PAIN

MANAGEMENT
DURING BIRTH
There are three main types of pain
management choices:
• Lamaze/Child Birthing
Classes - which teach
you various relaxation
techniques such as
breathing and
meditation and
visualization.
Pain Medications
• There are a number of
medications that are now
considered safe to take
during delivery. Keep in mind
that these will probably not
offer you complete relief of
pain they will more than
likely just take the edge off
the pain. 
Epidural or Spinal Medication
• The terms "epidural" and "spinal" do not refer
to any specific medication, but the way in
which the medication is administered. These
techniques are generally referred to as
regional blocks because they medication
prevents the nerves from sending signals to
the brain and so only numbs or reduces pain
in part of the body (from the abdomen
down). Administration will require you to sit
or lye with your back rounded over for up to
twenty minutes while an anesthesiologist
inserts a catheter into your back. You will not
be allowed to move during the insertion.
Counter Pressure
• Counter pressure is an effective
labor pain management strategy
for back labor or other area-
specific discomfort.  It is
performed by applying pressure,
usually significant pressure, to an
area of discomfort, such as the
small of the back. 
Breathing Techniques
• Breathing techniques, such as
sleep/rhythmic breathing, can center
birthing women and focus their mental
state.  Sleep breathing is performed by
filling the abdomen first, rather than the
lungs.  The mother is to inhale for a
count of 4, then exhale to a count of 8. 
She should focus on making her
abdomen rise and fall, rather than
collapsing her lungs or using shallow
clavicular breathing.  This type of
breathing is similar to the pattern used
during sleep, hence, the name.
Water
• The use of water is well-documented as a
labor pain management technique. 
Laboring women can get in the shower
and direct the water stream to specific
areas of discomfort.  Using a labor tub
decreases the pressure on the mother's
body, alleviating pressure and making
her more buoyant.  This can enhance her
relaxation and facilitate comfortable
birthing positions
Vocalization
• Voice is a powerful tool.  A birthing
woman may choose to moan
with her contractions.  She may
choose to softly sing, chant, or
grunt.  She needs to follow her body
and know that whatever sounds
she makes are good sounds, are
natural sounds.  There are no
apologies here; she must follow her
body's lead throughout the process
of birthing.
Emotional Support
• Next to relaxation, emotional support
may be the most critical, and most
overlooked, natural labor pain
management technique for all labouring
women.  Studies have shown that women
supported by other women, including a
doula, or knowledgeable birthing
companions, experience more positive,
less complicated births and report more
satisfaction with their birth experiences. 
They also show less use of interventions
during birthing and faster recovery