I read a letter in The Age today, written by an anaethsetist, that said the following:

- obese women are more likely to have birth complications (this I believe)
- obese women are harder to anaesthetise, especially in a rush
- therefore it is recommended that all obese women have a planned epi (or maybe other kinds of pain relief) during birth, to avoid a situation where it goes wrong in an emergency.
Maybe this anaesthetist is trying to justify another use for his/her services, thereby ensure his / her income stream?

Do your own research and come to your own conclusions. I'm waiting for the day when TENS, Calmbirth, waterbirth etc are promoted as much as epidurals are, for pain relief in labour.