Caesarean section is too bitter? Is natural childbirth too painful? Can natural childbirth be turned into a comfortable journey?
Labor analgesia can help parturient relieve pain, is a respect for individual life, and also reflects a kind of fertility civilization. Labor analgesia can minimize the pain experienced in natural childbirth, and at the same time can feel the special experience and mental process of changing you from expectant mother to new mother by intermittent contractions.
So far, Labor analgesia technology has been implemented worldwide for nearly 100 years. Numerous mothers have benefited from this technology. The arrival of the baby was welcomed in comfort and expectation. However, due to the interference brought by a large number of mixed information and instinctive worries in decision-making, expectant mothers and their families will still have various worries when deciding whether to accept labor analgesia for parturients. We will answer questions and solve doubts for everyone in this article.
Every mother has zero tolerance for the harm that any technology may bring to her baby.
Is what painless in childbirth?
[Painless labor] Strictly speaking, it should be called [labor analgesia]. What we usually hear about [painless labor] refers to epidural block or epidural combined with subarachnoid block analgesia, which is one of many methods called [labor analgesia] in medicine.
In addition to epidural analgesia, currently more commonly used methods include nitrous oxide analgesia, intramuscular and intravenous injection of analgesic drugs, etc. Among all labor analgesia methods, it is recognized that the most effective method is [painless labor].
Can painless childbirth be completely painless?
Due to different physical and physiological conditions, the effects achieved are also different, and not all deliveries can be completely painless.
Clinically, pain is usually graded according to 0 ~ 10 points:
- 0 points painless; 0 ~ 3 is divided into mild pain; 4 ~ 6 is divided into moderate pain; More than 7 points are severe pain, and 10 points are the most severe pain imaginable.
After using labor analgesia, the pain degree of the parturient can usually be controlled below 3 ~ 4 points, and some people can even reach 0 points. Most parturients will only have the feeling of tightening their stomachs during uterine contraction after using labor analgesia, without obvious pain.
Does painless childbirth affect the fetus?
Smooth labor analgesia will not have any effect on children.
The dose and concentration of drugs used in epidural labor analgesia are both low, The amount of drugs entering the maternal body per unit time is far lower than that of cesarean section anesthesia. Anesthetic drugs are directly injected into spinal canal (epidural space or subarachnoid space) instead of vein, and the drugs absorbed into the mother’s body and then entering the fetus through placenta are very small, which has no adverse effects on the fetus.
Not every hospital can do painless childbirth.
The successful implementation of labor analgesia requires multi-disciplinary cooperation in hospitals and high requirements for hospitals and doctors. In order to achieve good analgesic effect, senior obstetricians and anesthesiologists are required to cooperate perfectly.
In addition to anesthesiologists, midwives and obstetricians’ understanding of labor analgesia and strict labor monitoring are indispensable parts of successful labor analgesia.
According to international standards, anesthesiologists need to be on call 24 hours a day during the implementation of labor analgesia, adjust the drug dosage and judge the appropriate time to increase the drug dosage according to the reaction of parturients and the progress of labor. However, the shortage of anesthesiologists will directly affect the implementation quality of labor analgesia.
Three Other Common Doubts about Painless Delivery
1. Can all pregnant women choose painless childbirth?
Painless childbirth is suitable for a wide range of people and is also suitable for mothers with two children, except for people suffering from contraindications to operation.
To be on the safe side, it is suggested that expectant mothers should consult the anesthesiologist carefully in advance on the specific situation.
Generally speaking, epidural labor analgesia is not suitable for parturients suffering from pregnancy complicated with heart disease, drug allergy, abnormal platelet count and coagulation dysfunction, waist deformity and trauma history, and skin damage and infection at puncture site. Pregnant women who choose labor analgesia need professional labor evaluation and anesthesia consultation before delivery.
At present, only a few hospitals in China can provide this service, and the anesthesia clinic of the anesthesia department of Beijing United Family Hospital provides prenatal professional consultation.
2. Will painless childbirth prolong the labor process?
Research data show that epidural labor analgesia has no effect on the first stage of labor and may prolong the second stage of labor, with an average extension time of about 20 minutes. Labor analgesia can block the sensory nerve conduction of expectant mothers, but does not affect uterine contraction, and the influence of motor nerve is limited. In clinical practice, this effect does not have clinical significance.
There are also research results that show that the overall labor process time has a tendency to shorten after the application of labor analgesia, and the psychological impact on parturients is also benign.
3. Can I nurse immediately after labor analgesia?
Yes. Drugs for labor analgesia in spinal canal act locally, and the dosage of drugs entering the mother’s blood and secreting with milk is very small, which will not have what effect on children.
How Chooses Painless Delivery Doctors and Hospitals?
Labor analgesia requires high skills of obstetrics team, a good combination of personnel, skilled anesthesiologists and experienced midwives. The high requirements of personnel and team cooperation make it difficult for many hospitals to launch and adhere to relevant services.