Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by tootie 1854 days ago
Lol, you know epidurals only last as long as they're administered right? As soon as the baby and placenta are out, they stop the flow and feeling starts coming back pretty quickly. The doc can also adjust the level of meds on the fly to allow enough sensation to facilitate pushing. And mom just stays in a hospital bed until it's safe anyway.
1 comments
souprock 1854 days ago
It's not just about injury after the birth. It's about injury during the birth.

As soon as the baby and placenta are out, it's too late to avoid injury during childbirth. It is no longer possible to let pain be guidance for minimization of injury. The chance was missed.

link
jac241 1854 days ago
"Epidural analgesia had no impact on the risk of caesarean section or long-term backache, and did not appear to have an immediate effect on neonatal status as determined by Apgar scores or in admissions to neonatal intensive care." - Cochrane meta analysis: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD....

Have you seen a childbirth, and one without an epidural? There's so much pain that it's not going to be guiding anything. Physicians monitor the status of the infant via fetal heart rate monitoring and monitor the progression of the delivery.

link
souprock 1853 days ago
Your study does not address all types of injury.

I have seen more than a childbirth. I have 12 kids.

The most miserable and painful birth was in a hospital. That birth featured pain medication, fetal heart rate monitoring, beeping machines, and a prison-like situation with doors that locked us in. My wife was in pain for months afterward. We learned our lesson and didn't do another hospital birth.

The other 11 births were definitely not "so much pain", but pain did guide my wife to be careful. She was always up and about right afterward, without pain. One time she walked around town doing errands the next day.

link