Appalachian Midwifery
29 Years Experience
Serving South VA & WV
Understanding Pain Relief
Tools During Labor
Two Perspectives of Pain Management During Labor
Researchers named Leap and Anderson proposed these two different viewpoints or perspectives. One perspective is the perspective of pain relief during labor, and the other is “working with pain or coping with pain.”
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Pain relief Perspective
Many doctors and labor and delivery nurses believe strongly in the pain relief perspective. They many believe that pain during labor is unnecessary in today’s society and that we should eliminate pain, and that the benefits of pain medications always outweigh the risks. Some of them may not understand why someone would want to go without pain medication during labor, and that’s because a lot of nurses and doctors were trained in medical school and nursing school that it’s very important to assess people’s pain and eliminate it as much as possible.
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Coping with Pain Perspective
On the other hand, a lot of people believe in the coping with pain or working with pain philosophy. In this perspective, people believe that pain is a normal part of labor and that it’s necessary to entice you to move around and try different positions that will help the baby come down and out. In the right environment, an environment that feels supportive and private and lets you feel not anxious, people can better cope with labor pain in an environment like that because they feel safe and supported. Also, it helps them release natural pain-relieving hormones called endorphins.
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This is Just sample of this article please Click the button below to see the rest. You can also listen, or view a video on this subject.
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Thank you Rebecca for this series.
by Rebecca Dekker | Jan 24, 2018
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Epidural during Labor for
Pain Management
You may wonder why?
add information about pain relief tools that are used only in Hospitals because not all intended home births end there so you need to know about options available to you both in the home setting and in the hospital just in case you do have to transport.
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About Epidurals
An epidural is also sometimes called an epidural block. This is when a catheter is placed in your lower back in an area right beneath where the spinal cord ends. An epidural can cause some loss of feeling and numbness in the lower part of your body, but the person who’s in labor remains fully awake and alert.
Today, more than 60% of people giving birth in the US have either an epidural or a spinal block during labor. A trained care provider gives you an epidural by using a small needle to go into your back, and over on top of that needle is a small catheter that’s a small plastic tube. The needle is used to guide the small plastic tube into that epidural space in your back. Drugs given through that small plastic tube or catheter can help with pain during labor. More drugs or stronger drugs can also be given through that tube if you end up needing a cesarean, forceps or vacuum delivery.
Now, after they get the plastic tube in your back, they remove the needle so it’s just the thin plastic tube in your epidural space. An epidural takes about 10 minutes to set up and takes about 10 to 15 minutes to start working. It doesn’t always work well at first and sometimes your medications may need to be adjusted so that you get the pain relief during labor you’re looking for.
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Epidurals vs. Spinal Blocks
A spinal block is somewhat similar to an epidural. It’s given as an injection in your lower back, but it’s given with a much smaller, thinner needle, and with a much smaller dose of the drugs. The drugs are injected into a sac of spinal fluid that’s right below the spinal cord in your back, and it causes a loss of feeling in your lower body. A spinal block is usually only given once during labor and it provides immediate pain relief instantaneously, but it’s only good for about an hour or two. Stronger drugs with a spinal can also be used to block all feeling during a cesarean.
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Thank you Rebecca for this series.
by Rebecca Dekker | Jan 31, 2018
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