How Does the Walking Epidural Work?
Just like having a traditional epidural, an anesthesiologist will numb the mother’s lower back with a local anesthetic. Mothers will most likely be sitting on the bed with their back curved into a “c position.” The anesthesiologist will administer a combined spinal-epidural (CSE) by first administering a dose of an epidural opioid such as Demerol. Some anesthesiologists inject the labor drug into the spinal fluid, while newer techniques are being used where the medication goes into the epidural space. The epidural space is the area just outside the covering of the spinal column where a traditional epidural would be administered. document.getElementById(‘adsense_placeholder_2’).innerHTML = document.getElementById(‘adsense_ad_2_hidden’).innerHTML; The walking epidural numbs the laboring mother’s pain using the opioid drugs, rather than using the typical anesthetics that also deaden the mother’s motor and sensory abilities. So the walking epidural works to allow her both better mobility a
