Is the effect of epidural anesthesia on babies dangerous or not?

Long before the delivery day, the prospective parents together with the obstetrician and midwife should have confirmed all the birth plans. This includes whether the mother will use an epidural if she wants to give birth normally (vaginally). So, before deciding, you must first know what effects epidural anesthesia may have, both mother and baby.

Use of epidural anesthesia during normal delivery

Epidural anesthesia is classified as a local anesthetic, which means that you will still be fully conscious. It's just that the anesthetized part will be numb (numb) so that the pain or pain during childbirth will not be felt.

An anesthetist who will administer epidural anesthesia. There are two ways, namely by being injected into the lower back or by inserting a very small tube (catheter) into the epidural cavity of the prospective mother.

That way, the pelvis down will be numb, but your muscles can still work and contract for labor. You will also stay awake during the labor process.

Basically, epidural anesthesia is safe for both mother and baby. This is if the doctor has thoroughly evaluated the health condition of you and the previous baby. The problem is, not everyone can give birth with an epidural. Consult your doctor for complete information, because the condition and body of each person is different.

The effects of epidural anesthesia in labor

Like other types of anesthetics, epidurals can certainly cause side effects to the mother in labor. The following are things that might happen after giving birth to an epidural.

Lower blood pressure. Research in the Canadian Journal of Anesthesia notes that one in eight women giving birth will experience a drop in blood pressure. Therefore, your doctor and delivery team will continue to monitor your blood pressure throughout the labor process.
Headache. According to American Pregnancy, this effect of epidural anesthesia is extremely rare. To be precise, only 1 percent of deliveries with epidurals have this case.
Drug effect. You may feel the effects of general anesthesia. This includes chills, ringing in the ears, numbness of the lower back, or nausea. This effect may still be felt even after the baby is born.
Longer labor. Because of using the anesthetic on the hips down, it may be difficult for you to contract and push the baby out. As a result, your labor may take longer than it should be.
Cesarean delivery. Because labor is too long or the mother can't push the baby anymore, there is a possibility that the baby will eventually have to be delivered by caesarean section.

Is there an effect on the baby of epidural anesthesia?

Scientific studies surrounding the effects of epidural anesthesia on infants have not reached the point of agreement. The results are still very diverse and can vary, depending on each case studied.

However, in theory whatever enters the mother's bloodstream will also enter the baby's body through the placenta. Well, even though the epidural anesthetic is inserted into the mother's spinal cord, there will still be a little or a lot of the anesthetic fluid that enters the mother's bloodstream. So, epidural anesthesia can actually hit your baby.

According to an anesthetist from the Northwestern University Feinberg School, dr. Cynthia Wong, if only a small amount of anesthetic is exposed to the baby, there will be no harmful effects on the baby.

Although not dangerous, various studies have reported the effects of epidural anesthesia in infants that are not so serious or can still be treated medically. Moreover, these cases occur rarely in labor. The following are the various effects of epidural anesthesia on babies that may occur.

1. Lack of oxygen

When the mother's blood pressure drops drastically, the baby may become deprived of oxygen. The reason is, the baby gets oxygen intake through the mother's blood. This risk is higher if the labor takes a long time. To solve this problem, the doctor may place an IV filled with fluids in the mother.

2. Irregular heartbeat

Research in the British Journal of Anesthesia reveals that if the epidural has been given for more than five hours, there is a risk that the mother's body temperature increases. This increase in body temperature has an impact on the baby's heart rate.

An irregular heartbeat in the baby, or fetal tachycardia, if it does not return to normal soon can lead to fetal distress. Therefore, at delivery the doctor will continue to monitor the baby's heart rate through a cardiotocography (CTG) monitor.

3. Respiratory problems after birth

A number of cases have reported that the baby may experience breathing problems, which is rapid breathing (such as gasping), for several hours after birth to mothers who are on epidural anesthesia. However, experts are still debating the effects of epidural anesthesia on this one baby.

Several other cases also noted the risk of low blood sugar in the newborn. However, it is not clear whether this was caused by epidural anesthesia in the mother, rather than due to other factors.

4. Difficulty breastfeeding

It is not certain whether the effects of epidural anesthesia can make it difficult for the baby to latch on to the mother's breast to breastfeed after birth. However, various reports do indicate a tendency for babies to not breastfeed smoothly in mothers using epidural anesthesia.

This is thought to occur because epidurals interfere with the process of releasing the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin itself plays a very important role after birth, namely to increase the bond between mother and baby and facilitate early initiation of breastfeeding (IMD).