Painful deliveries are a thing of the past
For some women, the joy and excitement of pregnancy is overshadowed by the fear of a painful labor and delivery. This may be brought on by the "war stories" of their mothers, but the fact is that women today have many more advantages over their mothers.
"A good way to alleviate anxiety and prepare for this miraculous experience is to learn about pain management options early in the pregnancy," says
Joseph LaMotta, MD, Virtua Health obstetrician and gynecologist. These options include everything from natural pain management using breathing, massage, squatting bars and labor balls to medications that relieve pain but also allow women to be actively involved in the birth process.
All about epidurals
"About 90% of women choose epidurals for pain control during labor," states
Davida Grossman, MD, director of obstetric anesthesia at Virtua Voorhees. "The epidural is a form of local anesthesia that is administered in a space in the lower back. Women who choose this method say that it relieves their pain but allows them to push when it's time to deliver."
"An epidural is administered at a slow and constant rate throughout labor and delivery," says Dr. LaMotta. "This is a great benefit as it helps women maintain comfort, and it doesn't wear off or have to be readministered. Another benefit is that it can ease the discomfort of an episiotomy repair."
All about spinals
Women requiring a cesarean section (c-section) generally receive either epidural or spinal anesthesia. If a woman has an epidural in place for labor, but unexpectedly needs a c-section, often the epidural can be used as the anesthesia. For a planned c-section, or one in which an epidural is not already in place, spinal anesthesia is used.
Spinal anesthesia is similar to an epidural but works more quickly. And, additional medication is added to the spinal anesthesia to provide pain relief during the first post-operative day. In some circumstances, general anesthetic is required.
Other medications
There are other medications take the "edge" off the pain but do not numb like an epidural or spinal. These are given intravenously in small doses at the beginning stages of labor. They help reduce anxiety, allow the patient to rest during the early labor process and improve the ability to cope with painful contractions.
"In our ongoing quest to improve the patient experience, we are planning to switch to patient-controlled epidural analgesia for labor," says Dr. Grossman. "This allows patients to manage their own pain relief with a push of a button."
With today's advanced anesthesia techniques, women can participate safely and actively in the births of their babies — and make it through delivery "war stories" with a little less fear.
Learning all the options
It's best to discuss your pain control options with the person who will be delivering your baby. Patients with special circumstances may need to speak with a Virtua Health anesthesiologist before delivery. This is recommended especially for patients with coagulation disorders; neuromuscular disease; cardiac disease; prior scoliosis surgery; or, those with a history of complications with general anesthesia.
Virtua's childbirth educators also discuss pain management options in
Preparing for Baby classes. For more information or to register for a class, call
1-888-Virtua-3.
Virtua was recently designated a Regional Perinatal Center by the NJ Department of Health and Senior Services, which means we offer the highest level of care to pregnant women and newborns.