Pain relief during childbirth: these are the options

There are women who bring their child into the world in no time, but there are also those who have to toil for hours before their baby is born. To gain confidence in yourself – and your birth – knowledge and information about your birth can help you. This way you make choices that suit you and that ensure that your confidence grows, says Baby Op Komst.

Just as no pregnancy is the same, every delivery is different. You can say that childbirth can be divided into five different phases. We briefly list them for you:

1. The latent phase

At the start of labour, your cervix is ​​still largely closed. In this first phase, the contractions cause your cervix to dilate and your cervix to open. The contractions are not that painful at the moment. Often you can even do your daily things.

2. The active phase

Your contractions are getting stronger, more regular and more painful. You can usually still sigh them away or catch them in an attitude that is comfortable for you. In this phase you go from about three to four centimeters dilated to about nine centimeters.

3. The transition phase

In this phase you go from nine centimeters to full dilation. The contractions are now at their strongest and you may even feel the urge to push. For many women, this is the most painful and intense moment of their delivery.

4. The Exorcism

You are fully dilated and you can start pushing, so that your child is born. Although pushing contractions are painful, many women find it a relief that they can actively ‘participate’ in childbirth. No more sighing away the contractions, but using all the strength to bring their baby into the world.

5. The afterbirth

After your baby, the placenta and membranes must also be born. Also called the afterbirth. You may still feel a few contractions, but they are not nearly as painful anymore. Moreover, your attention is completely elsewhere because your baby is probably lying comfortably in your arms.

Also read: course grip on your childbirth

What can you do about the pain?

How you experience pain during childbirth differs enormously per person. Where one can handle it well until full dilation, the other is already at the ceiling at less than two centimeters. Keep in mind that you can think of a lot in advance, but that you only notice what you like at the moment.

Of course you can ask for medical pain relief, but you can also try a number of things yourself to cope with the contractions. This is what you call natural pain relief. For example, pay close attention to your breathing and try different positions such as sitting on a ball, hanging against the wall or lying on your bed. Because heat provides pain relief, a bath or shower can also help.

Is the pain getting too intense? Then you can ask for pain relief. Below we explain which auxiliary troops you can call in and when.

Pethidine

This is a kind of morphine, which you get administered through an injection in your buttock or upper leg. You can only get it after a CTG scan has been checked to see if your baby’s heartbeat is OK. Is that the case? Then you can get pethidine. The effect starts after about fifteen minutes and lasts about two to four hours.

• The advantages: it gives a soothing and drowsy effect and is easy to administer.
• The cons: you may experience nausea and itching. Your baby can also be drowsy and sleepy at birth, because the drug also reaches your baby via your placenta. It may also be that the little one needs some help with breathing. For this reason, pethidine should not be given two to four hours before birth.

Remifentanil

With this form of pain relief, you decide how much you take in. It is administered via an IV with a pump, where you operate the button yourself. Of course there is also a limit here so you can never give yourself too much. It works for about three to five minutes at a time.

This medicine is especially suitable if you are expected to give birth soon and only need pain relief for a short time. It’s also the best option if you don’t want to (or can’t) get an epidural.

• The advantages: it is a short and powerful painkiller that quickly disappears from your body. Moreover, you are in control yourself.
• The cons: you will receive an IV and your blood pressure and breathing will have to be checked at all times. Your breathing can also become less and it is unknown what the consequences are for your baby in the long term.

Read also: Everything you want to know about hypnobirthing

Epidural

This is done by an anaesthesiologist. Anesthetic fluid is injected between your vertebrae through a catheter. After an epidural, you not only no longer feel the contractions, the feeling in the bottom of your back, buttocks and legs also temporarily decreases.

• The advantages: an epidural is the most effective form of pain relief during childbirth.
• The cons: monitoring equipment is needed and it takes a while for the epidural to work properly. If the delivery doesn’t take long, you can’t have it. In addition, you are more likely to develop a fever, your blood pressure may drop and the expulsion phase (squeezing) takes an average of fifteen minutes longer.

Think about it beforehand

Before you give birth, it is good to think about how you want your baby to be born and which form of pain relief suits you. If necessary. Discuss this with your midwife and your partner and note any wishes in your birth plan. If you are no longer able to indicate what your wishes are during childbirth, the care providers can take this out.

Source: Baby Coming

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