The obstetrical anesthesiologist primarily provides pain relief for laboring women by placing an epidural catheter. The procedure is usually easily performed and takes 5-10 minutes. Should a laboring patient require a cesarean section, the epidural can often be used to provide surgical anesthesia as well. Epidural anesthesia is a safe and effective means of providing pain relief for women in labor. Risks of epidural catheter placement are usually minimal and your anesthesiologist will be happy to detail these risks for you.
Epidural anesthesia is also generally safe for the unborn baby.
Another method of providing surgical anesthesia for cesarean is the use of subarachnoid block, or spinal anesthesia. This is generally a quick procedure that blocks all surgical pain. Both spinal and epidural anesthesia allow the patient to remain awake and enjoy the newborn baby. If an emergency cesarean section is required, the anesthesiologist may need to employ general anesthesia, where the patient is completely asleep. During general anesthesia, the patient is given medicines through an intravenous line to produce complete unconsciousness.