Neuraxial Labour Analgesia

Labour pain is described as the most unbearable pain women have ever encountered, with the majority of parturient reporting it as severe or extremely severe. This stressful situation has an adverse effect on maternal and foetal metabolism. The optimal way of evidence-based pain management in labouring mothers is still being debated. Pain relief strategies have traditionally been classified as non-pharmacological, pharmacological, and regional. Inhalational agents, parenteral opioids, and nonopioids are examples of pharmacological techniques. The efficacy of hypnosis, biofeedback, sterile water injection, aromatherapy, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation is unknown due to a lack of robust evidence. Although many methods for treating pain during labour have been investigated, neuraxial analgesia has been regarded as unrivalled due to its demonstrated efficacy and adaptability with maternal satisfaction. One of the most frequently used neuraxial labour analgesia is the lumbar epidural. Lumbar epidural analgesia, also known as “mobile epidural” or “walking epidural”, aims to produce a selective sensory block from T10 to L1 while preserving motor supply to the lower extremities. The myths and controversies surrounding neuraxial labour analgesia for the woman and foetus must be dispelled. The proper monitoring of labouring women on neuraxial analgesia by multidisciplinary team is critical. Neuraxial analgesia side effects and complications must be recognised and addressed at the earliest.