Pain Relief Options in Labour

You may be one of the lucky few who make it through labour without needing any pain relief; however for most women the offer of pain relief is very gratefully received!Here is an overview of the options available.

Gas & Air
This is the method of pain relief that just about every on starts off with.You breathe in a mixture of Oxygen and Nitrous Oxide (Entonox) through a face mask.Generally the nurses will give you a quick explanation of what to do and let you help yourself whenever you need it.You are therefore free to put the mask down and walk around if you want to.There are not thought to be any risks associated with this method of pain relief

Pethidine
Pethidine is administered by injection during the first stage of labour.Like any drug, different people will react differently to it. Some find it effective, some do not and many find it makes them feel nauseous.Pethidine can cross the placenta into the baby’s bloodstream making baby drowsy and difficult to feed for up to a week after the birth.

Epidural
An epidural is given by an injection into the spine and is administered by an anaesthetist.The traditional type will leave you with no feeling in your lower body which can mean that labour may be lengthened and you will not be able to walk around during labour or for several hours afterwards. The loss of feeling means you may find it difficult to push, as you cannot control those muscles and so intervention with either a Ventouse or forceps in more likely. Epidurals are also used for Caesarean deliveries.

Your hospital may offer a Mobile Epidural which gives a lower dose of analgesia allowing you to move around and to be able to push at the later stages of pregnancy.Check with your hospital.

TENS
TENS stands for Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation and it is a drug-free method of pain relief. Pads are stuck onto your back and a low voltage current passed between them. This stimulates your body’s natural pain relieving substances, endorphins, to be released.Again different people have a different response to it, some finding it very effective. It may be possible to hire a TENS machine from your hospital and you can also try MotherCare, Amazon.co.uk (Amazon.com in the US) and Babyworld to either buy or hire one.

Alternative Therapies
This includes Aromatherapy, Acupuncture, Hypnosis and Reflexology. These will not be offered by an NHS hospital and you would need to find your own practitioner. Like any other method their effectiveness will vary from person to person.

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