💛 Mum · Birth day
🚪 Where to stand when the epidural goes in
Whether you can stay during an epidural depends on your partner's wishes, the clinical situation and your Kenyan hospital's policy. Ask the maternity team where you can safely support your partner without obstructing care.
Why the team may need space
- Infection prevention: the anaesthetist prepares a sterile area, which you must not touch.
- Safe working space: staff need access to your partner, monitoring equipment and supplies.
- A contact plan: know where to wait and how staff will let you know you can return.
Support before, during and after
1. Ask before the procedure
Check whether your partner wants you present and ask staff about their policy. Let them know if needles or medical procedures make you faint.
2. Follow the team's positioning advice
If you stay, stand or sit where directed, often near your partner's head. Offer a calm voice or a hand if wanted; do not touch equipment or the prepared area.
3. If asked to leave, stay reachable
Step out promptly and confirm where to wait. Take a breath, drink some water or use the toilet if staff say there is time.
4. Check in when you return
Ask what feels helpful and follow staff advice about movement. Pain relief can take time and may need adjustment; tell the team if your partner remains uncomfortable or feels unwell.
Classic mistakes
- ❌ Treating a request for space as rejection It is about the care being provided, not your value as a parent. You can ask for an explanation without delaying the procedure.
- ❌ Promising instant pain relief Experiences vary. Reassure your partner that the anaesthesia team can assess how well the epidural is working.
A local detail, or your own experience with this guide? Write to the team
Same topic
- Employment Act
- Birth registration
- Civil Registration Services
- SHA and SHIF
- Mother Child Health Handbook
- Emergency services
- ART bill status
- Parentage judgment
When in doubt, contact your doctor or midwife. For a life-threatening emergency, call 999 or 112.