Epidurals & c-sections?

[mybubs060811]

Hi everyone!

I am still fairly new here, but I decided I would just jump right in & make my first real post! So, here is my question to all of you! It's something that I have heard from a few other mums, but I don't know if it's a myth or not.

Is it true that women who receive an epidural during labor, are more likely to end up having a c-section?

[gez15673]

it's been my experience that epidurals can slow labour. With an epidural you are restricted to the bed, generally reclined on your back or side, which doesn't help you contract & dilate, therefore labour stalls. Most hospitals have a "timeframe" for labour & generally if you're not progressing you're sent for a c/section. i am a fan of epidurals & i think they can be very useful but women need to be aware that there is a greater chance of c/section due to restricted movement.

[5Homebirths4Kate]

Anytime intervention starts, the chances of it leading to more intervention becomes much greater.

Starting labour with pitocin, having an epidural, using fetal monitors which restrict mother to bed and many other interventions routinely used in hospitals just increases the chance of mom having to have a C-Section.

If you need some kind of pain reliever, there are other options other than an epidural. Labouring in water is very helpful.

One of the reasons I chose a home birth for all of my 5 babies was because I wanted the greatest possible chance of having a natural labour and vaginal delivery of a healthy, alert baby. Midwives are very skilled with their hands and they encourage many different positions and other things to move labour right along naturally and this makes the need for intervention much lower than the typical hospital birth.

[ljmarsden]

Hi mybubs060811,

Welcome to the forum! I look forward to getting to know you on here.

This is an interesting topic and I agree with the ladies above that having an epidural increases the chance of c-section. An epidural can make labour longer. You also cannot feel the contractions with an epidural so you have to be coached as to when to push etc. However, does anyone know of research studies which backs this up as I am going more on colloquial evidence?

LJ

[mom2many]

Epidurals have been shown to slow labor, come with numerous rare but serious risks and can inhibit nursing. Here are some studies on these subjects:

"Epidural anesthesia increases the risk for operative vaginal deliveries in both nulliparous and multiparous women, and increases risk for cesarean deliveries in nulliparous more so than in multiparous women."


New Medical Study Shows Epidurals Inhibit Nursing Instincts


The Hidden Risks of Epidurals