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 4.89 (Highly recommend) from 13 votes (295 Visits) |
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Labour and Pain Relief, its your choice - Medical Pain Relief |
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Anonymous Author (April 2008) |
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Hi to those who have considered looking up your pain relief options for Labour.
Before your Labour, its nice to weigh out your options of pain relief.
Whether you would like to go Drug free or have the Option of using drugs, I have made a list of
options through two pieces of advice for you to read.
This piece of advice focus's on the Medical Side of Pain Relief.
Inhilation Analgaesics:
This is a Gas you inhale either through a gas mask or sucking on a mouth piece, the most commonly used gas is Nitrous Oxide, there is also Etinox. This form of relief is best inhaled at the onset of contractions, it numbs the pain receptors in your brain to help relieve the pain.
I experienced most of its downsides which includes Laughter (at first), Dizzyness, Nausea and feeling 'out of it' while giving birth, there is also a chance that your body may get used to it (if your labour is a long one) and it just stops working for you.
On the upper hand, Breathing it in delivers it almost instantly as it is absorbed fast, it is also expelled fast leaving you with no risk of overdose and it does not effect the baby. This works for some, doesn't work for others.
Pethadine:
Pethadine is similar to morphine, it is actually a synthetic form. Used for pain relief and stress, its is usually one dose injected into the buttocks to help stop the pain caused by the cervix dialating, Its success with relief varies with women, some think it works wonders, others think that it doesnt work at all and it leaves a pain in the leg. It can make you very drowsy, it can make you sick, it can affect the baby making it more sleepy than usual for a couple of days after the birth. This should not be administered when you are close to giving birth.
Epidural:
This is an anaesthetic Drug injected near the spinal cord into your epidural space through a very thin catheter drip, blocking your spinal cord from sending signals to the brain causing a loss of sensation and pain in the lower half of your body, it can he hooked up to a machine where you can administer yourself by the press of a button and control the numb-ness. This does increase the chances of having a urinary catheter inserted, the chances of using leg stirrups and the use of forceps or vacuum delivery are more likely as it does decrease your chances of being able to push. Around 1 in 550 women experience patches of numbness on the back near the injection area. Paraplegia is extremely rare, with less than 1 in 100,000.
thanks for reading, i hope this helps you find your best choices in pain relief :)
