As you get closer and closer to your due date, you’ll probably start to think about your preferences for pain management during childbirth. And while your labor experience might not be as dramatic as you see in the movies, labor pains can definitely be painful. Women & Babies Hospital encourages every expecting person to create a birth plan, and part of this will include how you would like to proceed with medication and pain management during labor. Learning more about the various forms of pain management will help you feel more prepared for the birth experience, and more empowered to make the choices that feel right for you.
Natural Methods of Pain Relief
There are several natural (meaning, non-medicinal) methods of managing pain and helping people relax during their labor process. And these techniques aren’t just for mamas seeking a natural birth! It’s extremely helpful to learn these methods, and use them with or without pain medication as you get through contractions and delivery. Our childbirth education classes at Women & Babies Hospital are wonderful resources that can help teach you more about how to best use these methods.
Some natural methods of pain relief include:
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Breathing, visualization and relaxation techniques
- Laboring in a warm shower or bath (note: the American Academy of Pediatrics has expressed concerns about delivering in water due to a lack of studies showing its safety)
- Getting massages or counter pressure from your birthing partner
- Applying different temperatures to your body, such as heating pads on your lower back and a cold washcloth on your forehead
- Trying different positions while you’re in labor (standing, walking, sitting, squatting, etc.)
- Using a labor or peanut ball
- Listening to music
Medicinal Methods of Pain Relief
Depending on how your labor is progressing and your pain tolerance, your care team may ask if you need pain relief. It’s their job to provide options for pain relieving medication, but the decision is totally up to you. While you may go into labor and delivery planning to forgo medication during your birth, changing your mind in the moment and requesting pain relief is completely ok. ALL birthing people are rock stars—and you won’t know how painful childbirth until you experience it.
It’s important to note that different types of medicinal pain relief can be used at different stages of labor, and not all options will be available throughout the whole labor process. Review your birth plan with your provider, as well as the nurses at Women & Babies Hospital, and discuss the types of pain management that will be available during labor.
Don’t forget to talk with your birthing partner. Make sure you’re on the same page about your hopes, fears and emotions about your birth experience before you go into labor.
Even though they won’t be the one physically experiencing the pain of childbirth, they will be your biggest advocate throughout the birth process, and your biggest supporter if you decide to change your birth plan along the way.
Here are two of the most common pain relieving medications, and the advantages and drawbacks of each:
Opioids (Systemic Analgesics)
These medications are given through an injection or your IV during labor. They reduce your awareness of pain and have a calming effect.
- Advantages: These medications can make the pain a bit more bearable, and won’t affect your ability to push. Even if you proceed with this kind of pain relief, you still have the option to get an epidural or spinal block later in labor.
- Drawbacks: You’ll still feel pain (just less), and they don’t last very long. They can also cause you to feel drowsy, nauseous and/or itchy. They cannot be given right before delivery as they can slow the baby’s breathing and heart rate. Your baby may be drowsy upon delivery, which may make it harder for them to breastfeed in the first few hours following birth.
Epidural and Spinal Blocks (Regional Analgesia and Regional Anesthesia)
Both of these types of medication are given in the lower back. An epidural is placed using a small tube (catheter) below the spinal cord, and doses of medicine will be given as needed. A spinal block is given as a shot into the spinal fluid, and typically only given once during labor.
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Advantages: these methods help you experience very little pain, while remaining awake and alert throughout labor. Pain relief starts fairly quickly—10 minutes or so after an epidural is administered, and right away with a spinal block. Epidurals can also be adjusted throughout labor to cause more or less numbness. Both of these methods will still allow you to be aware of your contractions, and give you the ability to bear down and push your baby out when the time comes.
- Drawbacks: While you’ll be able to move, you may not be able to walk until the effects of the medication have worn off after birth. Some women may also notice a backache for a few days after labor. These methods can potentially lower blood pressure (in turn slowing baby’s heartbeat); however, fluids are typically given through an IV to lower this risk. If the spinal cord is punctured during the insertion of either method, a bad headache is possible, but there is treatment to counteract this side effect. Epidurals have the potential to prolong the first and second stages of labor, and if given too late (or in too high of a dose) it can make it harder to push efficiently.
No matter what pain management strategies you write into your birth plan, it’s important to keep an open mind during labor. Giving birth is a unique experience for every woman, and you just won’t know what will help with your pain during labor until you’re in the middle of it. Remember to discuss your childbirth wishes with your provider, and don’t be afraid to ask your care team questions if you’re uncomfortable or don’t understand your options. They’re on your side and want to give you the best birth experience they can.