Pain Relief

What's Right For You

There are no rights or wrongs when it comes to choosing the best pathway you want to go down. It is your choice to make and only you know how you cope with pain.

But however you look at labour there is one thing for sure, "It hurts."

The best way is to know your boundaries and your expectations of what you want your labour to be.

Do you want to go natural, with no pain relief at all, or do you want a little pain relief to take the edge off it? Or perhaps you would prefer to be completely pain free? Only you can decide, unless specific pain relief has been recommended for you on medical grounds.

When I was asked to do my birthing plan the first thought I had was pain relief and lots of it. I am the first to admit I don't cope well with pain, so for me it was quite simple. I wanted an epidural when it all became too much for me.

I simply started with paracetamol and a warm bath to ease the discomfort of the first stages. I then moved onto my tens machine which worked well for me as the tingling was a good distraction as well as easing the pain in my lower back. Once I was in the hospital, I continued with these for a little while longer before moving onto gas and air (Entonox), which was great and also made me giggle. When I was near the final stages I requested an epidural. It was a little uncomfortable to have done; more so when you have a contraction whilst having to keep very still and forgetting to breath, but once it was in it took no time to work and I even managed to sleep till the final stage.

As I said in the beginning, there is no right and wrong it's just what is right for you. What works for one person doesn't mean it works for all.

Different Forms of Pain Relief

• Self help (Breathing techniques and Relaxation)

• hydrotherapy (Being in water)

• Gas and air (Entonox)

• Injections (Intramuscular injection)

• Tens (Electrode Stimulation)

• Epidural (Local Anaesthetic)

• Alternative Methods of Pain Relief (Acupuncture, Aromatherapy, Homeopathy, Hypnosis, Massage and Reflexology)

Here is a link to the NHS choices site where you can find lots more information on all the above pain relief NHS choices

--Kerryflump (talk) 04:49, 3 May 2013 (UTC)