Stop Your Headache

Epidural May Lead to Spinal Headaches

In spite of the fact that hospitals promote their facilities as providing maximum comfort for women who are about to give birth to give birth, hospitals are still associated with a lot of discomfort and frequent obtrusive interventions, like electronic fetal monitors and vaginal exams. Many women are even restricted to a particular position they must give birth in. Often, it is spine that gets harmed most of all, as many types of drugs are given to women through the spine. This is one main cause for a spinal headache many women suffer from.

Epidural is practiced by many hospitals these days. An anesthesiologist inserts a needle into the woman’s back and administers this medication in order to numb the woman’s body from her ribs to her toes. Many women actually ask for this in fear of childbirth pains, and the general opinion is that this is safe for both mother and baby. This belief stems from the fact that the obstetrician and the labor and delivery nurses all encourage the use of an epidural in the delivery room. They rarely provide the mother sufficient information about the side effects, one of which is a spinal headache.

Besides getting a spinal headache, there are other symptoms and complications that a mother may suffer from, including immobility, the requirement of urinary catheterization, no sensation of labor or the pushing urge, lower blood pressure, the pelvic muscles become abnormally relaxed thus causing complications with the baby, a decreased production of hormone oxytocin, and the increase in the need to use forceps or to do a cesarean section. The list of possible complications and side-effects is still incomplete: to top it all, epidurals can also cause heart attacks and spinal damage. After giving childbirth with the use of epidural, many women complain about chronic backache as well as chronic spinal headache.

A spinal headache and chronic backache experienced by the mother still don’t scare many women. Then, you should know that a lot of babies also suffer from an epidural. Narcotic drugs that were given to enhance the effect of the epidural have a very negative effect on the baby. These narcotics can compromise the baby’s respiratory efforts as the baby will have to metabolize them. Other short or long term side-effects the baby may suffer from are still unknown.

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May 13, 2007 | In Articles |