Effects of Analgesic Techniques on Duration of Spontaneously Laboring Patients

The purpose of this study is to determine if there is a difference in the duration of the first stage of labor in nulliparous women in spontaneous labor with whom analgesia is maintained with a combined spinal epidural (CSE) technique versus nulliparous women in spontaneous labor with whom an epidural de novo technique is utilized. The investigators hypothesize that the duration of the first stage of labor will be no different in nulliparous patients who receive either intrathecal fentanyl or intrathecal fentanyl and bupivacaine, as part of a CSE technique. However, the duration of the first stage of labor will be shorter in parturients who receive intrathecal analgesia (as part of a CSE technique) compared to those who receive an epidural de novo technique with fentanyl and bupivacaine.