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by Shelly Girard,, B.S., L.M.T., L.M., C.P.M., M.P.H.

Epidurals

First and foremost, an epidural is not proven to be 100% "safe." According to Penny Simkin, physical therapist and Childbirth Educator, the use of epidural anesthesia increases the chance of cesarean section two to three times in first-time mothers. It can slow labor, necessitating the use of pitocin to speed up contractions. This oxytoxic creates unnatural contractions whose intensity more easily creates fetal distress, requiring that the baby be continually monitored with an external or internal monitor (electrodes screwed into the baby's scalp while in utero).

An epidural can cause a drop in maternal blood pressure and a subsequent reduction in blood flow to the uterus increasing the potential for a decrease in fetal heart rate. It can also cause the mother to have a significant fever without having an infection; because maternal fever puts the fetus at risk regardless of the source, the mother may now be treated with antibiotics (as will her baby following birth). The mother is no longer free to eat or drink and must be fed intravenously; she may experience nausea, vomiting, or itching. She can no longer walk or squat and may need to be catheterized in order to urinate. In short, complete control of the labor process has been given over to medical personnel.

In spite of the common notion that epidural narcotics do not "reach the baby," the manufacturer of bupivacaine hydrochloride (one of the common drugs used for epidural analgesia) warns that "local anesthetics rapidly cross the placenta and when used for... epidural anesthesia can cause various degrees of maternal, fetal, and neonatal toxicity." The FDA has given bupivacaine hydrochloride a C rating for use during pregnancy, indicating that human studies are lacking and animal studies are either positive for fetal risk or lacking at all.

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