5 Things to Know About Pain Management for Childbirth

Caregivers at the Harris Women’s Center at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital are committed to helping laboring moms achieve a comfortable labor and delivery experience. For expectant mothers who desire some form of pain management during labor, there are five things every expectant mom should know:

• There are several forms of pain management that can help significantly lessen the amount of pain an individual can experience during the various stages of childbirth.
• There are basically two types of drugs for pain relief - analgesics and anesthetics. Analgesics help lessen pain without causing a loss of feeling or muscle movement. Anesthetics help relieve pain by blocking pain receptors.

At the Harris Women’s Center, pain is managed collaboratively with input from mom guiding all decisions about what will work best to meet personal pain management goals.

• During early labor, moms can choose to forego pain management or choose an intravenous pain medication. In the middle stages of labor, moms wanting to continue pain management can then transition to another form of pain control before due to the ability of IV drugs to cross over to the baby later in the labor process. Mid- to late-stage labor is often when moms opt for an epidural to help lessen the severity of pain.
• The Harris Women’s Center is one of the few hospitals in metro Detroit to offer moms nitrous oxide as a pain management choice. Tasteless and odorless, the analgesic gas helps to reduce anxiety and increase a feeling of well-being. Mixed with oxygen, the gas is inhaled through a mask the laboring mom holds herself.

Every labor is different, and each mom has personal pain management goals.

• While pain management does come with added risks, a pain-managed birth still offers new parents a wonderful and personalized experience.

To learn more about labor and delivery services at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, visit the Harris Women’s Center online here.