July 31, 2010
Labour Pain Relief
Pain Relief for Labour and Child Birth
If you are pregnant then you will know that being pregnant is not a comfortable experience with moments of tiredness, stress and strain, and if you have not been told already, it gets much worst as the days go by and the light at the end of the tunnel is having the reward for all your hard work is a sweet baby. Just before you get your baby you will have to go through labour, and boy does that hurt like nothing else. Just imagine pushing something the sized of a melon through the birth canal -ok, you get the picture. Expectant mother's have been going through labour since the beginning of the human era, you must think that surely medical advances must of made labour a whole lot easier, has it? Well, in some ways it has, there are now all sorts of methods or a combination of methods that an expectant mum2b go through, and here is a list with advances and disadvantages:
- TENS Machine - this is a machine that has a remote that has electro pads that are stuck on your back. The electro pads pas electoral pulses into your back stimulate the release your natural painkillers, endorphins into your body.
Advantages - works without the need of taking any medical
Disadvantage - needs to be hired; cannot work in conjunction with a water birth
- Entonox - this is the inhalation of a 50:50 mixture of nitrogen and oxygen
Advantages - can be used as much as you want
Disadvantages - can cause nausea; can leave you not strong enough to push very well in labour
- Epidural - this the administration of anaesthetic using a epidural, basically its a port or ports that is temporarily fitted with a needle to your vein located on your upper hand area
Advantages - once an epidural is fitted any number of 'helpful' drugs can be administered directly in you blood and can take immediate affect.
Disadvantage - drugs administered this way can circulate the baby's body too; anaesthetic, if administered can lead to the baby being a bit spaced out for some time after birth
- Spinal numbing / block - anaesthetics are injected into the fluid around spinal cord causing temporary numbness
Advantages - numbness helps relax sometimes extremely stressed expectant mums who would be thankful for its speedy effects;
Disadvantages - takes sometime to wear off;
Can leave long term pain in the back
- Narcotics - Narcotics such as Meptazinol, Pethidine, or Diamorphine can be given via an injection or epidural
Advantages - eases the pain leaving you quite relaxed
Disadvantage - leads to the baby being a bit spaced out for some time after birth
- Water birth / bath or birthing pool - this decreases tension and there is nothing out of the ordinary that you can expect
Advantages - normally leaves you completely relaxed and ready for the actual giving birth with your muscles ready and on standby
Advantages - allows you to be active and 'know what's happening' before during and after the birth
Disadvantage - demand for the method can be high and become unavailable to you or facilities may not exist in your hospital
- Acupuncture - this is also a possibility, it involves stimulating the release of your body's endorphins by insertion of many tiny needles at key pressure points
Advantages - does not harm neither you or the baby
Disadvantage - this alternative will be usually down to you to arrange
- Hypnosis - this can work for some people quite well and can lead to a successful birth
Advantages - does not harm neither you or the baby
Disadvantage - this alternative will be usually down to you to arrange
With all methods provided by the health centre, they will be consensual in that you will need to sign for them on a consent form which will fully explain the advantages and disadvantages of taking the treatment. You should also note that you can opt out of anything you sign for right until the absolute last moment. If you are unclear about any procedure all you need to do is ask.
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