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Labour pain relief using an epidural at Mamta Women's & Multispeciality Hospital on Aai Mata Road, Parvat Patiya. The name is the common one. What it actually means is explained below.
Painless delivery is the phrase everybody uses, and it sets an expectation nobody can fully meet. An epidural reduces labour pain a great deal for most women. It is not an off switch, and you deserve to know that before labour, not during it.
An epidural is an injection of local anaesthetic into the space around the nerves in the lower back, given through a fine tube so the medicine can be topped up as labour continues.
Most women get substantial relief. Many feel pressure and tightening but not the sharp pain. Some feel more than that, and a small number get less relief than expected or need the tube repositioned.
It is your choice, and you can ask for it during labour rather than deciding in advance. It also does not have to be all or nothing: the dose is adjusted so you can still feel enough to push effectively in the second stage.
You do not have to justify wanting it, and asking for it is not giving up.
Relief can let you rest, which sometimes helps labour progress rather than hindering it.
High blood pressure in labour, or a labour where a cesarean may become necessary, because an existing epidural can often be topped up for the operation.
Knowing pain relief is available, and how to ask for it, is worth discussing at an antenatal visit rather than in the labour room.
Ideally at an antenatal visit: what it involves, what it will and will not do, and the risks. So the decision in labour is a choice, not a scramble.
Blood tests including clotting where needed, your blood pressure, and a check of your back. A few conditions make an epidural unsafe, and these are looked for.
You sit or lie curled on your side. The skin is numbed, then a fine tube is placed. It takes around fifteen to twenty minutes, and you need to stay still for part of it.
Relief usually begins within fifteen to twenty minutes. Your blood pressure and the baby's heart rate are monitored more closely, and a urinary catheter is often needed because you will not feel a full bladder.
The dose is adjusted so you can feel enough to push. The team will guide you on timing, because the urge to push may be less obvious.
You will be seen by one of the hospital's gynecologists. A female doctor is available if you ask for one when you book.
See doctor profilesCall, WhatsApp or send the appointment form. Say what the problem is and whether you would prefer a female doctor.
We confirm a time and tell you what to bring, and whether a scan can be done in the same visit.
After the consultation you leave with a written plan, a follow-up date, and a number to call if something changes.
No, and we will not tell you it is. An epidural reduces labour pain substantially for most women. Many feel pressure and tightening without the sharp pain. Some feel more than they expected. It is the best pain relief available in labour, but the word painless oversells it.
Very little of the medicine reaches the baby, and epidurals are widely used in labour for this reason. Your blood pressure and the baby's heart rate are monitored more closely while it is running, because a drop in your blood pressure is the main effect that can affect the baby, and it is treatable.
Yes, and most women do. It can be placed at most points during the first stage. If labour is very advanced there may not be time for it to work, which is the main reason to know in advance that you might want it.
No. The dose is adjusted so you retain enough sensation to push. The urge may feel less obvious, so the team guides you on when to push. The pushing stage can be a little longer with an epidural.
It needs an anaesthetist to be present. Please ask the hospital directly, when you book your delivery, whether epidural analgesia will be available at the time you are expected to deliver, including at night. Get that answer before admission.
This page is general information about a treatment, written for patients. It is not a diagnosis and it is not advice for your own situation. Whether any of this applies to you can only be decided after an examination and, where needed, tests. Please do not start, stop or change any treatment on the basis of this page. If your situation is urgent, call the hospital or go to your nearest emergency department. Content on this page is pending review by the hospital's medical team.
Book an appointment, or call if you would rather talk it through first. For anything urgent, call.