I would also guess that pain management during labor and birth leads to reduced maternal stress which leads to reduced fetal stress, healthier fetus, less odds of complications, healthier baby and healthier mother. Just a guess though.
The opposing viewpoint might be the known risks of the epidural directly to the baby.
* Epidurals may cause your blood pressure to suddenly drop. For this reason your blood pressure will be routinely checked to help ensure an adequate blood flow to your baby. If there is a sudden drop in blood pressure, you may need to be treated with IV fluids, medications, and oxygen.
* Other studies suggest that a baby might experience respiratory depression, fetal malpositioning, and an increase in fetal heart rate variability, thus increasing the need for forceps, vacuum, cesarean deliveries and episiotomies.
There is no 'may' about it. It is generally fentanyl, one of the most powerful opioids.
Try doing a hit of fentanyl via IV and see what your blood pressure is.
I hate the way the medical community makes words like 'may', 'could' so intentionally vague. Could mean 90% chance, could mean 1%, depending on the context. It's like speaking a doublespeak.
