Epidurals and Cesareans
I found this interview with Dr. Aaron Caughey, by Kate Fillion, enlightening as well as fascinating. If you are considering using an epidural, I strongly encourage you to read this!!!
Dr. Caughey says, “The epidural slows labour down. Many times, in the first stage, after an epidural you’ll see a decrease in the rate of contractions. In the second stage it’s blockading your nerves, so you have less motor strength and can’t push as hard.”
Q: Is there an incentive for a physician to order a C-section even if it’s the woman’s first pregnancy?
A: The physician doesn’t make that much more for a Caesarean delivery, about 10 per cent more in the U.S. For the physician, the main incentive is related to time and convenience. If I’m on call all weekend, and I’ve got somebody in labour who’s been six centimetres dilated for a couple of hours and it’s 5 p.m. on a Friday—well, if I do a C-section now, I might get to leave the hospital to see my family. If I give her two more hours, and she dilates further, that still doesn’t mean she’s ready to deliver. It could be midnight before she’s completely dilated, and then she could push for three or four hours, and at the end, I’m paid about the same as if I’d just done the C-section 12 hours earlier.
Dr. Aaron Caughey on labour and how epidurals changed childbirth…a must read!!!
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