Epidural allows faster mobility recovery

There may be a way to get out of bed in less than an hour after giving birth. There is another kind of epidural available that doctors say allows mothers to regain their mobility faster.

“They can tell what’s going on, they can tell when to push, they know when to stop pushing, they can feel where their baby is,” says Todd Merkley, CRNA at Mountain View Hospital.

The difference is the type of needle that is used.

“This is a Tuohy Needle. It’s a modified Tuohy Needle, it has a little hole in the very end of it. Once I find the epidural space I can slide this needle through it,” says Merkley.

Which allows for a quicker recovery time compared to traditional epidurals.

“With this CSE technique, we dose the epidural so patients have a lot of motor-strength after the patient delivers and we pull the epidural catheter patient recovers much faster. There is some variability in patients anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour later. Patients are able to get up and move around without any weakness in their legs.”

Emma was born this today with the help of this type of epidural.

“I actually had her this morning at 5:45,” says Amy Clark, Emma’s mother.

She says it had a fast effect.

“It’s actually been nice. It took effect really quickly with not a lot of side effects and it was as pleasant an experience for giving birth that is,” says Clark.

And she says she was able to have more control.

“You have movement in your legs that a lot of times you wouldn’t have normally so it gives you more control when it’s time to push. You can actually feel yourself giving birth instead of being numb the entire time.”

The staff at Mountain View says that although it may be possible to walk right after getting the epidural, they do not allow their patients to do so or encourage it.