One of the biggest questions you might ask yourself before you have your baby, is this: "How will I handle the pain of labor?".

You have choices. That is the first thing I want you to focus on. After that I want you to be educated on what causes the pain and how you can lean into it, prior to utilizing your pain management plan. Labor pain is not a pain that you should fear, it is a pain that is necessary to bring you the baby.

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During birth, there are pretty much 3 common options for pain control: Analgesics, Anesthetics, Nitrous Oxide, and Unmedicated options.

Today we talked about the first three options which all fall into the medicated pain management options.

Analgesics include IV narcotics such as Nubain, Stadol, Morphine, Fentanyl (which works the best in my opinion), and sometimes Demerol. Analgesics do not take the pain away, rather they lessen the pain, and still allow you to move somewhat freely. They cross the placenta and affect the baby, for this reason, they can not be given later in active labor.

Nitrous Oxide is another option for pain relief. It does not eliminate the pain. is administered through a face mask during the contractions. Once you remove the mask, the effects are almost gone immediately. Many women love this option as it allows movement throughout labor. I have found that some women love it and some women hate it.

An epidural is the most favored option for pain management during labor. It is considered an anesthetic and if it works properly will eliminate the pain. I teach my students to not solely rely on it being the savior of the day, as there are many times an epidural might not work out. Always have a backup plan.

I hope this episode helped you understand pain relief options during labor. I would be so grateful if you hit subscribe and write a review!!

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