Labor and Delivery Pain Management
Every woman is different, and every labor is unique. The amount of pain felt by one woman can be different than the pain felt by another. You should not feel any sense of failure if you need pain relief.
There are many medications and anesthetics available to help reduce the discomfort of childbirth.
Because everyone's pain tolerance is different, there isn't one medication that's right for everyone.
Anesthesia types
Regional anesthesia is given in the birth canal or the lower region of the back near the spinal cord. There are three types of blocks:
- Local block: anesthesia is given just before birth to numb the lower birth canal.
- Spinal or saddle block: anesthesia is injected into the lower back just before birth to numb the lower abdomen, legs and birth canal.
- Epidural block: anesthesia is injected through a catheter in the lower back to numb the lower abdomen, legs and birth canal.
General anesthesia isn't commonly used for vaginal birth unless there is a complication. It is most commonly used during cesarean births and emergencies.
Dosage and timing
After you go into labor, your physician will give you instructions on dosage and timing of various pain relief medications. This is to prevent slowing your labor and having a sleepy baby a birth.
If you don't want to take any pain medication, tell your healthcare provider before you go into labor.
