Pain management during labour Home A-Z Health Information Health Library A-Z Pain Management During Labour Overview Labour is characterised by rhythmic contractions of the uterus, essential for the cervix to dilate and facilitate the passage of the baby through the birth canal. While labour is a natural process, it can be intense and uncomfortable, varying in experience for each woman. Anaesthesia techniques like spinal and epidural anaesthesia can be used for labour pain management, ensuring a smooth and comfortable labour. Thus, pain relief strategies and pain management techniques aid successful and relaxed labour. Benefits Relieve Pain: Make labour more comfortable.Stay relaxed: Help you conserve energy.Help labour progress: Manageable pain can make labour a smoother and happier experience. Technique Natural ways of pain relief without medication:Breathing: To stay relaxed, it is important to pay attention to your breathing. Focus on slow, deep and patterned breathing.Movement: Activities like walking, squatting, kneeling, or leaning forward can not only ease the pain but also help labour progress.Massage: Circular light strokes, long strokes down the midback to sacrum, massaging the shoulders and neck and hip squeezes can provide comfort.Calming or relaxing music: Music can have a calming effect during labour.Practicing other relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques other than medication (alongside medicated option) can help some people.Medical pain relief options:Regional anaesthesia: Labour epidural is the most common and effective pain relief during labour. Epidural analgesia involves the administration of medication near the spinal cord (epidural space) through a catheter inserted into the lower back. This method provides effective pain relief from the waist down, making it a popular choice for managing labour pain. It is administered by an anaesthesiologist and requires the woman to sit or lie in a specific position during placement. Epidural can also be used if caesarean section is required.Combined spinalepidural (CSE): CSE combines the benefits of both spinal and epidural techniques. It begins with a single dose of pain medication injected into the spinal fluid for rapid pain relief, followed by the placement of an epidural catheter for ongoing management. This dual approach allows for precise control over the dosage of pain medications. Risks Temporary low blood pressure Spinal headachesItchingAllergic reactions to the local anaesthetic(s)Fever or rare nerve complications These risks are carefully monitored and managed by healthcare providers.