Spinals and epidurals
When would a spinal anaesthetic be used?
How is a spinal inserted?
Things to consider for a spinal anaesthetic
What is a spinal anaesthetic?
A spinal anaesthetic is an injection of medication (administered by an
anaesthetist doctor), into the fluid surrounding the lower spinal cord (called 'cerebrospinal fluid' or 'CSF'). The injection is aimed at stopping the woman from feeling any pain sensations from her waist down to her toes. A spinal needs to be performed by an anaesthetist in the delivery suite of the hospital.
The medications used for a spinal anaesthetic include 'local anaesthetic' types of drugs such as lidocaine, bupivacaine and ropivacaine, and narcotic types of drugs such as Fentanyl, Sufentanil and Morphine. Often a mixture of these drugs are used.
A spinal anaesthetic is more commonly used for a Caesarean birth, rather than for pain relief in labour. Its use in labour tends to be confined to its combined insertion with an epidural anaesthetic. This is called a combined spinal / epidural (or CSE) and is discussed in more detail in
epidural for labour and
spinal for Caesarean birth.