurals also do not last forever. If
you’re stuck in a bed, your contractions can slow or decrease in intensity. You
will then have to decide if you will accept medication to make them stronger.
This medication will be Pitocin also known as Oxytocin. This medication comes
with many risks of its own that are covered in the intervention section.

You’re also at risk of an increased temperature during labor. Epidurals can
cause you to have a fever. This is not acknowledged regularly by physicians, but
it is true and accurate. This wouldn’t be a problem except that if you get a fever
in labor, you automatically get prescribed heavy duty antibiotics. Unless you
have the good sense to refuse them, that’s what you’ll get. The fever itself is not
typically problematic, unless it gets so high that the baby would have trouble
tolerating it, but then you would almost certainly have something else like an
infection going on, not a low grade fever from the epidural.

You’re at risk as well for your baby to not be able to tolerate the epidural or
tolerate labor after the epidural is placed. You will almost certainly not be
informed of this as it is not acknowledged in the medical community regularly.
Spend time in the labor and delivery unit though, and you will see it quite
frequently- a baby will be tolerating labor just fine until the epidural comes
along. This area deserves more research attention, but you have to think about
it. The epidural medication is passed to the baby. Its job is that of an anesthetic!
With side effects to every medication and personal tolerance levels, it would
only make sense for some babies to not handle the particular medication well.

An epidural can intervene with breastfeeding. This will almost certainly not be
disclosed to you in the hospital, but it’s true. A dirty little secret is that the
epidural medication passes to the baby. The baby will most likely come out
sleepier and not as alert as a baby born without anesthesia. Many people do
not believe or acknowledge this, but think about it. That is the point of
anesthesia- to “put one to sleep” basically. Sleepier babies have a hard time
latching on properly. Sometimes they’re even too sleepy to try to suckle. In
establishing a breastfeeding relationship, there is a lot of importance for the
milk supply, bonding, etc to breastfeed within the first hour of birth.
Breastfeeding is covered in greater detail in other sections.

Epidurals also increase the risk of the need for other interventions during labor.
The epidural is the start of the slippery slope of interventions. If you’re too numb
to effectively push your baby out, there’s a greater likelihood for the use of
forceps or a vacuum extraction. It is also important to monitor the baby’s heart
rate continuously once an epidural has been given. This has problems all on its
own. See the intervention section for more information.

The biggest downfall I believe of the epidural is how it steals the beautiful right
of passage that birth is supposed to be for women. Birth can be a tremendously
empowering experience. It is much harder to achieve with an epidural. The
epidural interferes with the complex concoction of love hormones and the
natural high felt after giving birth. Women experiencing natural childbirth often
feel exhilarated- like they can do anything. Women who give birth with an
epidural, however, typically just feel exhausted. I realize there are exceptions,
but in general, this is what I have noticed. I think it is truly one of the very best
feelings in the world to give birth to your own baby. It’s amazing, and it’s
something I think every woman should experience. Don’t let the epidural rob you
of this joy!

The Holistic Parent.ORG

Empowering Parents to Make Holistic Choices For The Benefit of Their Children

Calling All
Birth Stories!
Click Here
To Submit
Yours!

Visit our
Book Review
Blog
Click Here

Download
our FREE
GIFT! The
best money
saving tool
ever.
CLICK HERE