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Is the routine use of drugs during childbirth good or bad? Check out this information and decide for yourself.
Epidural Anaesthesia
In 1981 Rosenblatt published a six-week follow-up of the effects of epidural anaesthesia, which showed that immediately after delivery, infants with greater exposure to bupivacaine in utero were most likely to be cyanotic and unresponsive to their surroundings. Visual skills and alertness decreased significantly with increases in the cord-blood concentration of bupivacaine, particularly on the first day of life but also throughout the next six weeks. Adverse effects of bupivacaine levels on the infant's motor organisation, his ability to control his own state of consciousness and his physiological response to stress were also observed. Interestingly, this study considered six weeks to be "long-term," but what are the long-term effects at 5, 10, 20 or 50 years?
Women who choose water for pain relief have been warned that a rise in the water temperature over 37° C could cause a rise in the mother's temperature and result in brain damage in the babies, with no research evidence whatsoever to support that suggestion. As a result, many UK hospitals have refused women access to water pools. However, research by Lieberman (1997) revealed that intrapartum fever greater than 100.4° F occurred in 14.5 percent of women receiving an epidural. If the labours lasted longer than 18 hours the rate increased to 36 percent. Not a single paediatrician has expressed concern about this risk
From Drugs in Labour - by Beverley Lawrence Beech. his paper was presented at the Midwives of North America (MANA) Conference in November 1998, and appeared in Midwifery Today Issue 50, Summer 1999.
Articles from Midwifery Today
- Drugs in Labour - by Beverley Lawrence Beech
- Childbirth is a normal physiological event. However, since the advent of universal hospitalisation, for the majority of women childbirth has been transformed into a medical event where labour is processed, monitored and controlled by the medical profession from beginning to end.
- Misoprostol (Cytotec) for Labor Induction: A Cautionary Tale - by Marsden Wagner, MD, MSPH
- The experimental use of misoprostol (Cytotec) to induce labor is putting an increasing number of pregnant women at risk without their knowledge or consent. Cytotec, a cheap prescription drug for ulcers, is not FDA approved for labor induction and has been linked to uterine rupture and fetal tachycar
- Cytotec Induction and Off-Label Use - by Marsden Wagner, MD, MS
- Without adequate testing of Cytotec (misoprostol) for labor induction, obstetricians simply began to use it on their birthing women. They were taking advantage of a huge loophole in our drug regulatory system.
- E-News 2:36 - Cytotec
- An archived issue of Midwifery Today E-News
- Out of the Womb, Into the Fire - by Jock Doubleday
- ...it was with some dismay that I read Nina Shapiro's article “Birth Control” in The Seattle Weekly. In this article, Shapiro advocates the use of anaesthetic drugs for childbirth - on the grounds that these drugs are safe for both mother and baby.
- Adverse Events Following Misoprostol Induction of Labor - by Marsden Wagner, MD, MS
- Off-label use of misoprostol (Cytotec) for labor induction has been steadily increasing for 10 years, even though this use is approved neither by the U.S. [FDA], other national drug regulatory agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, the Cochrane Library nor a number of national obstetric organization
- Just Say No to Drugs - by Esther Marilus
- The author explains how conclusions from a study of early versus late epidurals are flawed and what the study really shows.
- Editorial: Drugs in Labor - by Jan Tritten
- My soul is flooded with grief. My frustration overwhelms me. I cry for countless mothers and babies—for the births that could be. I am overwhelmed because I have felt the strong light of a powerful birth.
What do you know about drugs in labor?
Order Midwifery Today 71 (Autumn 2004) and read what Marsden Wagner has to say about misoprostol induction of labor. You'll also find an overview of drugs in labor by Sarah J. Buckley. Other articles include HIV and Pregnancy, Compassionate C-section, and Did Immunizations Kill My Babies?. This issue is an important resource for anyone who wants to learn more about this pressing topic.
Audio Tapes from Midwifery Today
Epidural Epidemic with Marsden Wagner, M.D. and Penny Simkin, PT
Epidemics: Epidural, Ultrasound, Cytotec and More with Penny Simkin and Judy Edmunds
Non-Pharmacological Methods of Pain Relief with Penny Simkin, PT
Strategies for Keeping Birth Normal in First Stage with Penny Simkin, PT, Anne Frye, Virginia Jackson, CNM, Valerie El Halta, Jan Tritten and Mabel Dzata
