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pain reliever other than an epiduaral during labor
are there any other options given for pain during labor other than an epiduaral? i am really not wanting an epiduaral becuase of the fact that it enters through the spine, and i am so scared that theres a chance i might end up paralyzed for an inkling of a mistake. if there are any options, how are they administered? any help would be awesome. thank you so much in advance.
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Almost all pain medication or anesthesia are not without the potential for side effects. You could select injectable narcotic pain medications when you are in the mid to late stage of labor, but there is always a risk that it will slow down the unborn infants heart rate, and may slow your labor. In reality, it's only going to take the edge off the pain, and it will not help much with delivery.
Another option would be a pudendal or paracervical block (injected with a syringe to the vaginal and or cervical area) shortly before delivery, this is generally safer than most analgesics or anesthesia, but you should discuss the risks with your physician anyway. For the most part this will help with the pressure and pain in the peri area during delivery.
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Another option would be to use "hypnosis" or a biofeedback type pain control. I know an OB doc who used this on his patients with great success.
His patients would recommend it over medication any day. I believe it would be the safest method of all.
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Because any medication given to a laboring mother can potentially affect the baby, the physician will weigh some important factors before recommending a pain-relief method for the patient.
Pain medications can be injected into a muscle, or, in many cases, into a vein by an IV. They rarely eliminate the pain completely, especially at the peak of a contraction. But they do make the discomfort more tolerable, which permits the laboring mother to rest more comfortably between contractions.
Here are the medicines and the effects it produces:
Systemic Analgesics - pain-relieving medicine that is injected into your vein or muscle. This medicine acts on your entire nervous system rather than just a certain part of your body.
Epidural Block - numbs or causes a loss of feeling in the lower half of your body. A specialist physician or anesthesiologist injects the block into the lower back.
Spinal Block - similar to an epidural and also provides good relief. The difference is that the medicine is only given one time in your back and it lasts only 1-2 hours.
Local Anesthesia - numbing medicine injected in the vaginal and rectal areas by your obstetrician at the time of delivery.
Hope this helps ya'
-Marine Wife
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Some doctors offer other options which would be administered intravenously. The reason it is not recommended and seldom used is that it puts the baby in danger. I too was terrified of the epidural but as long as you get an experienced doctor there should not be an issue. If the fear is too overwhelming for you there is the option of natural child birth.
Also if you have a tattoo on your lower back it makes it harder for the epidural to be given, so keep that in mind when weighing your options. If you are expecting soon or pregnant and have more questions let me know.
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