Lying Down Position Results More In Spontaneous Vaginal Delivery In Nulliparous On Epidural Anaesthesia

As the most effective form of pain relief in labour, epidural analgesia is chosen by approximately 30% of women in the UK each year, and this proportion has remained relatively stable over the past decade. Epidural analgesia leads to prolongation of the second stage of labour (from full dilation of the cervix until birth) and an increased risk of instrumental vaginal delivery.

However, this evidence comes mostly from trials that used epidural techniques which cause dense neuraxial blockade which limit mobility during labor so more maternal & baby complications. Epidurals that use low dose local anaesthetic in combination with opioids result in a lower risk of instrumental vaginal delivery, but the rate of such delivery is still higher than among women with no epidural.Maternal position during the second stage of labour has been suggested to affect the risk of instrumental vaginal…