Supporting a Woman with an Epidural

Just because she got an epidural doesn’t mean your work is over. She still needs a great deal of help from you as she labors.

• Never leave her alone (unless she says otherwise). Just because her pain is gone, doesn’t mean she’s not going through the emotions of labor. If you need to make a phone call or grab something to eat, see if the nurse can sit with her for a few minutes.

• Offer her sips of water. Her mouth still gets dry with or without the epidural and small sips of water keeps her comfortable.

• Let her rest. If it’s been a long labor up to this point, she may want to try to sleep. Help her get comfortable with pillows and positions. Turn down the lights and/or offer her something to place over her eyes.

• Help her change positions frequently. One of the biggest complaints about the epidural is that it causes back pain. While it may, chances are the back and hip pain after birth is caused by staying the same position for too long. It’s highly recommended women with epidurals change positions about every 30 minutes. This also helps maintain pain relief from the epidural and may help wiggle the baby through the pelvis.

• She may still need your help. Depending on the kind of epidural you got, it can take a few contractions to kick in. In addition, the epidural works great in about 85% of women. This leaves about 15% of women not getting the pain relief they want. Even though she got the epidural, she may still help with breathing, massage and focusing. Remember, if the epidural’s not working how you want it to, talk to your nurse and anesthesia.

• She’ll need your help with pushing. While she's pushing the baby out, you may need to hold her legs, help her count, offer encouragement and keep her cool with water and compresses.