Medication Used During Childbirth

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

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

Only women are permitted during the labor and delivery of an infant. While in labor, women commonly express pain through facial expressions, verbalizations, and body movements. Women of these groups are often mistakenly considered to need more pain medication due to their level of expression throughout

Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the different forms of pain management used during childbirth.

Spinal anesthesia and epidural anesthesia are methods of numbing a part of your body during a medical procedure. They involve an injection of a numbing medicine (anesthetic) in your back, near your spinal cord.

This is the biggest benefit. An epidural alleviates pain in the lower body, without affecting your mental state. This helps to make you calmer since you won't be too anxious or stressed about labor pain.

According to the authors (Tussey, et. Al., 2015) “Because limited research is available on the use of exercise or peanut balls with women with an epidural, the research question was generated from a growing trend in hospital labor and birth units to use such balls” (p. 22).

Pharmacological comfort measures can provide partial or complete pain relief. The epidural is the most efficient way of reducing labor pain. Opioids can be given continuously or in intermittent doses at the patient 's request or through the patient controlled pump. There is the potential for these drugs to have some effect on the fetus, such as breathing difficulties that may require assistance through the use of Narcan. Providing pain relief during the labor process is solely the patient’s choice, and as the nurse only support and encouragement should be given for however she chooses to handle the pain. (Jansen, Gibson, Bowles, & Leach, 2013)

In the case medicated childbirth vs. a natural birth the danger clearly speaks volumes. Two out of three physicians recommend medicated birth for a child. The simple fact that we have advances in technology that provides us as humans a way of escape from the pains of childbirth should be fully taken advantage of. To have resources and technology so advanced and not use it would be a waste of years of scientific research. More than 2.5 million out of 4 million births a year the mother ops to have an epidural used. Based off of the research of Dr. Ronald Melzack who conducted an experiment to try to measure the pain women experience during the process of childbirth. The scale that he developed to measure the pain is called the McGill pain questionnaire.

Childbirth is a beautiful thing. After the hours of labor, there is nothing more special than having the newly mother able to hold her child the minute after it’s born. It makes the pain that you had just experienced go away because all that matters in the world is that newborn child in your arms. During labor, every woman has her own experience but one common experience is the pain. According to Kitzinger (1978) “Labor pain can have negative or positive meaning, depending on whether the child is wanted, the interaction of the laboring woman with those attending her, her sense of ease or dis-ease in the environment provided for birth, her relationship with the father of her child and her attitude to her body throughout the reproductive

Although at first sight the CSE technique appears to be more complicated than epidural or spinal block alone, intrathecal drug administration and application of the epidural catheter are both enhanced by the combined, single-space, needle-through-needle method.(12)

One of the main goals of maternity care is the management of labor pain. Two basic models of pain control exist, the pharmacologic and the non pharmacologic, but the non pharmacologic approach of pain control during labor is aimed at preventing suffering. Suffering includes the following psychological elements:-helplessness, perceived threat to the body, loss of control, distress and fear of death. Most women use the non pharmacologic element for managing labor pain. The non pharmacologic method of controlling pain involves a wide variety of techniques to address not just the physical sensation but also for suffering prevention by psychoemotional and spiritual component of care. The non pharmacologic approaches that will be discussed here include:-

Pregnancy and childbirth are a part of nature. Delivering a child can be a beautiful experience. However, delivery can also be very painful and can last for days.

D. The studies on the use of acupuncture to achieve pain relief during labor are still

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.