Side effects of epidural anesthesia on pregnant mother and baby

Today, more and more mothers elect to choose epidural anesthesia as a method of pain relief during labor. This method has a significant analgesic effect, but the side effects of an epidural can affect both pregnant women and the baby.

The fact is, like any medicine or medical procedure, an epidural holds certain dangers. Therefore, before choosing the epidural method, pregnant mothers should join aFamilyToday Health to learn through the side effects of this method for you and your baby!

What is an epidural?

Epidural analgesia is a method of pain relief commonly used during labor. This method helps to prevent pain in specific parts of the body. Unlike general anesthesia, epidural anesthesia only works in the lower half of the body.

With this method, the anesthetic is introduced into the epidural space around the spinal nerves in the lumbar part of the pregnant mother. From there, the drug will work when the area around the injection site blocks the nerves that dominate the respective areas of the body.

Side effects of epidural anesthesia for pregnant women

Despite being considered an effective method, epidural anesthesia has some potential side effects, including:

1. Causes hypotension

An epidural can lead to sudden hypotension in the mother. From there, pregnant women may feel nauseous or dizzy after being anesthetized. Because of this, doctors and nurses often have to constantly monitor your blood pressure to ensure that blood flow to your baby remains stable and adequate. In the case of hypotension, drugs and oxygen will be added to the pregnant mother immediately.

Headache

About 1% of epidural anesthesia experience severe headaches, usually caused by leakage of cerebrospinal fluid into the epidural space. If the headache continues to persist after giving birth, the doctor is required to perform a hemodialysis test with autologous blood.

During this test, doctors use your own blood to inject into the epidural space, helping to patch the leak, thereby overcoming the headache.

3. Having difficulty urinating

An epidural can make it more difficult for you to urinate. In rare cases, doctors must use a catheter to help pregnant women urinate after an epidural.

4. Back pain

Back pain is one of the most common side effects of epidural anesthesia. The main cause of this condition is usually pain where the needle is inserted. Another possible cause of back pain is leakage of cerebrospinal fluid or the body's allergic reactions to injected drugs or fluids.

5. Normal labor becomes more difficult

Epidurals can make it difficult to push the baby out during labor. Therefore, the obstetrician may have to use some other medical procedure such as a cesarean section or a forceps delivery.

6. Numbness after giving birth

Mothers who perform epidural anesthesia may experience lower body numbness after birth. In this case, you will need to be escorted even for a fairly short distance. This can last for a few days, weeks or even months after birth.

7. Neurological damage

An epidural can sometimes cause permanent damage to the area where the catheter is placed. For this, medical intervention is sometimes needed to treat it and it usually takes weeks or months to recover. In some serious cases, pregnant mothers cannot even fully recover.

8. Other side effects

Some women may experience ear problems (such as tinnitus), tingling in their legs, or fever after an epidural.

Side effects of epidural anesthesia in the newborn

In addition to the side effects for pregnant women, epidural anesthesia can also affect the baby. Side effects include:

1. The functions in the baby's body are still not fully developed, so it usually takes longer for the baby to clear out the anesthetics that are passed through the placenta. In addition, these drugs may also affect a newborn's immune system.

2. The epidural can reduce mother's blood pressure, thereby reducing blood and oxygen supply to the baby. The condition of the fetus having a lack of blood and oxygen supply can affect some functions in the body, causing defects in the baby if not corrected in time.

3. One of the side effects of epidural anesthesia on pregnant mothers is fever. This may affect your baby's Apgar score. In rare cases, it can cause babies to have convulsions and sometimes death.

To learn more about Apgar's index, you can refer to the article Infant Apgar Index and what parents need to know .

4. Causes a decrease in the heart rate in the newborn.

5. In some cases, babies born to mothers with epidural anesthesia can experience significant psychophysiological problems.

6. Anesthetics can affect the palate muscles of the baby's mouth, so some babies are born with problems with sucking and sucking, which often takes a long time for the baby to work properly again.

7. In case pregnant mothers apply epidural anesthesia method, babies often take longer to check after birth. Your baby may have to stay in an infant intensive care unit (NICU) longer than other babies.

Side effects of epidural anesthesia in the postpartum process

Epidural anesthesia is not only used during labor but is also used to relieve pain after surgery. However, the side effects of epidural anesthesia can be present for a fairly long time after birth.

In some cases, babies born to mothers using epidural anesthesia may be affected by the side effects of the approach as they grow up. Here are some of the undesirable effects of epidural anesthesia manifested in the postpartum process:

1. Epidural hematoma

This side effect is rare but has a huge effect on the mother's health. Accordingly, when performing an epidural, the needle can invade the blood vessels here, causing blood to flow out of the epidural space and develop into a hematoma. These blood clots press on the spinal cord and in severe cases can cause paralysis of the lower limb.

2. Bacterial infections

This is caused by a needle or catheter inserted into the extra spinal cavities but the sterility is not guaranteed. The bacteria that can follow these pathways enter the body and cause serious conditions that have a huge impact on health. Then, the patient may have symptoms of a bacterial infection such as fever and increased white blood cells.

2. Neurological problems

In some cases, you may experience neurological problems such as numbness, tingling, or muscle weakness in certain areas of the body a few hours after the epidural. The cause is usually spinal cord injury when a needle is inserted or a catheter is inserted into the cavity.

3. Paralysis

Paralysis, muscle weakness, or loss of sensation in a large area of ​​the body are one of the rare side effects of epidural anesthesia. This usually occurs due to blood clots (epidural) or pus (abscesses) causing pressure and damage to the spinal cord and surrounding nerves.

4. Back pain

Back pain can occur around the epidural needle puncture site, usually caused by tissue irritation. However, the pain usually goes away within a few days of giving birth.

5. Irritating to skin

Epidural anesthetics can cause skin irritation. This may go away automatically after a short time or by the action of other drugs. However,  skin irritation is usually not too serious.

Epidural is considered to be a highly effective method of pain relief during labor. However, this method also has many potential side effects. As a result, this procedure is not considered absolutely safe for the mother and the baby.

Usually, your doctor will advise against making too much of an effect on labor, unless the birth is often too damaging to your health. You need to consider carefully when choosing an epidural as you and your baby can experience dangerous side effects.