Pain Management During LaborDealing with labor pain is the one of the concerns of pregnant women second to their child’s welfare. The pain of labor is something that women worry about when having a baby. Reducing your anxiety about pain ensures that one can deal with delivery when the time comes. Labor pains are caused by uterine contractions and extreme pressure on the cervix. This pain is described by many as cramping around the abdomen, the groin and back. Labor pain can be lessened in so many ways. When choosing the best pain management option, one has to understand what each technique requires for its successful use during delivery. The most common type of pain relief is an epidural or spinal medication. These are often referred to as regional blocks because it prevents your nerves from sending signal to the brain. It reduces the pain from the abdomen down to your toes. This type of pain medication is administered through an insertion of a catheter into the epidural space (the space inside the bony spinal canal). Another type of pain relief is the administration of narcotic analgesics. Narcotics can reduce the entire body’s ability to sense pain although it does not interfere with pushing during labor. Narcotics are given in small doses through intravenous injection. Examples of narcotics are Demerol and Morphine. These types of analgesics are not recommended by health care providers because the drug can cross the placenta and may cause central nervous system depression in babies. Other forms of pain management are mental relaxation techniques and physical comfort measures. The goal of mental relaxation is to ease one’s mind and focus one’s thought in something to prevent distraction. Examples are visualization, listening to music or watching movies. Strategies we use every day to relieve pain such as application of hot and cold packs or drinking warm or cold water can also be used during labor and delivery. Read more of our articles on labor and delivery
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