Childbirth Epidural

What it is:  Anesthesia administered to a laboring mother into the epidural space at the base of the spine to numb the lower body. It decreases or eliminates sensations to that area of the body.   

When they are used:  According to Holly Richardson, CD(DONA) of childbirth.org, "Nationwide, the overall rate runs consistently over 85%"  Epidurals are given to laboring women planning vaginal births based on her decision to receive one and they are also used in lieu of general anesthesia in the event of a cesarean section.  When I say 'based on her decision to receive one' I do not mean to imply that all or even most pregnant mothers are made aware of the benefits and drawbacks of the procedure.

Birth Options

Many of you have noticed that the topic of pregnancy has been missing from my site.  The reason for this is that I never had anything particularly useful to impart on the topic of pregnancy and childbirth, this is due largely in part because of my own unresolved feelings regarding my first birth.  During my first pregnancy, my fear of pain during childbirth was much greater than my need for knowledge.  I think I even instinctively knew that if I did too much research on birth options I would likely find out information to discredit the method I was going with…which was as pain free as I could manage to get.  I read What to Expect When Your Expecting, a bland book devoid of birthing options and we attended hospital offered ‘prepared childbirth’ classes.