There are many different types of epidurals that women can have for their labour pain. The actual method used will often depend on the reason the epidural is needed and the preferences of the anaesthetist. Sometimes the hospital policy or the preferences of the woman will also influence the decision.
The following information is meant as a guide, to give you an overall understanding of the main differences between various epidurals and provide some reasoning behind why one method could be chosen over another. It is also designed to assist you in formulating any preferences, if you wish to discuss choices of epidurals with your
anaesthetist.
Be aware that many of the following are usually combined, to give you the 'final product' of what the woman will actually receive. For example the woman may have an epidural with a 'Local' / Narcotic Mix, that is Continuous and Patient Controlled, or she may have a Light, Narcotic Epidural that is given intermittently.
'Local' epidural
Narcotic epidural (walking epidural)
'Local' / narcotic mix (light epidural)
Intermittent and continuous epidurals
Patient controlled epidural anaesthesia (PCEA)
Combined spinal / epidural (CSE)
Deciding on your epidural
'Local' epidural
A 'Local' Epidural ('classic' or 'standard' epidural) entails the use of purely local types of anaesthetics such as lidocaine (known as Xylocaine) and bupivacaine (known as Marcaine) or ropivacaine. This type of epidural was the first to be used in the 1970's and 1980's and may still be the method of choice for some anaesthetists today. The amount and concentration of the local medication used is in much lower concentrations for epidurals given today. Local epidurals are capable of producing very effective, 'full' (as opposed to partial) pain relief for the woman, but can limit her ability to move in labour or feel and push her baby to be born.