Pain relief

During labour as part of the process you will release your own endorphins to help you manage the labour contractions.

Supportive first line measures:

  • Getting rest in the early latent part of labour. If you can ignore it please do as when you are rested you will manage the contractions more easily. Continue with good hydration and food while you are awake. It is particularly important to stay hydrated

  • Emotional support from your birth partner

  • Accupressure, see Debra Betts handbook acupressure

  • Water use the shower at home

  • Mobilising stay upright and active

  • TENS machine, this sends an electrical impulse which you manage by pushing a button and disrupts the pain nerve pathways

Pain relief once you are in the hospital:

  • Once in established labour using water immersion, which is the deep birth pools

  • Entonox/nitrious oxide this is a mouth piece that you breathe on through a contraction. It helps to take the edge off a contraction and allows you to focus on breathing. This doesn’t stay in your system and doesn’t have any effect on baby. It does make some woman feel light headed and or naseous. It is most useful during transition when you might feel that you can’t go on but you only have a short time left

  • Opioid injection morphine. At times in a hospital setting a labouring woman may (although not frequently) have an injection of morphine which may provide some pain relief for 1-2 hours. It is not given if you are close to birthing your baby as it can depress your baby’s respiratory system and they may not breathe as well. 

Epidural:

An epidural can be useful for a more complicated or longer birth. It requires an anaesthetist to inject local anaesthetic near the spinal cord in the lower back, which numbs the lower part of the body. A small plastic tube is inserted into the epidural space so that you can have further doses of pain relief as required. The anaesthetist will discuss this with you. You will be unable to walk although you will be able to move around the bed. It requires a drip in your arm and a catheter in your bladder as it also numbs the nerves in your bladder. Baby’s heartbeat will be continually monitored via the CTG if you have an epidural, and your blood pressure will be taken regularly.