Natural Birth Versus the Help of an Epidural.
Since the beginning of time, women have struggled to have their children naturally. In the early years, they had no help at all with the birth of their children. Occasionally, the women had a midwife to assist with the delivery of their babies. The only things that the midwife used was a pall of boiling water, towels, and some ice. The majority of the women had little trouble at all, but it was some that wasn't that lucky. Many times infection set in and it was nothing that could be done but wait it out. The women would get a fever, and they would be unconscious or unresponsive until it broke. Without the help and aide of medications, many of these women died in what we consider to be a precious event. Now scientists have come up with many ways to aide the mother in an easier birth. One option would be the epidural injection. The epidural injection deals with the spine and the nervous system. The name epidural describes the location of the injection; epi means on or above and dural signifies the region of the spine known as the dural. The nerve roots enter and exit the spinal column , which is protected by a thick covering known as the dural. The epidural medication are put directly in the epidural space, where they stay until they are absorbed by the tissue. ( www. neurology channel.com/epidural/) Choosing to get an epidural, is not one hundred percent safe. The use of an epidural increases the chance of a mother having to get a Cesarean section two to three times in first time mothers. It can also slow labor down which will result in the need for pitocin, a drug that is used to speed up contractions. Creating these medication induced contractions, generates fetal distress, requiring the baby to be continually monitored. Choosing to have an epidural can cause the mother's blood pressure to drop, which would result in the decreased blood flow to the uterus, which in turn would decrease the baby's heart fate.
