Has anyone heard of this or had it done? Is this very common today?

Removal of pain without drowsiness or muscle weakness

Over the past twenty years, there have been many advances in the field of obstetric anesthesia. There are now many options for providing pain relief in labor, and many of these are available at Roosevelt Hospital. Most often, women in labor want analgesia, the removal of pain sensation without causing a change in consciousness and without causing weakness to your legs or abdomen. To reduce labor pain, we attempt to make you as comfortable as possible, without producing the motor block that might affect your ability to push the baby out.

The walking epidural

A typical epidural is begun after you are given a tiny shot of local anesthetic. Then, a small plastic tube is introduced into the epidural space, just outside of the spinal canal. Anesthetic is delivered continuously through the plastic tube. Pain from the uterus and birth canal is numbed, while you remain awake and alert.

An alternative way of doing an epidural, the walking epidural or "combined spinal-epidural analgesia"(CSE) technique, is offered at Roosevelt Hospital.

This procedure produces pain relief without causing numbness or weakness to the legs and so it allows women to move about, and if desired, to get out of bed and walk during the early stages of labor.

Walking is not permitted in all patients. Many women, however, enjoy the benefits of the walking epidural even without strolling the halls. They are able to sit in a rocking chair next to the bed, for example. The largest advantage of the "walking" epidural is that your legs will move normally, and you should have no difficulty when the time arrives to push your baby out.