Spinal Headaches: What All Women Need To Know

Regardless of the fact that hospitals want to make women feel at home while they are there to give birth, hospital births are nothing like giving birth at home. This is because obtrusive interventions are quite frequent, including electronic fetal monitors and vaginal exams. Many women are also told when and in what position they must give birth. There are also many types of drugs that are given to women and these are often given in the spine, thus causing a woman to have a spinal headache.

Many hospitals give women an epidural these days. An anesthesiologist inserts a needle into the woman’s back and administers this medication. It is meant to numb the woman's body from her ribs to her toes. Many women actually ask for this because they do not want to feel the pain of childbirth, plus they think that this is safe for both themselves and their baby. This belief stems from the fact that the obstetrician and the labor and delivery nurses all encourage the use of an epidural in the delivery room. They do not give the mother any information about the side effects, one of which is a spinal headache.

The Spinal Headache: An Aftermath of a Routine Epidural

Besides getting a spinal headache, there are other symptoms that a mother may suffer from including immobility, the requirement of urinary catheterization, no sensation of labor or the pushing urge, lower blood pressure, the pelvic muscles become abnormally relaxed thus causing complications with the baby, a decreased production of oxytocin, and the increase in the need to use forceps or to do a cesarean section. As if getting a spinal headache, or any of these other symptoms, is not bad enough, epidurals can also cause heart attacks and spinal damage. Once the birthing process is complete, many mothers complain about chronic backache and a chronic bout with a spinal headache.

Implications On Baby Unknown

While the mother is dealing with a spinal headache and chronic backache, a lot of babies also suffer as well. This is because they have been exposed to narcotic drugs that were given to enhance the effect of the epidural. These narcotics can compromise the baby's respiratory efforts as the baby will have to metabolize them. Nobody is sure of what other short or long term effects the baby may suffer from.