Is Painless Delivery Safe?

 Painless delivery allows women to deliver vaginally with little or no pain. It’s done through an epidural injection that delivers pain-relief medication into the epidural space. It’s safe when practiced by an experienced anesthesiologist, and the patient is monitored throughout labor.

Is Painless Delivery Safe?

Newer technology in maternity care has allowed women to deliver babies vaginally, yet without facing intense labor pain. Epidural injection is a highly effective pain-relief option for women who are scared of labor. 

Despite its popularity, many women have common concerns: “Is painless vaginal delivery in Thane safe for my baby”? “What if it causes long-term health complications, such as back pain?” Or, what if I end up needing a C-section? Let’s learn all about the safety of painless childbirth.

How an Epidural Works

When you go into labor and decide to use an epidural, an anesthesiologist will insert a catheter into your lower back (epidural space) and administer anesthetic medication to block nerve signals. 

The catheter stays in place and is used to deliver pain-relief medication at regular intervals and in carefully controlled doses. This eliminates the need for inserting the needle repeatedly. The effect starts within 10-20 minutes.

The medication significantly relieves pain from uterine contractions while preserving enough muscle strength, so you can push when you are fully dilated. With an epidural, you stay awake, alert, and experience labor, but with little to no pain, making the experience much more bearable.

Is Painless Delivery Safe?

Yes, it’s safe given that the medication is administered by an experienced anesthesiologist and the process is supervised by a professionalobstetrician and gynecologist in Thane. Millions of women worldwide opt for painless delivery, and many deliver vaginally. With proper precautions and monitoring, the procedure is highly effective, safe, and poses no severe health risks to the mother or the baby. 

Does it Affect Baby’s Oxygen Supply?

Another common concern women have is reduced oxygen supply to the baby. When delivered in the right amounts and appropriately, epidurals do not increase the risk of severe breathing issues in babies. 

They are administered in the mother’s lower back, instead of being delivered directly into the bloodstream. Only a very small amount reaches the baby.

Most babies born with a painless delivery are healthy, have normal muscle movement, and breathing after birth. That said, if opioids are used, the baby might be born slightly drowsy or have less muscle movement, but these effects are mild and temporary.

Sometimes, an epidural can drop a mother’s blood pressure, which can affect blood flow to the baby. That’s why painless delivery requires an experienced medical team that monitors your baby’s heart rate and your vitals throughout the procedure.

Who is not a Good Candidate for an Epidural?

Epidural is carefully administered after your gynecologist thoroughly evaluates your and your baby’s health and gives a go-ahead. 

Some women may not be ideal candidates for a painless delivery. For example, it’s not advised for women with an infection at the injection site, bloodstream infection, allergy to anesthesia, or low platelet counts.

Although there’s no fixed time for getting an epidural, gynecologists advise women to get it early during labor, i.e., before the pain becomes intense.