Pain Relief During Labor

For a pregnant woman, the thought of pain during labor and delivery is an almost constant fear. After using various methods of pain management when I had my children, I have discovered that there isn't any one-size-fits-all option.

Natural Childbirth

With my first two children, I didn't have any pain medications at all. I used strictly breathing, massage and visualization to cope with labor. This definitely wasn't my choice. I had short labors both times and was simply too far along by the time I got to the hospital to get any type of pain relief. Because of the short labors, I was able to cope really well-so well, in fact, that I went on to have other children without fearing the pain of labor and delivery.

After each of these two children were born, I had to have local anesthesia injected directly into my perineum so I could have an episiotomy to repair the tears caused by birth.

Stadol

When I went into labor with my third child, my labor was also short, but I was able to get a shot of Stadol in my intravenous line (IV). This is a narcotic that is used to take the edge off of the contractions. By no means does it take away the pain of contractions or delivery. The downside to this method is that it made me and my son groggy. He didn't have any lasting health problems from the Stadol and didn't have to spend any time on oxygen after he was born. For this birth, I didn't have to have an episiotomy, but I did suffer from a uterine tear, which seemed to be unrelated to my anesthesia choice and more because of the rapid progression of labor.

Intrathecal Anesthesia

I had intrathecal anesthesia for the birth of my fourth child. Intrathecal anesthesia is similar to an epidural because it is administered into the back. The exact location it is injected, however, is different. And, the medications used are different. This was my longest labor because my son had a complex presentation, meaning that he came out face up with his head tilted. The doctor had to use forceps for this delivery, but I didn't feel anything from that. I did have to have an episiotomy with this birth because of a tear due to the complex delivery.

Epidural

With my fifth child, I had an epidural. My labor progressed fairly quickly, so I didn't get the epidural until I was 8 centimeters dilated. Before I could get the epidural, I had to get a full bag of fluids because epidurals can sometime cause a drop in blood pressure. In my case, my blood pressure did drop slightly but not enough to warrant the use of any medication. While this was my easiest delivery, the recovery was difficult. I didn't have an episiotomy but I did suffer from an 'epidural headache' afterward, and I had a severe backache.

Conclusion

The choice regarding what type of pain management you use is best made with your doctor. Be sure to speak to her about your wishes for your labor and you concerns regarding pain relief options. It is best to do this before you go to the hospital in labor, and while you are in labor, be willing to alter your plans.