Anesthesia and Childbirth
Women today have many advantages over their ancestors. Childbirth used to be an event filled with pain and a significant risk of death. Now women can have their children with virtually no pain and very little risk to the mother and the newborn, thanks to advances in anesthesia.Anesthesia for childbirth was first given in the United States in 1847 by John Simpson. He used ether to anesthetize a woman with a deformed pelvis for delivery. Although the medical community did not embrace this new idea, women demanded it, and within a few short years, it became standard practice. Since that time, many drugs and techniques have been used in obstetrical anesthesia. Today, a majority of women receive epidural anesthesia to relieve the pain of labor.
Epidural anesthesia is a relatively painless, extremely safe procedure. After local anesthesia is given, the epidural is placed between the bones in the lower back. A tiny catheter is inserted in the epidural space, which is near the spinal cord. A combination of medications is then injected through the catheter, targeting the nerves in the spinal cord. The epidural causes some numbness from approximately the belly button on down, but most women are still able to move their legs and turn in bed. Medication is usually administered through the catheter at a slow, and constant rate to maintain comfort throughout the labor read more
