Many parents are confused about (or are not aware of) the differences between a spinal and an epidural anaesthetic. To understand why spinals are only used in certain circumstances in labour, and why an epidural may be preferable, it is important to understand how they differ.
Epidurals and spinals are both forms of what is called 'regional anaesthesia'. This means they prevent pain sensations from being felt in a 'region' of the body, in this case the lower region. Both require that a long, hollow needle be placed between two of the backbones in the woman's lower spine and both entail the use of either local types of anaesthetics and / or narcotic drugs. After this they start to differ.
The main differences are:
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The actual place in the body that the anaesthetic medication is injected into, |
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The amount and strength of medication(s) needed to obtain an adequate level of pain relief, and |
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If a fine, plastic catheter is left in place to give further medications once the needle is removed (or to enable the administration of a continuous infusion of medications over a period of time). |
These factors affect:
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How long it takes for the medications to work, |
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The possible side effects the procedure can have, |
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How long it takes before the medication wears off, and |
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If more medication can be given after the first dose wears off. |