Many natural methods help women to relax and make pain more manageable.
Things women do to ease the pain include:
Trying breathing and relaxation techniques
Taking warm showers or baths
Getting massages
Using heat and cold, such as heat on lower back and cold washcloth on
forehead
Having the supportive care of a loved one, nurse, or doula
Finding comfortable positions while in labor (stand, crouch, sit, walk,
etc.)
Using a labor ball
Listening to music
Water and childbirth
More and more women in the United States are using water to find comfort
during labor. This is called hydrotherapy. Laboring in a tub of warm water helps
women feel physically supported, and keeps them warm and relaxed. Plus, it is
easier for laboring women to move and find comfortable positions in the water.
In waterbirthing, a woman remains in the water for delivery. The American
Academy of Pediatrics has expressed concerns about delivering in water because
of a lack of studies showing its safety and because of the rare but reported
chance of complications. Ask your doctor or midwife if you want to know more
about waterbirthing.
SOURCE: womenshealth.gov. Labor and Birth.
Pain Relief Options for Labor and Childbirth Introduction
Women experience and tolerate pain differently. For some pregnant women, focused breathing is all they need to get through labor and childbirth; but for others, numbing of the pain is desired.
There are a number of different medications a woman can take during labor and childbirth. It is important for you to learn what pain relief options are available. Please discuss the options with your health care provider well before your "birth day" so that when you are in labor you understand the choices.
Also, keep in mind that your pain relief choices may be governed by certain circumstances of your labor and delivery. Throughout your labor, your health care provider will assess your progress and comfort and help you choose a pain relief technique.
Getting pain relief should not cause you to feel guilty. You are the only one who knows how you feel, so decisions regarding control of your labor pain must be made specifically by you. Moreover, do not worry about the safety of the medicine. All medications provided during childbirth are considered safe for both you and your baby.
What Pain Relief Medications Are Available for Labor and Childbirth?
There are three main ways to provide pain relief during labor and childbirth:
Local anesthesia may be used by your health care provider during delivery to numb a painful area in or around the vagina if stitches are necessary. Local anesthetic medications do not reduce discomfort during labor.
Regional anesthesia (also called an epidural or spinal anesthesia) is administered by an anesthesiologist (a doctor who delivers pain medicine) during labor to reduce discomfort. In both epidural and spinal anesthesia, medications are placed near the nerves in your lower back to "block" pain in a wide region of your body while you stay awake. Regional anesthesia greatly reduces pain throughout the birthing process. It can also be used if a cesarean birth becomes necessary.
General anesthesia puts you to sleep during the birthing process. While safe, general anesthesia is rarely used and only during emergencies since it prevents you from seeing your child immediately after birth.
In addition, pain relieving medications can be injected into a vein or a muscle to dull labor discomfort. These medications do not completely stop pain, but they do lessen it. Because they affect your entire body and may make both you and your baby sleepy, these drugs are mainly used during early labor to help you rest and conserve your energy.
What Is the Difference Between an Epidural and Spinal Anesthesia?
With a spinal, the medication is injected inside the dura, the tough coating surrounding the brain and spinal cord and located right next to the spine. During an epidural, medication is put inside the spinal column just outside the sac that surrounds the spinal cord.
A spinal requires less medicine and works faster than an epidural; but, it is somewhat more likely to cause a headache or low blood pressure.
There are many symptoms involved in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy. The first early pregnancy symptom is typically a missed period, but others include breast swelling and tenderness, nausea and sometimes vomiting, fatigue and bloating. Second trimester symptoms include backache, weight gain, itching, and possible stretch marks. Third trimester symptoms are additional weight gain, heartburn, hemorrhoids, swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face, breast tenderness, and trouble sleeping. Read more to learn about recommended procedures and tests for each stage of a healthy pregnancy.
Preeclampsia is related to increased blood pressure and protein in the mother's urine. Preeclampsia typically begins after the 20th week of pregnancy. When preeclampsia causes seizures, it is termed "eclampsia" and is the second leading cause of maternal death of in the US. Preeclampsia is the leading cause of fetal complications. Risk factors for preeclampsia include high blood pressure, obesity, multiple births, and women with preexisting medical conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or scleroderma. Pregnancy planning and lifestyle changes may reduce the risk of preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Pregnancy planning is important to help prevent exposure of the mother and fetus to potentially harmful medications and substances during the early days, and throughout the pregnancy. Nutritional planning, prevention of birth defects, conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease need careful monitoring. Gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and pregnancy induced hypertension are conditions that may arise during pregnancy. Immunizations, inherited disorders, exercise, air travel, intercourse, and birth control are important factors to consider when planning a pregnancy.
Trying to get conceive, or become pregnant can be challenging, frustrating, and an emotional rollercoaster for some couples. There are things you can do to chart progress, which may ultimately lead to a successful healthy pregnancy, or, when necessary, lead to discussions with a fertility specialist. Being aware of your menstrual cycle, charting your fertility pattern, knowing the reasons for infertility, and treating infertility are key points to discuss with your partner and physician.
Women's health is an important topic area to guide a woman through the stages of her life, as well as knowing the conditions and diseases that may occur. Educating yourself so that the transitions into different phases of life is key to a healthy, happy, and productive life.
Placenta previa is a condition during pregnancy when the placenta lies low in the uterus either partly or completely blocking the uterus. Women with placenta previa generally deliver their baby via cesarean delivery. There are several types of placenta previa: 1) a low-lying placenta, 2) a partial placenta previa, and 3) a total placenta previa, which covers and blocks the cervical opening. Women who are at risk of placenta previa are women who have delivered a previous baby by cesarean section, and are also at risk of placenta accreta, placenta, increta, or placenta precreta.
Taking prescription medications or over-the-counter drugs or supplements should be discussed with your doctor. There are some medications that have been found to cause no problems in pregnancy, however, medications such as Accutane for acne, should never be taken during pregnancy.
Pregnancy can bring challenges like weight gain, stretch marks, varicose veins, heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, problems sleeping, and wondering if it is safe to have sex while pregnant. Learn how to manage and move through these challenges during pregnancy.
When you are pregnant, many sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be especially harmful to you and your baby. These STDs include herpes, HIV/AIDS, genital warts (HPV), hepatitis B, chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. Symptoms include bumps, sores, warts, swelling, itching, or redness in the genital region. Treatment of STDs while pregnant depends on how far along you are in the pregnancy and the progression of the infection.
Reproductive health encompasses the beginning of menstruation for women, choosing the right birth control method for you and your partner, preventing contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and for women, ending with the menopausal transition.
These tests are common in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Group B streptococcus screening
Electronic fetal heart monitoring
Nonstress test
Contraction stress test
Biophysical profile
Group B streptococcus screening
Vaginal and rectal swabs
are taken at 35 to 37 weeks of pregnancy to detect group B strep bacteria.
Although group B strep can be present in up to 30% of all healthy women, it's
the leading cause of life-threatening infections in newborns and can also cause
mental retardation, impaired vision, and hearing loss. Women who test positive
are treated with antibiotics during delivery to protect the baby from
contracting the infection at birth. As an alternative, your physician or
midwife may choose not to test for strep but to treat you in labor if certain
risk factors develop.
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