Labour can be painful – it can help to learn about all the ways you can relieve the pain.
It's also helpful for whoever is going to be with you during your labour to know about the different options, as well as how they can support you.
Ask your midwife or doctor to explain what's available so you can decide what's best for you.
Write down your wishes in your birth plan, but remember you need to keep an open mind.
You may find you want more pain relief than you'd planned, or your doctor or midwife may suggest more effective pain relief to help the delivery.
You're likely to feel more relaxed in labour and better placed to cope with the pain if you:
- learn about labour – this can make you feel more in control and less frightened about what's going to happen; talk to your midwife or doctor, ask them questions, and go to antenatal classes
- learn how to relax, stay calm and breathe deeply
- keep moving – your position can make a difference, so try kneeling, walking around, or rocking backwards and forwards
- bring a partner, friend or relative to support you during labour, but do not worry if you do not have a partner – your midwife will give you all the support you need
- ask your partner to massage you – although you may find you do not want to be touched
- have a bath
- take paracetamol, which can help relieve some of the pain in the early stages of labour
Many women find water helpful for labour and birth. You may be advised to try using a warm bath in early labour to help soothe the discomfort of contractions or you may wish to use a birthing pool throughout your labour - usually, once labour is established.
Sinking your bump into warm water can be very soothing in labour. Birth pools are much larger than a bath and help you to remain mobile. The water can be supportive in comfortable, upright positions which help labour progress. Waterbirth promotes dignity, as the pool provides an element of privacy as your baby is born. You are also more likely to be the first person to touch your baby as babies born into a pool do not need to be ‘caught’. Instead, the baby will be lifted to the surface in the moments after birth.
A Tameside, waterbirth is available in the acorn birth centre and labour ward. Most women planning homebirth will hire or borrow a birth pool. For women who are advised to birth in an obstetric unit, wireless monitoring (telemetry) can make waterbirth a safe option. You may be advised to labour but not birth in the pool. Please speak to your midwife if you think you may wish to use water in labour.
Entonox or Gas and Air is a pain relief that is taken via a mouthpiece and breathed in. It is a very safe method of pain relief, that has no lasting effects. Entonox can make you feel slightly dizzy and lightheaded and some people can feel sick whilst using it, but the effects do not last for long. Gas and air is available at home, the birth centre and in hospital and is usually recommended when you are in active labour.
Epidurals are only offered in an obstetric unit, and usually only once you are in active labour. For an epidural, an anaesthetist puts a needle in the lower part of your back and uses it to place a thin plastic tube (epidural catheter). The needle is removed and the tube left in place next to the nerves in your back. Medication (local anaesthetic) is given through the tube to provide pain relief throughout your labour.
Top-ups are given when needed (or you may have a button for top-ups). You may have to wait a short while for the anaesthetist to be available. It can take a while to set up the epidural and around 15 to 20 minutes to start working. You will need to have a drip placed in your arm and continuous monitoring of the baby’s heart rate.
Pethidine is an injection that goes into your thigh or buttock to help with the discomfort of contractions. Pethidine is an opioid drug, so it can make you feel drowsy or sleepy after it is given. Your midwife will discuss whether it is suitable for you to have Pethidine when discussing your pain relief options. Pethidine passes in small amounts through the placenta to the baby. This is very unlikely to cause any serious harm, but it can make breastfeeding more difficult to establish. Pethidine can be used in early and active labour and is available at birth centres and hospitals.