Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

You have spent the last nine months anticipating the day your wonderful baby will be born.

The due date that your physician gave you is rapidly approaching, and you may be wondering how the birth will go.

Your entire family is preparing for the exciting birth of its new member. The baby nursery has been painted, and your baby clothes have been bought.

Your thoughts may have turned now to how you are going to deal with your birthing pains. There are several ways in which your physician will be able to offer you pain relief.

Epidural Pain Relief

An Epidural injection is an option for pain relief, which your physician may suggest. You will feel numb in your pelvic area, and sometimes the numbness will go into your legs, with an Epidural. Your health care provider will place a needle in your lower back.

This needle will be skillfully placed between your spinal cord, and your outer membrane. What is good about an Epidural is that you will feel no pain, and the medication that is being administered, can be stopped, if you need to push for the baby to be born.

Intrathecal Injection

This type of pain relief is an injection of narcotics, which is given in your lower back. You will receive the entire narcotic at one time. You will not be able to regulate this pain relief, like you can with an Epidural.

The lower part of your body will feel somewhat numb, but you will still be able to feel some pain. You may want to consider the side effects of this pain relief before getting the injection.

Intrathecal injection can cause you to feel nauseated, and make you want to throw up. It can also cause your skin to feel itchy.

Shots and IV Relief

Your physician may prescribe you medication for pain that is either given in a shot, or put into your IV. These medications will only take the edge off of your pain, but will not take the pain completely away.

Medications of this type will help you to calm down, so that you will have a more relaxing birth.

One thing you will want to consider when using this type of pain relief is that the medication can affect your baby, after they are born. These medications will cause your baby to feel sleepy.

Nerve Block

Ask your physician about a pudendal block, to block your nerves, that are causing you pain. This block will be given by an inserted needle into the area around your vagina.

A pudendal block will reduce your cervical pain and also your vaginal pain, but it will not help with any uterine discomfort. You will usually need an injection of narcotics, along with this treatment, to assist in relieving your pain.

There is no need for you to be in a lot of pain during childbirth. Your physician will be able to assist you in the pain management treatment, which will be right for you.