Any drug used during the labour and delivery gets to the baby. Plus, epidurals can slow labour leading to an increased possibility of a cesarean. An epidural also takes away a woman's profound urge to push, and she may need to rely on a nurse's command or a machine to help her give birth. Here, forceps and vacuum suction on the baby's head may be required for delivery. That is why preparation before labour and delivery is crucial.
Preparation includes getting in touch with both the body and the mind.
To start, a woman could try and assess her fears about her body, her preconceptions about birth and parenting, and her own insecurities related to pregnancy, the baby, etc. Writing these things down really helps to draw out the fears and replace them with confidence. What is needed is to shift paradigms. Women need to recognize the wonders of their own body and hold tight the conviction that their body knows what to do. Used under License.