Is a pain-free birth even possible? It turns out that there are more and more methods that are effective in relieving or significantly relieving pain. The hit is now anesthesia with gas (oxygen with nitrous oxide) and TENS. Learn about the methods that allow for a painless delivery.
Painless childbirthceases to be a fiction. The list of ways to fight pain in the delivery room is quite large -anesthesiasubarachnoid or epidural,childbirthin water, massage, music therapy. Recently, however, laughing gas has turned out to be a real hit.
Nitrous oxide will provide painless childbirth
This gas is simply oxygen with the addition of nitrous oxide (NO2). It is completely safe for he alth, does not interfere with the labor and does not have a diastolic effect. Thanks to NO2, the first stage of labor becomes much more pleasant and easier to bear, and the expectant mother has a much better mood and feels calmer. The laughing gas can be given to any patient who is not a severe allergy sufferer and is not in a state of extreme exhaustion. A woman doses NO2 herself - on average, after about 4-5 breaths, she begins to feel a significant improvement in mood. Dizziness may be a side effect of the gas. In Poland, more and more hospitals offer their patients this method of relieving pain during labor.
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Pain-free delivery thanks to nerve stimulation with TENS
If the expectant mother does not fully trust hypnosis and is also not convinced about the effects of laughing gas, she can always be tempted by TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), i.e. transcutaneous nerve stimulation. This method is mainly used in Great Britain, although the fashion for TENS is slowly reaching Polish hospitals as well. TENS is a small device with four electrodes that sticks to the patient's back. A gentle electrical pulse is passed through the electrodes, which causes a tickling or tingling sensation. The woman in labor can control the intensity of the current herself to achieve the desired effect.
British research shows that in the case of as much as 80 percent deliveries with the use of TENS, the sensation of pain was reduced and the time of the first stage of labor was shortened. TENS does not cause any side effects and is completely safe for the mother and motherher baby. The device should not be used by women with leg varicose veins or hemorrhoids, with pacemakers, severe cardiac arrhythmia or epilepsy.
Painless delivery under hypnosis
Doctors have long ago concluded that hypnosis can have a beneficial effect on the course of childbirth and help a young mother a lot. Hypnosis is a state of strong concentration, during which the right prefrontal gyrus is stimulated, and the work of the thalamus, the sensory cortex and the island - three important areas of the cerebral cortex - are weakened. They go to the hill, among others pain messages, and because pain signals in these areas are weakened as a result of hypnosis, the patient feels it much less. Additionally, during the session, some suggestions are introduced - e.g. that the woman in labor is in a beautiful place, on a beach or on a romantic island, and not in a white delivery room. Thanks to this, a woman becomes much calmer and her muscles relax, which makes childbirth much easier.
Anesthesia for childbirth
What forms of pain relief can the woman in labor take advantage of? Listen to our expert.