Epidural-Related Deaths in Childbirth on the Rise, but Still Rare

I'm inclined to agree. An increase of 1.3 deaths per million over a nearly 11-year period isn't precisely an epidemic. Anything to keep people living in needless fear.

An epidural is not a harmless procedure. I had one and would never have one again. If they don't tell you not to sit up or get up for several hours after having an epidural or monitor you to make sure you don't, you'll wind up with excruciating headaches that will effect your equilibrium. I was left alone in a recovery room and got out of bed to go to the bathroom. The horrible headaches took 2 months to go away and it was hard for me to enjoy my baby. When I was getting my master's degree, in conversation, one of my college professors mentioned a friend of his who was having severe headaches after having surgery. Sure enough, the guy had had an epidural. This type of anethesia is far from harmless. I had my 2nd child without anesthesia and would rather have 10 children by natural childbirth than experience the headaches I had due to the epidural.

Holly, you are an idiot. Just because your experience was not a pleasant one, does not mean the other million people who have an epidural will not be safe. I doubt you are a scientist or anything important, so no one wants to hear about your personal ideas pertaining to hard facts. Logic would tell you that these studies are often flawed and if you are gonna get your scientific info from this website then I am afraid for the education of your children.

Highly educated people don't usually argue on the internet................just sayin'

Sandi: I agree with you philosophically, but my own reality was that I needed to have my two births be C-section. Ironicaly, I am a huge proponant of natural childbirth. My pregnancies failed to progress and I was in stage 3 labor for hours and hours. In both cases, my babies were showing signs of distress and the doctor eventualy had to "take" them. I am so glad he did. He had tears in his eyes when he told me he felt that was what needed to be done becasue he was also a believer of natural childbirth. But I had an epidural, my husband was there with me and in both cases my babies were born safely. My daughter (the first born) came out purple / blue, with the chord wrapped around her neck and they had to revive her. But today, my daughter and son are 25 and 21 and both are not only surviving, but are thriving and both have received high accolades in terms of their academic achievements (meaning there was no brain damage as a result of their traumatic births). In contrast, I know of a few cases where at all costs, the babies were delivered "naturally" and these babies now have cerebral palsey (a lack of oxygen situation). In these cases, the mothers were told they must and could deliver their babies with natural childbirth no matter what, even though their babies were showing signs of distress. I am still a beliver of natural childbirth. But let's take the doctor and midwife and natural childbirth organization ego out of the equation and do what is best for the individual patient with each individual birth. The stakes are too high.

on the outside i look as if i could give birth in the fields like in the old days then go back to work. unfortunately, it wasn't until after 28 hrs of active labor that they x-rayed and found i could only vaginally deliver a baby about 2 lbs due to a skeletal malformation in my lower spine, pelvis area.

my son was born under general anesthesia in 1984. when my daughter was born 1986, it was a planned c-section with an epidural. it only worked on the left half of me, but it was still worth it: to see her born, to be aware and awake and not coming out of general anasthesia afterwards.

please don't paint all woman with the same brush; 100 yrs ago my son might have died and me too.

YES OUR BODIES WERE BUILT FOR CHILD BIRTH, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, AS A PUNISHMENT HANDED DOWN FROM GOD, CHILDBIRTH WAS MADE TO BE EXTREMELY PAINFUL ON THE MOTHER (GEN 3:16)...

So, judging from one woman to another, on how they should personally handle the pain of childbirth is rediculus. Some of us can birth a child and deal with the pain, others of us cannot handle the extreme pain... AND THATS OK!

To any woman considering having an epidural, dont let comments like that affect your decision, or make you feel as if you are any less of a woman. DO WHAT YOU FEEL IS RIGHT!

I have had 5 epidurals, 1 went bad. All 5 of my children were born healthy, and are now happy, smart, and healthy children.

TO EACH THIER OWN!

and you are being an arrogant, ignorant part of a man's anatomy!

Everyone's threshold for pain is different sweetheart. I wonder what your reaction would be if you had an excrutiating disease that required medication. Still gonna be a big mouthed wiseass? Doubt it.

you are an ugly person with a makeshift pickle size penis, hmmmm?

Dear kathyftrannys, either you didn't graduate at the top of your class, or you're just trying to stir the pot; either way, you fail at the game of life. Some women have epidurals by choice and others do not.

Well, you and your baby could die just as easily without the epidural... You could hemorrhage to death, suffer from hypovolemic shock, heart attack, amniotic fluid embolism, uterine rupture, sepsis, etc... I could go on all day... So, don't let one bad experience create a phobia of an epidural; if you're going to do that, you might as well not have anymore children... Don't be ignorant!!