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Choosing a birthing method is a choice only a mother can make and it can often be almost as difficult as choosing a baby name. Some mothers have already decided on their options long before the delivery process, while others wait until the last minute. Lamaze, water delivery, epidurals, cesarean section and completely natural births are just some of the common choices for deliveries. All of these are, in one way or another, "natural" except cesareans and epidurals. Epidurals, like all other anesthesia or medications, have side effects for both mother and baby. For mom, there is a long list of side effects ranging from prolonged labor to having seizures. Spinal blockage can occur, requiring immediate assistance and days of bed rest. Sometimes the mother is unable to feel contractions which cause her to not push which can result in needing assistance with forceps. The mother might also experience headaches, numbness and bruising at the catheter administration site. After all of this, some women, 10% according to Childbirthsolutions.com, report inadequate pain relief with epidurals. Not only is mom exposed to side effects, so is the unborn fetus. In many cases the mother's blood pressure will drop, as is normal for any anesthesia or medication. However this causes the fetus to react by dropping its heart rate to compensate for the lack of blood pressure. Most physicians will insist on an immediate cesarean when the fetal heart rate drops. When performing a cesarean however, more medication and anesthesia is used, this can only complicate the situation. Any amount of stress that is put upon the mother and fetus can result in problems when the fetus is born. Once the fetus has left its protective shell in the womb, they are now exposed to all kinds of things. Babies who are born to mothers who use epidurals commonly have what is referred to as "epidural fever". The symptoms are similar to an infection and doctors take no chances and send the baby to isolation and immediately administer IV antibiotics until the fever resides. Some nurses and mothers have noticed that newborns are more irritable under the effects of epidurals. While these effects are typically short term, there is always the potential to have the effects linger. Using epidurals during child birth are not always bad. An epidural will generally relieve any anxiety and stress a mother might be feeling. Anxiety and stress can cause equal amounts of damage to a fetus. By keeping the mothers mental state intact, the doctors can do their jobs and monitor the baby's progress without worrying that the mother is having stress induced labor or other issues. An epidural will also not all muscles which can allow the mother to walk around and be comfortable during the long hours of labor which is also important. Let's not forget the biggest reason women choose an epidural, minimal pain. New moms should talk to their doctors about the best choice and additional options before making a final decision on child birth. Often the thought of risking health problems for the baby is a price too high for some mothers, others are willing to take the chance and go for the epidural. There is no right or wrong option however new mothers should be conscious of the effects of medications on newborns. Making an education decision is crucial for both child and mother, the birthing choice is the first big one to make as a mom.
Article Source: http://www.articleselections.com
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