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There are three options for pain relieving medication during child birth. They are: Epidural Anesthesia, Narcotics, and Spinal Block.

Epidural Anesthesia

Epidurals are very popular and probably the most common form of pain relief during labor. It can be used for both a vaginal delivery or for a cesarean section delivery. An epidural is administered by a trained anesthesiologist. It usually begins working within 10-20 minutes.

The insertion of the epidural is as follows. A sterile “guide” needle and a “tube” (catheter) are inserted between your spinal cord and the outer membranes of the spinal cord and placed below your waist. Once the catheter is in place, the needle is removed. The remaining tube is taped up your back to hold it in place. At this time, you are most likely going to be required to stay in bed since you will be numb from the insertion site and below (unless you are given a “walking” epidural and are still able to move around). You will also be hooked up to an intravenous line (IV) and a fetal monitor.

The amount of pain you feel is based on how much medication you are given. You will normally be given a small amount, but it can be increased or decreased if needed. With a Standard Epidural, the medication can wear off, so it is very common to be hooked up to an Epidural Infusion Pump that will continually give off small doses of medication. The infusion pump also reduces your risk of side effects and gives you more muscle control over your legs and abdomen.

There are some side effects to getting an epidural. Normal side effects are a lowering of the mother’s blood pressure. Other side effects that are less likely to occur, but are not uncommon are: headaches, difficulty urinating, difficulty walking, fever, and lengthening/slowing down the labor process. A rare side effect from the epidural is seizures. Having an epidural is safe for you and your baby.

Having an epidural increases your chance of an assisted delivery (use of forceps or vacuum for delivery) as you will have less control over your abdominal muscles. However, your epidural can be decreased before delivery to help reduce the risk of an assisted delivery.

The epidural can be removed immediately or can be left in for up to a day. If you deliver via a cesarean section, the epidural will most likely be in place for a day.

Narcotics

Narcotics are given either in your vein or in your muscle. They help you to sleep between contractions and relieve the stress of delivery, however, if will not completely remove the pain. The most common narcotic given as childbirth pain relief is Demerol.

Narcotics can make you drowsy and slow down the laboring process. Normally, narcotics are not given if labor is well under way. The most common side effects of narcotic pain relief are: drowsiness, nausea, and vomiting. Also, if given before delivery, it can slow the baby’s breathing for a little while after delivery. However, that can be treated with oxygen or medication.

Spinal Block

There are 2 types of spinal blocks: Pudendal Block and Paracervical Block.

The Pudendal Block is used to relieve the pain of pushing and does not relieve pain from contractions. It is injected into the vaginal wall into the pudendal nerve in your pelvis and numbs the perennial area.

The Paracervial Block is used to relieve contraction pain and pain caused by the stretching of your cervix. It is injected into the tissue around your cervix and lasts for 1-2 hours.

It can decrease the baby’s heart rate after it is administered. The block is also rarely used now because the epidural is so effective.

Resources

General Pregnancy

Pregnancy at About.com (http://pregnancy.about.com/)
Pregnancy and Parenting at iVillage (http://parenting.ivillage.com/)
Pregnancy Symptoms (http://www.epigee.org/pregnancy/symptoms.html)
Top Ten Signs You Might be Pregnant (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy-symptoms)
Pregnancy Symptoms from MedicineNet (http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=79528)
Pregnancy at BabyZone (http://www.babyzone.com/loadpage/topic.asp?topicid=125628)

Childbirth

ChildBirth.org (http://www.childbirth.org/)
Childbirth on WikiPedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childbirth)
Childbirth Photos and Videos (http://technorati.com/tag/childbirth)
National Institute of Health (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/childbirth.html)
Unassisted Childbirth (http://www.unassistedchildbirth.com/)
Pain Medications During Labor (http://www.babies.sutterhealth.org/laboranddelivery/ld_meds.html)
Labor Pain Meds at Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/labor-and-delivery/PR00105)

Complications

Pregnancy complications at BabyCenter.com (http://www.babycenter.com/pregnancy/pregcomplications/index)
Bacterial Vaginosis (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/bacterialvaginoses.htm)
Incompetent Cervix (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/incompetentcervix.html)
Chronic Hypertension (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/1427404.html)
Ectopic or Tubal Pregnancy (http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/pregnancy/ectopic.html)
Gestational Diabetes (http://www.diabetes.org/gestational-diabetes.jsp)
Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR) (http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/women/pregnancy/fetal/313.html)
Iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy (http://www.babycenter.com/refcap/pregnancy/pregcomplications/3073.html)
Placenta Previa (http://pregnancy.about.com/cs/placentaprevia/a/previa.htm)
Placental Abruption (http://folsomobgyn.com/placental_abruption.htm)
Pre-Eclampsia (http://www.preeclampsia.org/)