RaMa Mama Doula Share: Epidurals - What Happens and Are They Safe?...

Birth is known to be a very powerful time. There is more Love that births on the day of delivery than most any other day in one's life. Where there is Love, there is always sacrifice. In birth, that sacrifice manifests as physical pain. Pain comes from the birth itself, but other times there is severe pain before active labor based on where the baby is sitting and how the baby moves through the mother's body. Every birth is so unique, and there is no "one way" for everyone.

Epidurals are anesthesia medicine applied by an anesthesiologist to the mother's spine that creates a band of numbness from the belly to the thigh. This helps the mother to feel contractions without the pain that comes with them. The ability to be relaxed results in less tearing and less trauma from the birth itself. The procedure is pretty safe, but it is not without consequences if not done properly. Some people experience side effects.