The following is a step by step guide to what is usually involved with having an epidural anaesthetic for labour. We have included information indicating which practices are accepted as routine and which may vary between hospitals and anaesthetists.
Requesting the epidural and time frames
Emptying your bladder
Having a drip
Talking with the anaesthetist
Inserting the epidural
Having the baby(s) continuously monitored
Checking your blood pressure
Top-ups
Letting the epidural wear off
Removing the epidural catheter and drip
Requesting the epidural and time frames
Epidurals are normally given at the request of the woman. The caregiver may suggest you have one but it is still up to the woman to accept or decline an epidural. Just a reminder that not all delivery suites offer epidurals for pain relief, check with your caregiver about what is available at your birthplace. If the woman is labouring in a birth centre or was planning a home birth, she will need to be transferred to the delivery suite at the hospital for an epidural.
Before the anaesthetist is called to insert an epidural, your caregiver will probably want to perform an internal vaginal examination to check how far the cervix is dilated. If you are less than 3 cms dilated the caregiver may recommend delaying the epidural until the labour becomes more established (or advise on starting an
oxytocin drip with the epidural to
augment the labour). If you are nearly fully dilated (10 cms), they may advise that it is too late to have an epidural, as it could inhibit the pushing phase of the labour and birth.
Once you have decided to go on with having the epidural, the anaesthetist is then contacted and will arrive as soon as possible. On average, this is usually in a matter of minutes, but depending on the time of day and how busy they are they may be delayed.