Pain-free Birth : Inside, Out Of Epidural

Children provide joy but the procedure is most at times a bitter pill to swallow for some women. It can be very painful at the labour stage, reason why, specialists have developed methods to relief the pains. Prof. Agnès Esiéné, Chief of Anaesthesiology in the Maternity of the Yaounde Central Hospital tells us that the most widespread of these techniques is epidural analgesia, which involves injecting a low concentration anesthetic or local anesthetic product into contact with the nerve roots. She says to get to this point, “there is need for collaboration between anesthesiologists, obstetricians and midwives”. The specialist adds that drugs and medical devices must be available and that the pregnant woman must be consulted by the anesthetists beforehand.
The health personal underlines that the material used is specially designed so as not to injure the nerve structures. “After anesthesia of the skin and the ligaments which facilitate the movements of the spine, a catheter is placed, which is a thin tube which allows the product to be injected until the delivery,” she states before adding that “during this time, a continuous monitoring of the condition of the mother and her fetus is ensured in order to recognize the warning signs or to lead the delivery”.
Asked of the advantages of this method, the medic tells us that it lies in the comfort it offers to the woman. She says women can move around during labour with ease. The medic adds that in maternity wards where this practice is systematic, we no longer hear screams in the corridors. Prof. Agnès Esiéné fu...