6 good reasons not to be afraid of an epidural

Top 6 reasons to stop being afraid of an epidural

Whatever they say, the epidural remains a major advance in terms of reducing pain during childbirth. And if 26% of women do not want to benefit from it, 54% of them finally resort to it when giving birth, according to a recent study by Inserm. And according to a Collective interassociative around birth (Ciane), 78% of women who wanted and had an epidural are rather satisfied with this anesthesia. Because it is nevertheless often feared, we reveal 6 reasons to no longer fear the epidural.

The epidural is not new

First of all, it is good to remember that epidural anesthesia was developed at the very beginning of the XNUMXth century. And this practice has become democratized in France over the years 1970 80. This type of anesthesia has therefore been used in our maternity hospitals for several decades. A priori, this pain relieving method would not have been retained if it had too many disadvantages or risk to health.

The epidural does not hurt

Epidural anesthesia is not carried out blankly without any precaution. An anesthesiologist will first come to examine you in order to determine if, during childbirth, you have no contraindications. Then he performs a local anesthesia of the area where he will implant the catheter. A priori therefore, you do not feel pain when placing the epidural. At most one can feel the needle and have some tingling in the legs. But from the first dose of anesthetic administered by the epidural, the pain of the contractions decreases or disappears depending on the dosage.

The side effects of the epidural are minor

The main side effects of an epidural are: migraines, headaches, lower back pain… These symptoms usually go away on their own after a few hours to a day. If this is not the case, do not hesitate to go for a quick consultation.

Complications of an epidural are rare

Epidural anesthesia, as the name suggests, is performed in the epidural space, located along the spinal cord. More precisely, the epidural space is that which surrounds the dura mater, the envelope which protects the spinal cord. In any case, the spinal cord is not affected during epidural anesthesia. The risk of paralysis is therefore absent, since the product is only injected into the nerve roots. If we can have a feeling of numbness in the legs, they are not necessarily paralyzed, and we will regain their use as soon as the epidural anesthesia no longer takes effect.

However, there is sometimes a risk of paralysis if a hematoma is created and compresses the spinal cord. It will then have to be drained urgently to avoid any sequelae.

To discover in video: giving birth without an epidural technique

The epidural does not prevent you from feeling the contractions

Properly dosed, the epidural only reduces the pain of contractions. These do not disappear, which keeps mom active and keep pushing. Many maternity hospitals now offer the installation of a “pear”, which allows the mother-to-be to dose her anesthetic herself when she feels the need. What to avoid too large a dose of product or on the contrary too insufficient a dose to reduce the pain.

To discover in video: Should we be afraid of the epidural?

The epidural is covered by social security

Finally, if it is the financial side of this medical act that worries you, know that in France, the health insurance fund covers 100% epidural anesthesia, based on the social security tariff. However, be careful with unpleasant surprises: to be reimbursed at 100%, the anesthesiologist who performs this procedure must be approved in sector 1. However, some supplementary health insurance covers excess fees for doctors in sector 2.

Do you want to talk about it between parents? To give your opinion, to bring your testimony? We meet on https://forum.parents.fr.