Labour Pain

Most mothers wish to go through at least once natural childbirth as they do not want to miss the lifetime experience. Turning down pain relief drugs certainly is a better choice as all drugs have side effects on the mother and baby. Some tips on pain relieving during labour pain :

• massage by your husband
• relaxation techniques you learn in prenatal class
• breathing exercise
• concentration to "push"

Labour really hurts, but the good news is : if you are prepared and acquire some knowledge, trust me, you'll feel the greatest satisfaction becoming the most wonderful mother in the world when you hear your little one crying out loud for the first time.

Anyhow, of course there are some options for you to choose if you really, really can not "tahan" the pain. There are 3 options so far :

• Gas or entonox : a cylinder attached to a tube and mouthpiece/mask releases nitrous oxide. You must breathe it in 30 seconds before the pain sets in. The negative is you may feel nauseous after inhaling.
• Pethidine : After injection, it takes up to 20 minutes to kick in, but lasts between 2 to 4 hours. The negative is if given to close to delivery, it may affect baby's breathing at birth.
• Epidural : an anaesthetic injects into the side of the spinal cord to numb your body from the lower back downwards. The negative is backache, nausea and vomiting, headache