Mobile Epidural

Finally got a chance to ask my gynae about it today and he said no-one he knows does it
He was familiar with it, and said it had been popular for a short while but not in practice anymore as it's expensive to monitor and in his opinion unnecessary. I mentioned my fear that an epidural could stall labour and he said that is a common falsehood, that if you have dilated past 3cm you will continue to dilate.
So much conflicting information.
I'll do a little more research, but it doesn't seem like a possibility at this time.

Thanks Zaza, I'll see if I can get a copy and will chat to my gynae and see what can be arranged. All extra info is helpful in the decision making process!

This years "expectant mothers and fathers guide" (got my book at clicks) has all the types of epi's you can have in SA and they give great explanations and suggestions, according to the book it is being done in SA one would need to know the anaethesist the gynae is bringing in and discuss with both of them from there.

Hope it helps, mobile Epi from what I read in the book sounds good. it has the pro's and con's of all the Epi's etc in the book, helps us make a more informed choice!!

Thank you for the info! Seeing our doc for our first scan in 2 weeks time and will ask him if he's had any experience with mobile epidurals. My research hasn't turned up anything yet, but people might just not know to ask for it, or are possibly put off by cost restraints.

Hope that helps!

Hi all,

I'm looking into this too. It appears each woman responds differently to the medical cocktail in the mobile epidural, so there are no guarantees (as with all meds), but there are some anaesthetists in SA who can do it (I'm getting info from a lady in my church who found one and had this for her 3rd pregnancy, in JHB). I'll keep you posted on any details I get.

Some midwives tell you you won't be able to walk, just maybe pull your legs up into a sitting squat. That all depends though on dosage and personal response. I found a great website on epidurals in general, and a fascinating journal article on mobile epidurals done in low resource facilities that had great pain relief and excellent mobility (where they don't have enough nurses to stay with patients all the time). Take a look, and do share any other info you get too, this option really does seem the best of both worlds.

reference.sabinet.co.za/document/EJC167486 (if only the abstract appears you can download the full article using the button on the right margin, it's free and not very long)

www.allaboutepidural.com