Ultrasound may make labor epidurals quicker and more accurate

This study tests whether using an ultrasound to mark the best spot on a woman's back early in labor helps doctors place the epidural needle correctly on the first try. One hundred pregnant women will have their backs marked either by ultrasound or by feeling the spine with hands. A different doctor, who doesn't know which method was used, then performs the epidural. The goal is to see if ultrasound reduces needle attempts and procedure time.