Pain Relief in Labour and Delivery
By: andrew001whiteTotal Views: 256, Word Count: 520,
The joy of birth is always colored with the fear of pain during labour. Pain during labour is quite natural and every woman is unique in the ability to handle the level of pain. Pain tolerance varies from woman to woman. Some women dread childbirth to the extent of demanding a caesarean section instead of going through natural childbirth. But nowadays obstetrics offers you many choices for pain relief in labour and delivery.
The common methods of pain relief in labour are:
- Breathing and relaxation techniques in labour
- Pain-relieving drugs that can be given as an injection
- Newer methods include epidural analgesia and pain relieving gas mixture
Pain relieving drugs
Narcotics may be used during the first stage of labour to help you relax. Narcotics are usually injected into a muscle or into a vein. These drugs generally take about 20 minutes to start working. Narcotics lessen the pain and can help you feel less tense and anxious. You may actually feel drowsy with these drugs. The effects of these drugs usually last for about two to four hours but, if needed the injection may be repeated.
The effects of the drugs can be passed on to the baby. It is therefore not given if it appears that the baby will be delivered soon. Remember that the pain will not be eliminated completely with these drugs.
Regional analgesia (epidural)
A regional block lessens or completely blocks the pain in a specific part of the body. The goal of regional analgesia is to reach a balance between easing the pain and still feeling the urge to bear down to actively participate in delivering your baby.
The epidural block is a commonly used type of regional analgesia during labour. A woman in labour may reach a point where narcotics are no longer giving her adequate pain relief. At this point, she may opt to go ahead with epidural analgesia. With epidural analgesia, there is no loss of consciousness, so the mother can actively participate in the process of delivery.
The medicines used in epidural analgesia are less likely to pass to the baby or affect the baby because they do not enter the blood stream.
An epidural block may cause the mother’s blood pressure to drop. This may in turn cause that the baby’s heartbeat to slow down. To help prevent this from happening, fluids are given to the mother through an IV drip before the epidural block is given.
Pain relieving gas mixture
Pain relieving gas is frequently used to relieve pain during labour. Gas mixtures will help to relieve pain but will not remove it completely. This gas is a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. It provides good pain relief without causing undue sleepiness. The gas works quickly, but takes about 30 to 45 seconds to have the pain relieving effect.
The gas mixture crosses the placenta but is not known to have any side effects on the baby. The gas mixture can make you feel a little dizzy.
About the Author
Andrew White, leading gynecologist, has written a number of useful blogs and medical journals on women health. He is an advisor with Association of Women Health, in USA.
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