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| Pregnancy & Birth
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Slow Motion
Will having an epidural slow down my labour?
Q Will having an epidural slow down my labour?
Arlina Zainal, Kew Drive
A Normally not. In fact, some patients experiencing slow labour due to uncoordinated uterine action may find that an epidural speeds up labour. However, an epidural may prolong the second stage of labour. In this phase, the baby's head is already very low in the birth canal and the mother needs to push to deliver her baby. With an epidural, the mother's final effort in pushing is affected as she does not have the urge to push. This prolonged stage may go on for more than an hour, and the mother may need an assisted delivery with the use of a vacuum (ventouse) or forceps. On a positive note, with modern day epidural techniques, the epidural will be finely tuned so that the mother can feel the baby's head in the birth passage and will still have the natural urge to push out her baby.
This question is answered by Dr Koh Chung Fai, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Mount Elizabeth Hospital.
If you have any comments or practical suggestions, write to us at editor@family.sg
- Mother & Baby
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