As Boca Raton’s Birth Photographer, I’ve had the opportunity to witness mothers getting both epidurals and spinals over 9 years of 200+ births I have photographed. While a majority of the epidurals I have witnessed have been where an Anesthesiologists comes into the labor and delivery room wheeling a medical ‘cart’ with several drawers into the room, and asks that everyone leaves the room, some Anesthesiologists have agreed for my birth photography client’s spouse or partner to stay with them in the room, but many times, I am asked to leave, along with the spouse/partner and another other family/friends/doula my client had at in her LD room. Though on occasion I have been able to stay in the room to witness the entire procedure. For spinals and c-sections, every spinal administration is done in the operating room and because the mother is usually sitting on the operating room bed facing the door where the window is, all you can see is the Anesthesiologist standing behind her during the administration procedure, so I am not actually sure how different it will appear from the epidural photo I captured you can see below. Though in nearly every case of epidural and spinal tap, I have seen nearly every mother completely numb nearly instantly following a spinal tap, whereas epidurals have ranged vastly from woman to woman, and even from pregnancy to pregnancy in the same woman. Epidurals, from every birth I have attended, are not intended to act like a spinal tap, completely numbing the lower half of your body where you literally cannot move your legs at all. Instead, with an epidural, you should still have some movement of your legs, though depending on how powerfully it affects you, it is possible to be more numb. Below are some guidelines for the differences between an epidural and a spinal tap, based off information available online, as well as a spin with my own experiences.
Majority of the time, my Birth Photography clients delivering in a labor and delivery room will receive an epidural. Sometimes, when the epidural is not effective enough to provide enough relief to my client, I have had a handful of clients need to get a spinal tap, though rare.
With my C-Section clients delivering in the operating room, majority of the time they get a spinal tap once they enter the operating room, with the exception of clients who already had a good epidural (strong enough for surgery) in place prior to going into the operating room for their c-section, such as a client who was planning a vaginal delivery in a labor and delivery room but unexpectedly needed to go to the operating room to have a c-section.
Epidural and spinal taps (also known as spinal blocks or spinal anesthesia) are both medical procedures involving the administration of anesthesia or pain relief by an Anesthesiologist in Boca Raton Hospital, but they have distinct differences in their administration, purpose, and effects.
Epidural:
Administration:
Purpose:
Pain Relief: Epidurals are commonly used for pain relief during labor and delivery, surgery, or certain medical conditions causing chronic pain. (Alternatives: Nitrous Oxide Therapy During Childbirth)
Effects:
Area of Effect: Epidurals provide pain relief to a broader area of the body, such as the lower abdomen and pelvic region.
Duration:
Duration of Action: Epidurals can be used for extended periods, providing continuous pain relief if needed.
Spinal Tap (Spinal Block):
Administration:
Location: The spinal canal, directly into the cerebrospinal fluid.
Purpose:
Anesthesia: Spinal taps are primarily used for surgical anesthesia or specific medical procedures requiring lower body numbness.
Effects:
Area of Effect: Spinal taps provide a more localized and intense form of anesthesia. They affect a smaller, specific area, leading to more profound numbness.
Duration:
Duration of Action: Spinal taps are often used for shorter durations compared to epidurals, making them suitable for procedures with a quicker timeframe.
Key Differences between an Epidural and a Spinal Tap / Spinal Block
Site of Administration: The primary distinction lies in the location where the medication is injected. Epidurals are administered in the epidural space outside the spinal cord's membrane, while spinal taps are directly injected into the cerebrospinal fluid within the spinal canal.
Area of Effect: Epidurals provide a wider area of pain relief, making them suitable for procedures or conditions that require a broader coverage. Spinal taps, on the other hand, offer a more localized and intense form of anesthesia.
Catheter Use: Epidurals often involve the placement of a catheter for continuous administration, allowing for prolonged pain relief. Spinal taps typically involve a single injection for a specific procedure or surgery.
In summary, while both epidurals and spinal taps involve the administration of anesthesia or pain relief in the spinal region, the choice between them depends on the medical context, the required duration of action, and the specific area of the body that needs to be affected.
As a gentle reminder, I do not provide and do not promise any medical advice nor medical assistance and this is information easily accessible on google to anyone who searches. Any information written on my blog as a non-professional and no-medical advice capacity and assumes no responsibility for the choices a person makes with regards to their pregnancy, labor, birth, baby and/or post partum.
Other Questions to ask your OBGYN during your third trimester before you give birth
If you are planning to discuss epidurals and spinal taps with your OBGYN or Certified Nurse Midwife, here is a list of other questions worth asking during your first, second and third trimester to be sure your OBGYN / Midwife’s plan for your birth is in-line with what you feel comfortable with as well as what your and your spouse/partner’s preferences for you and your baby may be, link is clickable:
Questions to Ask OBGYN/Midwife during initial consultation (clickable link)
(these are a list of questions to ask when you are interviewing various doctors and midwives and practices to choose who will be your delivery team)
Questions to Ask your OBGYN/Midwife during first/second and third trimesters (clickable link)
(these are a list of questions to ask when you are already working with a specific doctor or midwife during your pregnancy)
