What is in an Epidural?

An injection that goes into your “epidural space,” which is right outside of the membrane that PROTECTS your spinal cord. The long Tuohy needle is bendy and is threaded into your spinal cavity where it will stay the length of your labor. The drugs inside are Fentanyl & Lidocaine or variation of a Caine drug (yes like cocaine). Doctors use epidural injections & drips to block sensation below the waist. ❌

FYI~ A Foley catheter (small plastic tube) will be placed in your bladder to drain urine since you won't be able to get up and go to the bathroom.
.
During birth the woman receives an adult dose of Fentanyl + other epidural drugs which is 10 times the dose a baby should ever receive.
👼
.
Not only do the woman and baby receive these drugs which have numerous side effects (see slideshow) but the mother cannot use her legs. This being the reality she cannot be active and mobile during labor. If you have taken my classes or I have been your doula you know that active labor is a must for the health of your baby.

If a pregnant woman is lying on her back, the weight of the womb is more likely to compress the inferior vena cava, decreasing the amount of blood returned to the heart, and because the mom’s blood carries oxygen to the baby, the baby in turn receives less oxygen. This is one of the reasons epidurals, where a mother is sedentary on her back for extended periods, can pose issues to baby’s oxygen intake. When heart tones drop in labor and do not come back up often cesareans are suggested in an attempt to “save the baby”. In order to avoid this during your birth stay active and out of bed! 🛏

“One intervention in birth can lead to another, and another, and another until the whole process seems to spin out of control.” 💉
.
Research natural pain relief techniques and education methods to move through the natural labor sensations your body was made to handle 💓