The video “Live birth: Epidural” acquaints the viewers with the process of childbirth using epidural anesthesia. The first time the audience meets Jackie – the main hero of the short movie, who is about to give birth – she lies in the hospital bed while medical staff checks her health status. That is the initial stage of the labor progression, during which the hospital professionals analyze contractions intensity, cervix dilation and effacement, and the baby’s heart rate. The examination results reveal that Jackie is indeed going to give birth, and thus, she is moved from the maternity unit exam room to the delivery room.
There the future mom gets her epidural anesthesia and receives some physical and emotional support from a doula. The former is needed to reduce the level of pain during contractions. The epidural procedure is conducted by inserting a small plastic tube into the lower part of the spine through the needle, which allows a patient receive pain medication. After anesthesia, Jackie can finally relax for some time before she is ready to give birth.
In this regard, the preparedness of the mother is determined through cervix dilation. When it reaches the width of 10cm, the most important part of labor begins – which is childbirth. For Jackie, the transition from 6 (when she just arrived at the hospital) to 10 cm accounted for approximately 6 hours. Then, to make the contractions stronger and more effective, the obstetrician-gynecologist artificially breaks the patient’s water. Therefore, Jackie enters the second stage of labor, which is called pushing. Finally, after the baby is born, the third and last step includes placenta delivery and examining the newborn’s health.
In summary, it can be concluded that the labor process using epidural anesthesia is very close to the natural birth. The difference is that medication helps to reduce a patient’s level of pain significantly. However, although the method under review has its own advantages, there are also certain drawbacks such as low blood pressure, increased difficulty in pushing the baby, and headache, to name a few. Moreover, this option may not be available to all women due to certain health-related restrictions.