oregonchick
Good heavens, yes! Possible complications of epidurals include:
Maternal side effects:
hypotension (30-35 percent of cases) urinary retention or postpartum bladder dysfunction (25-34 percent) uncontrollable shivering (frequent) itching of face, neck, throat (common) nausea-vomiting (common) postpartum backache (10-22 percent) maternal fever (15 percent if the epidural is in place longer than 4 hours, and the risk goes up from there) This is an issue because they can't tell an epidural induced fever from one that comes from an infection. Fever can lead to interventions during labor or to a painful sepsis workup for the baby. spinal headache (1-10 percent) uneven, incomplete, or nonexistent pain relief (10 percent) loss of mobility (this leads to lots of other possible complications because you are much less able to use positioning to deal with problems that come up) Some very, very rare complications (from 1 in 3000 to 2-million) include convulsions, respiratory paralysis, cardiac arrest, allergic shock, nerve injury, epidural abcess, or maternal rest.
Labor side effects:
prolonged first stage (common) increased risk of malpresentation of baby's head (20-26 percent) There is a complex interplay between the pelvic floor muscles and the baby in order to achieve optimal positioning. Epidurals interfere with the ability of those muscles to work with the baby. Of babies who start labor posterior, most will turn before birth without an epidural, but with an epidural many fewer will turn. increased need for pitocin augmentation (almost always, especially if given before 5cm) prolonged second stage (especially common for primiparas) decreased ability to push effectively (common) increased likelihood of instrumental delivery (five times greater than without epidural) increased likelihood of episiotomy in some cases, it may increase the odds of a c-section
Baby side effects:
increased risk of fetal distress or abnormal heart tone drowsiness at birth, poor sucking reflex poor muscle strength and tone in the first hours
There *are* good reasons to have an epidural, and there isn't anything that doesn't have potential side effects. I would not criticize someone for choosing an epidural. I would have chosen one myself under some circumstances. However, it is flat out inaccurate to say that they don't have any risks. They do have potential risks and women should be aware of them so that they can make an informed choice when and if to have an epidural.
Best wishes, Ericka
