During your vaginal birth
You may meet several members of the team involved in your birth, including:
Physician or midwife
Who will be helping deliver your baby.
Nurse
Who will be providing care in the hospital.
Anesthetist
Who may provide pain relief options.
Respiratory therapist
Who may monitor the baby immediately after birth.
Pediatric team
Who may be available if your baby has any health issues.
Some hospitals also have medical trainees in any of these roles who may be assisting or observing the birth with your permission.
There are many options for pain relief.
Simple but effective techniques to manage pain include:
- Breathing and relaxation techniques
- Touch/massage
- Application of heat/cold
- Music
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)
Labour contractions may be very painful and some people choose alternate forms of pain control:
- Nitrous oxide (laughing) gas is delivered through a mask that you hold on your face. This does not eliminate pain but makes the contractions more tolerable.
- Injectable narcotics (such as morphine) may be used in early labour, however should be avoided in the later stages as they can cause drowsiness of your baby at birth.
- At the time of the birth, freezing can be injected into the nerves in the vagina.
An epidural involves placing a small plastic tube in your back, which allows you to have pain medications continuously throughout your labour. This method minimizes medications that affect the baby while providing very effective pain control. The epidural usually makes your legs numb so you cannot stand up or get out of bed, however you will still be able to push.