Are epidurals dangerous to me and/or my baby?

As the epidural drug kicks in, some women experience a drop in blood pressure, so yours will be checked frequently. IV fluids and lying on your side will help counteract any dips. Very rarely, an epidural causes a headache, fever or soreness. The opioids in the epidural may also make you feel itchy (which can be taken care of with another medication) and, in rare cases, cause nausea and vomiting. In extremely rare cases, epidurals can injure the spinal cord and nerves and result in breathing problems. And in the very, very rare case that the needle and drugs hit a vein instead of a nerve, it can cause numbness, tingling or rapid heartbeat. Epidurals are often a combination of anesthetics and opioid analgesics, the latter of which can increase the chance that your baby will have a temporary change in heart rate, trouble breathing, drowsiness and reduced muscle tone, and it may initially make it trickier to latch on and breastfeed. These possible issues are only in the short term and don't last long, but for that reason, continuous fetal monitoring is usually required with an epidural.