The risks of anesthesia always make many pregnant women uneasy before giving birth. Is anesthesia really that scary? Is anesthesia safe during childbirth? Only when pregnant women understand some basic knowledge of childbirth anesthesia in advance can they cooperate more with the doctor and go through the childbirth process with peace of mind.
Is anesthesia safe during childbirth?
Part1 The role and necessity of anesthesia. Is anesthesia necessary during childbirth? Experts point out that caesarean section basically requires anesthesia, while natural delivery is only required when the mother chooses painless delivery. Because anesthesia is an invasive procedure, there are certain side effects and complications. But in fact, anesthetics are used to help mothers through the delivery process, reduce pain, and help maintain the lives of mothers and fetuses in the event of obstetric complications or emergencies. Therefore, after understanding the necessity and risks of anesthesia, pregnant women do not need to be afraid of anesthesia. As long as the anesthesia surgery is performed in a regular hospital, there will generally be no problems.
Part2 Anesthesia methods commonly used in production The anesthesia methods commonly used in production include regional anesthesia and general anesthesia, both of which have their own advantages, disadvantages, indications and contraindications.
1 Regional anesthesia
The anesthesia method used in production is basically regional anesthesia, of which spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia are the most commonly used. Generally speaking, the risk is low, but the mother\’s cooperation is required to participate in the delivery. Spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia are commonly known as \”semi-systemic anesthesia\”. The mother needs to lie on her side, bend over and hold her knees in a \”shrimp\” shape. After anesthesia, the abdomen and lower limbs are numb and you cannot exert force, but you can participate in delivery when you are conscious. General anesthesia won\’t work. Since the anesthetic acts on the mother\’s nerves and directly inhibits the conduction of pain, it can achieve a good analgesic effect and has almost no impact on the mother and baby. However, side effects such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, chest tightness, and trembling may occur, among which spinal anesthesia is more likely to occur.
Although local anesthesia is relatively safe, there are many contraindications to its use. If the mother has coagulation problems, such as unexplained congestion and bleeding points in the body, or the wound is small but the bleeding does not stop, it is not suitable to undergo partial anesthesia; if the mother has some gynecological emergencies, such as maternal hemorrhage, placental separation, prolapse, etc., it is more suitable General anesthesia has a quick effect; if the mother suffers from heart disease such as aortic stenosis or mitral stenosis, general anesthesia is more suitable due to its special physiological changes. In addition, when the mother is unable to cooperate with the delivery, it is not appropriate to undergo partial anesthesia.
2 General anesthesia
General anesthesia has the advantage of \”complete the operation as soon as you wake up\”. It is not easy for the mother to wake up during the operation or after the operation under regional anesthesia. Only after all the anesthetic drugs have been metabolized, the mother will wake up, but she will feel pain immediately at the same time, so we often say that general anesthesia is \”pleasure first and pain later\”.
Because general anesthesia involves administering anesthetic drugs intravenously, these drugs may enter the fetus through the placental bloodstream while the fetus is anesthetized while the mother is asleep. General anesthesia requires endotracheal intubation. If it fails, it cannot be providedWithout good ventilation, mother and fetus will be at risk of hypoxia. In addition, the mother will immediately lose some protective mechanisms after sedative-hypnotics are given during the induction of general anesthesia. At this time, if the mother vomits, the vomitus may be inhaled into the lungs, causing aspiration pneumonia and causing the lungs to be unable to ventilate normally. It can be seen that the risks of general anesthesia are very high for both the mother and the fetus, and mothers should try to avoid the use of general anesthesia.
Part3 Trust the doctor to give birth smoothly
Some mothers will say, \”I\’m afraid of anesthesia but not surgery.\” The doctor reminds mothers that anesthesia is not scary, and only anesthesia can carry out the operation smoothly. It can help mothers relieve pain and assist mothers in welcoming the arrival of their newborns. Doctors will do their best to ensure the safety of mother and baby. Although anesthesia may have some uncomfortable side effects, doctors try to minimize these side effects to ensure that women are comfortable and safe. Therefore, trust the doctor, prepare bravely, and happily welcome the rare birth process in life!