What should i do to ease labour pain

You may feel tingles or pins and needles down one leg after having a baby. This happens in about 1 in 2, cases. This is more likely to be the result of childbirth itself rather than the epidural. You'll be advised by the doctor or midwife when you can get out of bed. Read more about the pros and cons of epidurals. Being in water can help you relax and make the contractions seem less painful.

Ask if you can have a bath or use a birth pool. The water will be kept at a comfortable temperature, but not above The National Childbirth Trust has information on using water during labour and birth. This stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Some hospitals have TENS machines.

If not, you can hire your own machine. TENS has not been shown to be effective during the active phase of labour, when contractions get longer, stronger and more frequent. It's probably most effective during the early stages, when you may have lower back pain. TENS may also be useful while you're at home in the early stages of labour or if you plan to give birth at home. If you're interested in TENS, learn how to use it in the later months of your pregnancy.

Ask your midwife to show you how it works. Electrodes are taped on to your back and connected by wires to a small battery-powered stimulator. Holding this, you give yourself small, safe amounts of current through the electrodes. You can move around while you use TENS. TENS is believed to work by stimulating the body to produce more of its own natural painkillers, called endorphins. It also reduces the number of pain signals sent to the brain by the spinal cord.

Read more about TENS. You may choose alternative treatments such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, homeopathy, hypnosis, massage and reflexology. Most of these techniques are not proven to provide effective pain relief. If you'd like to use any of these methods, it's important to discuss them with your midwife or doctor and let the hospital know beforehand. Most hospitals do not offer them for pain relief during labour.

If you want to try any of these techniques, make sure the practitioner is properly trained and experienced. Learn more about complementary and alternative medicines and how they're regulated. Find maternity services near you.

Page last reviewed: 20 March Next review due: 20 March Home Pregnancy Labour and birth What happens in labour and birth Back to What happens in labour and birth. Pain relief in labour. Your pain relief options Labour can be painful — it can help to learn about all the ways you can relieve the pain.

A major goal of this method is the avoidance of medicines unless absolutely necessary. The Bradley method also focuses on good nutrition and exercise during pregnancy and relaxation and deep-breathing techniques as a method of coping with labor. Although the Bradley method advocates a medicine-free birth experience, the classes do discuss unexpected complications or situations, like emergency cesarean sections. A variety of pain medicines can be used during labor and delivery, depending on the situation.

Many women rely on such medicines, and it can be a huge relief when pain is quickly eased and energy can be focused on getting through the contractions. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of each type of medicine. Analgesics ease pain, but don't numb it completely. They can be given many ways. If they are given intravenously through an IV into a vein or through a shot into a muscle, they can affect the whole body.

These medicines can cause side effects in the mother, including drowsiness and nausea. They also can have effects on the baby. Regional anesthesia. This is what most women think of when they consider pain medicine during labor. By blocking the feeling from specific regions of the body, these methods can be used for pain relief in both vaginal and cesarean section deliveries.

Epidurals , a form of local anesthesia, relieve most of the pain from the entire body below the belly button, including the vaginal walls, during labor and delivery. An epidural involves medicine given by an anesthesiologist through a thin, tube-like catheter that's inserted in the woman's lower back. The amount of medicine can be increased or decreased according to a woman's needs.

Very little medicine reaches the baby, so usually there are no effects on the baby from this method of pain relief. Epidurals do have some drawbacks — they can cause a woman's blood pressure to drop and can make it difficult to pee. They can also cause itching, nausea, and headaches in the mother. The risks to the baby are minimal, but include problems caused by low blood pressure in the mother. These drugs don't relieve pain, but they may help to calm and relax women who are very anxious.

Almost all women experience pain during childbirth which varies in severity. There are different pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches to treatment of pain during childbirth.

Read more on HealthEngine website. Learn more about labour complications. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby is not responsible for the content and advertising on the external website you are now entering. Video call. This information is for your general information and use only and is not intended to be used as medical advice and should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any medical condition, nor should it be used for therapeutic purposes.

The information is not a substitute for independent professional advice and should not be used as an alternative to professional health care.

If you have a particular medical problem, please consult a healthcare professional. For more information, please visit the links below:. You are welcome to continue browsing this site with this browser. Some features, tools or interaction may not work correctly. There is a total of 5 error s on this form, details are below. Please enter your name Please enter your email Your email is invalid.

Please check and try again Please enter recipient's email Recipient's email is invalid. Please check and try again Agree to Terms required. Thank you for sharing our content. A message has been sent to your recipient's email address with a link to the content webpage.

Your name: is required Error: This is required. Your email: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Send to: is required Error: This is required Error: Not a valid value. Learn how to relax, stay calm and breathe deeply. Keep moving — your position can make a difference. Leaning forward over a beanbag or sitting back-to-front in a chair may take the pressure off your back and abdomen.