Regina doula says epidural catheter shortage a worry for expectant parents

Worries are piling up – slowly or quickly – for parents in Saskatchewan after the health authority announced an epidural catheter shortage that could affect pain management for people giving birth.

“It’s a big worry for people who totally had the plan to use an epidural as part of their birth and, of course, it’s a minor worry for people who were planning absolutely not to use any pain medications. So it really depends on what people had planned going in,” explained Angie Evans, a birth doula and prenatal teacher in Regina.

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) announced it’s preparing for a continent-wide shortage of the kind of catheters used in epidurals. As a result, people in labour and giving birth could be affected.

The SHA was encouraging parents-to-be to discuss their birth plan with their doctors.

Evans said even people who weren’t planning on using an epidural are a bit concerned about this.

“One of the most common fears going into birth is the fear of pain. It is very common, and people are very reassured to know that if they’re giving birth in a place that offers epidurals, that that’s going to be an option for them,” said Evans.

However, Evans said there are other ways to deal with the pain of childbirth and she has always recommended that people have another plan.

“The reality is that epidurals are not available everywhere, they’re not available instantly – sometimes they’re really fast but sometimes someone has to wait for the anesthesiologist to finish up somewhere else – and once in a while, this is uncommon, but once in a while the epidural doesn’t work the way they planned,” she explained.

Evans pointed to things like a bath, nitrous oxide gas, and things a partner can do like particular squeezing and massaging.

“When someone changes positions, labour can feel completely different or when someone’s pressing on their sacrum, around the tailbone area, a contraction can feel completely different,” said Evans.

But she also said that nothing really replaces an epidural.

At the same time, Evans praised the staff at the General Hospital in Regina, saying many of them know a lot about these things and they do a good job of making sure people are safe and well looked after.

“If someone’s really suffering, I’m sure (the hospital staff) will have something else they can do … They’re going to make sure people who really need (an epidural) for medical reasons are going to be cared for,” said Evans