• Question: How do epidurals numb the pain of labour?

    Asked by green to Gemma on 19 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Gemma Sharp

      Gemma Sharp answered on 19 Jun 2011:

      Hi green, thanks for the question (sorry I couldn’t answer it in the live chat the other day. I thought I’d need a bit more time to give you a good answer!)

      Some women choose to have an epidural during labour to numb the pain. An epidural is the injection of pain-relieving drugs into the ‘epidural space’ near the spinal cord. There are loads of nerves in the spinal cord, so injecting the drugs there stops the nerves transmitting pain signals to the brain.

      It’s a relatively safe way of relieving pain in labour, but it can sometimes mean it takes a bit longer to deliver the baby.

      Hope that answered your question, let me know if you want to know anything else 🙂

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