Epidural Analgesia in Pregnancy

Epidural Analgesia: we might be wondering what Epidural Analgesia is? It is a process of administering a medicine into the epidural space around the spinal cord.

Where is the Epidural space located? It is located within the vertebral column ie from the foramen magnum to the sacral hiatus if you check your back there is a line of bone we call the spinal cord so the epidural Analgesic is given in that line.

What is the Epidural Analgesia for?
It is used to reduce excess pain for example in Cancer ♋- related patient. It is used to reduce pain or persistent pain condition.

Epidural Analgesia is used in labour because it is safe and effective method of relieving pain, during delivery and childbirth and it has minimal side effects on both mom and baby. When you give an Epidural Analgesia it takes the maximum of of 10-20 minutes to start working and it is mostly given to a pregnant woman during the first stage of labour although you can have it at any point in labour.

What are used in Epidural Analgesia?
The pain- reliefing drugs commonly used for epidural Analgesia are fentanyl, hydromorphone and morphine.

Although Epidural analgesia is an extremely effective treatment for pain both labour, chest, abdominal, lower extremity surgery etc it has some side effects depending on each person's body system eg low blood pressure, loss of bladder control, itchy skin, feeling sick, inadequate pain relief, headache,slow breathing, temporary nerve damage.

Advantages of Epidural Analgesia

1. it reliefs pain
2. it allows you to rest (most especially if you have a long labour)
3. the mother is able to enjoy and participate in birth by helping you stay alert
   4)in some cases it helps reduce post- partum depression

In conclusion Epidural Analgesia is advisable to be used because it help in enhancing the quality of patients recovery from major surgery and shorten hospital stay.