We are constantly plagued by childbirth, referring to the infernal and intolerant pain that a woman experiences. That is why there is nothing strange and surprising in the fact that the expectant mother, preparing for the birth of her baby, begins to panic, ask herself a lot of questions. Will I be able to withstand this pain? Do they give birth anesthesia? How safe is it for the unborn baby? In any case, the final decision is up to the doctor. It is he who, starting from a woman’s pain defect, individual characteristics and the course of pregnancy, will be able to give his permission. Another thing is if you are going to give birth in a private clinic and have prescribed anesthesia as the main point of the contract. Let us examine in detail the feasibility of anesthesia during childbirth, its safety and possible consequences.
The essence of pain relief
Childbirth is stress for a woman and her body, it is something new and unknown, causing a feeling of fear. That is why it is necessary to prepare for them in advance. Anesthesia during childbirth is an important process that largely determines their course. Reducing pain helps to alleviate the condition of the woman in childbirth during natural delivery, as well as cesarean section. But here is the difficulty - anesthesia can adversely affect the health of women and children. That is why, before deciding on it, it is necessary to carefully weigh everything.
Natural birth anesthesia
All doctors are united in the opinion that the female body has everything that is necessary for the birth of a baby. That is why they insist on natural delivery, of course, in the absence of obvious indications for cesarean section. In this case, the following are most often prescribed:
- intravenous anesthesia - the introduction into the vein of the drug provides a short-term sleep of the woman in labor for the most painful time;
- spinal and epidural anesthesia eliminates pain during contractions and disclosure of the cervix, the drug in this case is injected with a thin needle into the dorsal region, which is reflected in the name;
- local anesthesia is used to painlessly suture tears, injected into the damaged area.
As you can see, there are enough options, each has its own purpose and its own characteristics.
Caesarean section anesthesia
Unfortunately, not always for certain medical parameters a woman can give birth to a strong and healthy baby on her own, in this case, specialists prescribe a planned cesarean section, which implies abdominal surgery. And here you certainly can not do without anesthesia. In this situation, the following varieties of anesthesia are possible:
- general anesthesia - a complete shutdown of the mother’s consciousness, carried out by administering the drug through a venous catheter;
- spinal anesthesia - the introduction of a drug into the subarachnoid space between the spinal cord and the arachnoid membrane;
- epidural anesthesia - the introduction of the drug over the hard membrane of the spinal cord - into the epidural space.
So, we examined the main types of anesthesia during childbirth, methods of drug administration. It remains to understand when each of them is appropriate, what contraindications it has.
Intravenous anesthesia: advantages and disadvantages
Many experts agree that often because of the banal inexperience, women can not overcome pain during contractions. Moreover, panic attacks and experiences can only exacerbate them. So intravenous anesthesia during childbirth, reviews of which we will definitely give below, is the ability to relieve pain during contractions, as well as an effective way to relax, relieve spasms of the expectant mother. Only after the examination, the anesthetist administers one of the analgesics with narcotic action or its combination with a sedative drug, say, “Diazepam".
The duration of anesthesia varies with the amount of drug administered and can range from ten to seventy minutes. Among the obvious advantages of this method of pain relief is the short duration of the negative consequences. But for the elimination of pain between contractions you will have to pay too high a price: narcotic drugs somehow get into the bloodstream of the child, therefore they can cause disturbances in the functioning of the unformed nervous system. Many women in labor who used intravenous anesthesia certainly felt relief, their attempts were less painful, but some women still noticed the manifestation of negative consequences: the babies were restless, capricious.
Moreover, the anesthesiologist should approach the choice of the drug more carefully, because it can cause the development of pathologies. Many of those who took pain relief soon regretted it. How is anesthesia manifested? The woman in labor is half asleep, so she does not feel all the pain from contractions. But this is precisely the complexity of this situation: in this state it is quite difficult to control the contractions, it is almost impossible to push, which can negatively affect labor activity.
Local anesthesia
Not only during childbirth do anesthesia. Then, when it is necessary to anesthetize a small part of the woman's body, for example, to sew up the rupture site, local anesthesia is used. Its task is to dull the sensitivity of cells without turning off consciousness. The effect of such anesthesia is similar to what you feel in the dentist's office. Postpartum anesthesia is most often prescribed to bridge gaps. In this case, injections are injected into the perineum, that is, the place where it is necessary to relieve pain. The harm from local anesthesia is minimal, of course, it does not harm the fetus. But again, the doctor should take a more careful approach to the choice of the drug, since, judging by the reviews, quite often the injection causes a sharp increase in blood pressure, as a result of which the woman in labor may even lose consciousness. Of the side effects, some women note an allergic reaction, inflammation in the perineum, as well as chills, fever.
Contraindications
It is strictly forbidden to resort to local anesthesia in the following cases:
- Infection at the puncture site.
- The presence of diseases of the central nervous system in women in labor.
- Scars on the uterus.
- Low blood pressure.
- Allergy to the drug used for pain relief.
- Blood clotting disorder.
All About Epidural Anesthesia
Every pregnant woman studies the process of pregnancy, labor, one way or another capturing the topic of pain relief. Epidural anesthesia today is one of the most controversial topics. At the same time, this particular method of pain relief is the most popular.
What is a procedure? The introduction of the drug into the spinal canal located between the vertebral discs. With a special disposable very thin needle, the necessary amount of substance is introduced, sometimes an additional dose. This is a salvation for women in labor with myopia, diseases of the cardiovascular system, and kidneys.
Benefits
Perhaps the main advantage of this method is the possibility of extension as necessary using a special catheter installed in the spine. The likelihood of a drop in blood pressure in this case is minimized. Indeed, today it is the most effective method of pain relief. According to reviews, the drug begins to act gradually, while acting exclusively on the source of pain. A woman in labor can control her condition, contractions, she will give birth to a baby. The harm to the health of the child in this case is also minimal.
disadvantages
But there are quite a few negative points. What are the consequences of anesthesia during childbirth? Many women complain of migraines, frequent headaches, and weakness that do not go away for several months. Moreover, the puncture site is very painful, it worries, does not allow you to lead a familiar lifestyle.
Inhalation pain relief
Anesthesia during childbirth is a very interesting topic, and not only for expectant mothers, but also for doctors. That is why there is nothing surprising in the fact that modern experts are not going to stop there, offering advanced methods of getting rid of pain. We are also obliged to mention this option for the objectivity of the review.
Inhalation anesthesia is the latest technique, which means getting rid of pain by inhaling a woman in labor in a gaseous state. For the procedure, methoxyflurane, fluorotan and pentran are most often used. Mask for inhalation visually resembles an ordinary respirator.
This method is relevant in the first part of pregnancy, when the cervix has opened 4-5 cm. An important advantage of this method is that the woman herself, as the pain approaches, can put on a mask and relieve symptoms, independently controlling the frequency of pain relief. Those who have already managed to resort to inhalation analgesia, focus on the ease of implementation and the absence of many consequences, as with the previous options. The drug is quickly eliminated from the body of a woman, she feels great, the effect on the child in this case is minimal, while the effect is really powerful.
Of the side effects, only dizziness and nausea are observed, which will be eliminated after a few hours.
To summarize
Thus, there are many arguments for and against anesthesia during childbirth. Many women in childbirth argue that they themselves would never have decided on the introduction of a drug into their body, if not for the persistent advice of a doctor. Others, on the contrary, from the first trimester of pregnancy tuned in to epidural anesthesia, which they did not regret in the future. However, there are those who are faced with negative consequences.
Another thing is important: any anesthesia requires the involvement of a qualified specialist. According to the results of the examination, only a doctor can prescribe a really effective and relatively safe medication. Only in this case will it be possible to minimize the negative consequences. Of course, if possible, it is better to avoid everything that could harm you and your baby. Anesthesia during childbirth is an extreme measure, suitable in the case of a low pain threshold and certain medical conditions.