Pain Relief Options for Labor and Childbirth

Women experience and tolerate pain differently. For some pregnant women, focused breathing is all they need to get through labor and childbirth; but for others, numbing of the pain is desired.

There are a number of different medications a woman can take during labor and childbirth. It is important for you to learn what pain relief options are available. Please discuss the options with your health care provider well before your "birth day" so that when you are in labor you understand the choices.

Also, keep in mind that your pain relief choices may be governed by certain circumstances of your labor and delivery. Throughout your labor, your health care provider will assess your progress and comfort and help you choose a pain relief technique.

Getting pain relief should not cause you to feel guilty. You are the only one who knows how you feel, so decisions regarding control of your labor pain must be made specifically by you. Moreover, do not worry about the safety of the medicine. All medications provided during childbirth are considered safe for both you and your baby.

What Pain Relief Medications Are Available for Labor and Childbirth?

There are three main ways to provide pain relief during labor and childbirth:

• Local anesthesia may be used by your health care provider during delivery to numb a painful area or after delivery if stitches are necessary. Local anesthetic medications do not reduce discomfort during labor.
• Regional anesthesia (also called an epidural or spinal anesthesia) is administered by an anesthesiologist (a doctor who delivers pain medicine) during labor to reduce discomfort. In both epidural and spinal anesthesia, medications are placed near the nerves in your lower back to "block" pain in a wide region of your body while you stay awake. Regional anesthesia greatly reduces pain throughout the birthing process. It can also be used if a cesarean birth becomes necessary.
• General anesthesia puts you to sleep during the birthing process. While safe, general anesthesia is rarely used and only during emergencies since it prevents you from seeing your child immediately after birth.

In addition, pain relieving medications can be injected into a vein or a muscle to dull labor discomfort. These medications do not completely stop pain, but they do lessen it. Because they affect your entire body and may make both you and your baby sleepy, these drugs are mainly used during early labor to help you rest and conserve your energy.

What Is the Difference Between an Epidural and Spinal Anesthesia?

With a spinal, the medication is injected inside the dura, the tough coating surrounding the brain and spinal cord and located right next to the spine. During an epidural, medication is put inside the spinal column just outside the sac that surrounds the spinal cord.

A spinal requires less medicine and works faster than an epidural; but, it is more likely to cause a headache or low blood pressure.