Unfortunately, pain is an inevitable part of going into labor, and, if you are currently pregnant with your first child, chances are, you are quite nervous about what to expect in terms of pain. Labor pains vary greatly from woman to woman, as does the level of pain each individual woman can tolerate, but rest assured that there are many options for pain management. Regardless of your birth plan, there is certain to be a pain management choice to suit your needs:
Medication
Pain medication is nearly always an option to help you with your labor pains. Although some women choose to fore go medication, other women find that they are more sensitive to the pain and are unable to cope without some sort of medicated pain relief. Medication often does not completely do away with the pain of labor; although for some women this is enough to get them through the entirety of the birth process, for most women, it is only enough to help them cope for a short period of time. Most medications offer only short term relief so as not to affect the baby too much, although some women who have opted for medications, especially morphine, have still reported observing some side effects – most notably a somewhat sleepy infant. Other than that, however, pain medications’ side effects on the baby are extremely rare.
Anesthesia
For those women for whom medication does not provide enough pain relief, regional anesthesia is another pain relief option. This anesthesia, also known as spinal or intrathecal medication or an epidural, involves a physician delivering powerful pain relief through a needle inserted into your lower back. This process eases your labor pains significantly but does not entirely numb the lower half of your body, thereby allowing you to maintain some semblance of comfort while still feeling the urge to push and participate in the delivery of your baby.
Although some women are apprehensive about the use of an epidural during labor for fear that it will have a negative impact on their baby’s health or that it will force their doctor to perform an unwanted cesarean section operation (because the epidural can raise your body temperature), these fears are largely unfounded. The vast majority of mothers who opt for regional anesthesia report no negative side effects whatsoever on themselves or on their baby and instead claim that accepting an epidural was one of the best choices they made during labor, allowing them to remain calmer and more comfortable.
Natural Methods
There are a variety of personal reasons that some women choose to avoid both medications and regional anesthesia, so for these women, natural methods of pain management are a great option. Although these are usually not as immediately or intensely effective as medication or the epidural, for a number of women, these natural comfort measures are enough to get them through their labor. Examples of natural comfort measures include:
Meditation or prayer
Relaxation/ breathing techniques
Massage/ back rubs by spouse, friend, family member, or other support person
Warm or cold compresses
Light abdomen massage
Maintaining a calm environment (low lighting, quiet atmosphere, relaxing music, etc.)
Walking
Water therapy
Changing positions (kneeling, squatting, using a rocking chair, supporting with pillows, using a birthing ball, getting down on all fours, etc.)
Located near the Grandview Hospital’s Emergency Room entrance at the corner of Forest and Neal Avenues, Women’s Center-Dayton offers free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, and a myriad of related services. Initial appointments to Women’s Center-Dayton can be scheduled on-line by going to our website: www.womenscenterohio.com/dayton.aspx.
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