Helping you through childbirth

There are effective forms of pain relief available to you when giving birth.

Childbirth is a natural process but, like most pregnant women, you may want some sort of pain relief. Here's an overview of the options, including analgesics, anesthetics and natural methods, to help you decide which is best for you and your baby.

Although you're looking forward to the birth of your baby, the thought of labor is probably not as appealing. It seems most women "fear" the pain more than anything else. Of course, in most cases, childbirth is painful. However, there are effective forms of pain relief, which can help you to have more control over the labor and delivery.

The pain of childbirth varies from woman to woman, and from pregnancy to pregnancy. Some women take antenatal classes to learn breathing and relaxation techniques. There are also two types of pain-relieving drugs–analgesics and anesthetics.

Analgesia

Systemic analgesia
Often given as an injection into a muscle or vein, this method works on the whole nervous system rather than a specific area. Sometimes, you're given other drugs to relieve the tension or nausea, which are common side effects with this form of pain relief. Although systemic analgesia can be used at most stages in the labor, it's not given immediately before the delivery because it might slow down the baby's reflexes and breathing.

Regional analgesia
The most effective form of pain relief is regional analgesia. It can be administered as an epidural, spinal block or combined spinal-epidural block:

• Epidural causes loss of feeling in the lower part of your body, but you remain awake and alert. Epidurals can be used for a cesarean delivery or vaginal birth using forceps or vacuum extraction. An epidural is given in the lower back in low doses to avoid side effects. You may notice a numbness, heaviness or weakness in the legs. Other possible side effects include decreased blood pressure and headaches. To prevent decreased blood pressure, you're given fluids through a tube in your arm.
• Spinal block also involves an injection in the lower back. An effective form of pain relief, it can start to work within a few minutes but may not last longer than one or two hours. A spinal block with a much stronger medication (anesthetic, not analgesic) is often used for cesarean births. It can cause the same side effects as an epidural.
• Combined spinal-epidural block has the benefits of both forms of pain relief. The spinal block has an immediate effect, while the epidural provides pain relief throughout the labor.

Anesthesia

Local anesthesia
Local anesthesia provides a numbness, or loss of sensation, in a small area. However, it doesn't reduce the pain of contractions. A procedure called an episiotomy is sometimes used to widen the vaginal passage. Local anesthesia is used to relieve the pain. It can also be used after the birth, if you need to have vaginal injuries repaired. Usually, there are no side effects, and it's not harmful for your baby.

General anesthesia
General anesthetic puts you to sleep and has an immediate effect. It is therefore used for emergency cesarean deliveries. With this type of pain relief, you should not eat and drink once you've gone into labor. This is because during unconsciousness, the food and liquid could come back into the mouth, and go into the lungs where it can cause damage.