How safe are epidurals?
The general consensus seems to be that epidurals are, basically, safe. A quick trawl through Mumsnet reveals that, of those who had an epidural, very few experienced any complications. Then again, none of them had an epidural fed into their arm like Mayra Cabrera. On Monday, an inquest heard that she died of an epidural-induced heart attack after giving birth to son Zac in a Swindon hospital. In reality, this terrible mistake is not one most labouring women expect to happen to them. The pro of an epidural is, obviously, no more pain during childbirth and when you are having contractions the size of a Vesuvian eruption, this seems immensely important. So what if you can get a bruised back/blood clots/infection? You’d risk anything to take the pain away. When I had my first son, it was so excruciating it never occurred to me that I wouldn’t normally let someone sink a needle the size of a hornet’s sting into my spine. I just felt the cold liquid travel down my back and then, no more pain
