It is important not to lie flat on your back during labour because this position can affect your circulation and blood pressure and make you feel faint. You should always lie on your side, or arrange a pillow to tilt your body to one side. This is not serious in itself but can cause a severe headache, which can be treated effectively. Infection following an epidural is extremely rare and if treated early with antibiotics usually recovers completely without complications. Epidurals are very safe when performed and managed properly.
Serious complications are extremely rare.
Minor complications such as lumbar puncture headache, are uncommon and are easily treated. Modern epidurals in labour usually combine a low concentration local anaesthetic with a morphine-related pain relieving drug such as fentanyl. If you require a Caesarean Section, then epidural anaesthesia will allow you to remain awake and see your baby as soon as it is born. Your partner or friend can usually come into the operating room with you, and you may both nurse the baby soon after delivery. As with epidurals during labour, an epidural for Caesarean Section does not eliminate all sensation, and you will know that you are having an operation, even though you can not feel any pain.