Henci,

As an educator I always include the information about the "epidural fever" which is a side-effect that natural birth advocates always include.  I have seen stats in around the 15% area for this. 

But I have to say-- some of my doula colleaugues and I have talked and we represent a good number of births, and certainly quite a few epidurals-- and none of us have ever seen it (as far as we know). 

Yesterday I was with a woman in labor who after 3 days decided to choose an epidural and developed a fever maybe 2 or 3 hours later-- and I said "aha!" -- but then the OB and Ped decided it was chorioamnionitis (which I know is what they always blame it on) but the smell of the amniotic fluid that came out after the birth was -- well, not dreadful, but unusually foul in my experience, so it makes sense to me that there was an infection.  I want to follow up with the family when they came home as to what they may know, but so far it's not sounding like epidural fever.

I just want to know why we have not seen it-- have they emproved the drug cocktail perhaps?

Thanks,

Shayna