Pros And Cons Of Pain Reduction Methods During Labor

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).

The American discourse around childbirth pain management includes mostly narcotic pain killers, epidurals and other sources of pain medication while the Middle Eastern discourse around labor pain management includes meditation, herbal substances and breathing exercises. This is important because America’s attitude towards hospitals and doctors is so trusting that we don’t stop and think about what we are putting into our bodies and we blindly accept what they are giving us because it is considered, for the majority, culturally acceptable. Many Middle Eastern women on the other hand, are not allowed to see male doctors, therefore they give birth solely with the help of midwives who have little access to medication and can only help through

Healthy childbirth is defined as a safe, natural process that rarely requires medical intervention (Goer & Romano, 2012). The medical model of care, however, often includes interventions that are not supported by the evidence and can increase a woman’s risk of having a cesarean section. These intrusions into labor and birth often lead to what has been called the “cascade of interventions” (DeClercq, Sakala, Corry,

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.

There are very few non pharmacological options when it comes to pain control for laboring women. This implementation plan will discuss the benefits of implementing the water birth as a mode of pain control. It will include details of the water labor protocol that is to be proposed, resources needed for the implementation, time frame, cost, instruments used, data collection methods, facilitators, and barriers to the protocol.

Researchers carried out a study to determine the effectiveness of HypnoBirthing, a specific hypnotic program, at reducing labor pain, fear, and stress levels as compared to other studies of hypnosis and childbirth. After program and childbirth completion, 90 program participants from Australia, women ranging in age from 24 to 42, who had had complication-free vaginal births, were sent a questionnaire asking for specific information on their birth experiences to be considered for the study. The survey results find that although HypnoBirthing participants have similar labor experiences to other women who use hypnosis for childbirth, the majority of HypnoBirthing participants report higher feelings of comfort, confidence, and relaxation than their counterparts, implying that HypnoBirthing leads to easier childbirth than hypnosis alone.

There are many ways to manage pain in today’s society. Some prefer non-analgesic treatment, and others rather manage their pain by taking analgesics as soon as they 're aware of the severity of their pain. On the specific topic of neonates, it is often said that their pain is overlooked. Because it is so difficult to suspect whether or not the infant is in pain due to their developmental age group, nurses are reluctant to take pharmacological measures without proof. There are a considerable amount of pain scales accessible for neonates and neonatal nurses.

Adequate and effective management of perineal pain begins with a comprehensive assessment (Marcus et al, 2009; Breivikl et al, 2008; Dalton et al, 1999). However, Andrews et al, (2008) UK-based study concluded that there is no pain scale to date that has been developed to appropriately and accurately assess the perineal pain that women experience during the postnatal period. This begins to offer explanation as why up to 92% of new mothers endure perineal pain in the early postpartum period (Macarthur and Macarthur, 2004).To further support these findings Way (2012) discovered that women expect perineal pain following vaginal birth but under estimate the severity of the pain. Women will experience high levels of pain before requesting analgesia as they attempt to normalise the pain as a consequence of vaginal delivery (Swain and Dahlen, 2013). Macarthur and Macarthur (2004) conclude that the current management of perineal pain is inadequate as the use of analgesia is not standardised.

Some pros for not having the drug is that your baby will have little potential for it being harmed or having side effects. Many women also like to have the feeling of accomplishment afterward despite having to handle pain, but turns out many women after their first unmedicated birth that they will want to do it again.

Focused breathing practices for labor and other relaxation techniques like walking, massage, position changes, and hydrotherapy

Providing continuous physical and emotional support during labour can reducing maternal fear, stress, and anxiety and protect physiological birth (Steen, 2012). Research shows that fear and anxiety during labour and birth can be detrimental to physiological birth. An environment that women feel unsafe in may stimulate a surge of neuro-hormones that can influence both fetal and maternal physiology, causing irregularity of contractions, fetal distress and subsequent medical inteverntions (Fahy & Parratt, 2006). Conversly, maintaining an environment where women feel safe, protected and supported can facilitate favourable physiological performance (Fahy & Parratt, 2006). Midwives can do this by giving women one-on-one continuous support and placing her at the centre of care throughout childbirth (Steen, 2012). As observed in practice, by constantly reassuring the woman about her progress, her baby’s health and addressing any of her concerns, the midwife can provide a calm and relaxing environment that is conducive to the labouring woman (Buckley, 2015; Steen, 2012). The midwife worked with the woman, encouraging her throughout labour and birth by telling her that she was doing extremely well. The midwife also breathed in-tune with the woman while giving her a back massage, inducing a sense of comfort. The atmosphere was calm and this contributed to the woman garnering confidence in her ability to avoid medical pain relief. Downe (2008) noted that the positive impact of

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)

The options for relieving these discomforts may be divided into six general types positive conditioning” (p.242). The Lamaze method is one of those six types of positive conditioning. Priscilla Ulin (1963) says “the unprepared mother who attempts labor without sedation and anesthesia is likely to experience frustration and severe pain. However, practitioners of the method developed by Ferdinand Lamaze have discovered that, with adequate preparation, the patient can control her reception of sensory stimuli to the extent that during labor she has little or no pain” (p. 60). I have heard of women using the Lamaze method and found it helpful to anticipate how they wanted the birth to feel. I find it interesting that the pain experienced in birth does not have to be unbearable. In 1977, Norr, Block, Charles, Meyering, and Meyers interviewed 249 women who had recently delivered and says “38% of our sample attended at least 5 Lamaze classes” (p.261). Most women are scared to give birth because they have heard numerous stories from other women just how painful it could be. Everyone in the world has a different pain tolerance and should be treated differently. I believe Lamaze is an excellent method of childbirth for those women who fear the pain from giving birth. It will condition

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

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.