Pain Management During Labor Childbirth can be described as one of the most rewarding and also painful experiences in a woman’s life. Most women choose some type of method to ease pain, however, there has been a lot of controversy over with pain management method is the most effective. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), In 2013, there were 3,932,181 births recorded in the United States, 32.7% of those births were surgical procedures. In 2012, 1.36% of recorded births occurred out-of-hospital, meaning these births took place mostly in homes or birthing centers. Without the option of medicine that a hospital provides, how were these women able to manage their pain during labor and delivery. There are many different methods for easing pain during childbirth, some methods involve the use of medicine and surgery, and others include natural techniques, such as hypnosis, Lamaze, and many others. It is a personal preference of the parents over which method is right for the needs of the mother and child. This can be an overwhelming decision for new parents to make because they have to take into consideration the safety of the mother and child, pain management for the mother and desire for medical involvement.
Four years later, I got pregnant. I was nervous, scared and anxious. The doctor I saw said that I could have a VBAC(vaginal birth after c-section). I raided the library and read books on that subject. It was then I found out that the United States had the highest incidence of C-sections in the world. Research shows that epidurals increase the use of other interventions that themselves carry risks. These interventions include electronic fetal monitoring (which has shown to increase the likelihood of a cesarean without improving outcome), I. V oxytocin, and instrumental delivery. Epidurals also deprive women of a sense of mastery over labor. Goer, Henci. "Epidurals Myth Vs Reality." Childbirth Instructor Magazine Winter 1995: 17-22
Ariel Neal English 102-TTH 4:00pm 22 November 2016 Vonsteuben Natural childbirth vs. Epidural Giving birth should be a beautiful experience even though delivery can be terrifying and discomfort. Even though women have the decision to choose between having a natural childbirth or get an epidural majority of women give birth at a hospital get an epidural. Make sure when you base your decision on what’s best for your infant and not base off anyone influencing you. What constitutes a “Natural childbirth”? A natural childbirth is when a woman gives birth without any medication. You can choose between having a mid-wife and having an at home birth or you can give birth at the hospital without any medication either way is consider giving natural childbirth. According to Kristeen, an epidural is drugs called local anesthetics, such as bupivacaine, chloroprocaine, or liocaine it numbs the abdomen or pelvic region during labor. An epidural is given when the women is about 4 or 5 centimeters dilated (Cherney, par.2-6). In order to get an epidural you have to get a shot in your spine (lower back). In 1909, the first caudal anaesthesia was given for labor pains by a German obstetrical, Walter Stoeckel, and he study 141 cases of healthy laboring women with epidurals. In 1931, the first catheter was used in an epidural. By the 1940s, epidural were being used sporadically for labor but did not gain true momentum until the 1970s. This was in large part due to the fact that other
Medical care is critical in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Francie Nolan’s mother, Katie, and her Aunt Sissy experience two different pregnancies with the medical care provided for them. Sissy encounters hardships while Katie takes them for granted. Betty Smith assimilates twentieth century medical care in A Tree Grows
In the past, in the United States the majority of women delivered at home with no anesthetics; women might have received assistance through a family doctor, including midwife care (Thomas, 2011). A radical change happened by the 1960s, when hospital childbirths had become the norm, the pain of the experience was reduced by epidural anesthesia controlled by a physician. Pregnant women received education on breastfeeding and other topics during their medical visits (Thomas, 2011).
Dangers of Epidural Anesthesia According to the American Pregnancy organization “more than 50% of woman giving birth at hospitals use Epidural Anesthesia”. These women turn to epidural to relieve the pain of labor; however this decision poses many risks to both mother and child. An epidural is a type of regional anesthesia where pain medication is administered to the lumbar and sacral region of the back near clusters of nerves. The placement allows for nerve impulses to be blocked from the lower regions of the body resulting in decreased sensations. Although the epidural is known for taking pain away it could very well cause it too. Epidurals include the use of various narcotics and have side effects like hypotension, fever, fetal malposition, decreased fetal heart rate, respiratory depression, breastfeeding complications, an increased likelihood of operative vaginal delivery and cesarean and many more. These are the effects faced in result to a procedure that is not definite to work. In Fact “One in every 8 women” (OAA) will experience inadequate pain relief and must venture to other means of medication. Therefore, mothers should abstain from epidural anesthesia due to the risks it poses to themselves and to the fetus.
Birthing and Prenatal Care Interview Giving birth to a baby is the most amazing and miraculous experiences for parents and their loved ones. Every woman’s birth story is different and full of joy. Furthermore, the process from the moment a woman knows that she’s pregnant to being in the delivering room is very critical to both her and the newborn baby. Prenatal care is extremely important and it can impact greatly the quality of life of the baby. In this paper, the topic of giving birth will be discussed thoroughly by describing the stories of two mothers who gave birth in different decades and see how their prenatal cares are different from each other with correlation of the advancement of modern medicine between four decades.
Abstract Cesarean births have been on the rise over the last decade and are associated more with failed inductions than with medical necessity. C-sections are associated with more short and long term complications for mother and baby. By promoting a pregnant woman to opt out of inductions before 40-42 weeks and educating about vaginal birth after cesarean section, the United States can drop the number of cesarean sections performed.
Healthcare providers, like midwifes, want the best outcome for their patients, but because some healthcare providers are more educated on the current hospital practices, they believe that pain medication is the only way to have a minimally painful labor and birth. According to Gaskin (2011), “Mainstream US culture teaches people that pregnancy and birth are illnesses for which hospital treatment is necessary. This cultural conditioning shapes people’s thinking about labor and birth in ways that few question” (p. 51). People do not realize that there could be multiple healthy ways to deliver a baby. In the hospital this semester, I have noticed that one of the major interventions that was pushed on or recommended to women were epidurals. Almost every patient that I saw on the labor and delivery unit had an epidural or had a plan to get an epidural. In post conference, one of the other students told about one of the patients that they encountered. This very young soon-to-be mom did not want any pain medications. According to the student, the nurses, doctor, and anesthesiologist were very adamant upon her getting an epidural because it would relieve her pain and help progress her labor. Even though this patient would reject it each time it was asked, they still continued to ask. This constant
Thanks for sharing your story. I know that epidural has become increasingly common for childbirth and has been an ideal tool for many doctors to offer patients with relief from the pains of labor and delivery; however, I was disappointed to those doctors or nurses who kept questioning you about this option although you did not want it at first. Your experience truly shows how physicians gave over medical control to this procedure rather than view it as a part of natural birth; but yet I guess it really depends on the nature of the cases, every woman and every labor are different. Probably, if I were in your situation, I would do the same thing too, especially if the baby had a fever and still inside of me, as a mother, like you, I would definitely
There are several people that cannot make up their mind. Things do not go as planned and spontaneous things just occur. During pregnancy, the mothers plan their birth plan and the procedure that they would like. Things just happen, and they need to change their plans. There are several debates
An argument for the case of minimal medicalized intervention during birth can be made in terms of low-risk pregnancies and reserving medical interventions for high-risk deliveries and emergency situations. The purpose of this paper is to ensure that members of the childbearing community, including healthcare professionals, are familiar with alternative interventions to cesarean section and thoroughly consider the risks and benefits of said interventions so that natural child-birthing methods can be promoted in low-risk situations.
Pros and Cons of Epidural Anesthesia There is enough footage and personal stories of childbirth for anyone to know how excruciating it can be to give birth. This could be one reason why more mothers are asking for epidural anesthesia in order to avoid labor pain. This medication is injected into a small space outside the spinal cord in the lower back. Why is this becoming more popular and is it even safe?
Over the years birthing methods have changed a great deal. When technology wasn’t so advanced there was only one method of giving birth, vaginally non-medicated. However, in today’s society there are now more than one method of giving birth. In fact, there are three methods: Non-medicated vaginal delivery, medicated vaginal delivery and cesarean delivery, also known as c-section. In the cesarean delivery there is not much to prepare for before the operation, except maybe the procedure of the operation. A few things that will be discussed are: the process of cesarean delivery, reasons for this birthing method and a few reasons for why this birthing method is used. Also a question that many women have is whether or not they can vaginally
Episiotomy and Perineal Tear During Delivery A first time pregnant woman in labor who has limited medical knowledge about episiotomy may become frighten when all of a sudden as she is actively pushing, the provider tells her stop because the passageway to let the baby out is narrow, therefore he/she is going to perform a procedure which involves an incision made to the vagina that will assist the birthing process, therefore allowing the baby to be delivered easily and preventing further complications. This might be really frightening to the patient due to her limited knowledge and prior misconceptions about the procedure.