Pain Management During Childbirth

Pain management during childbirth covers the partial treatment and reduction of pain a woman may experience during labor and delivery, the intensity of which depends on factors including the size and position of the baby, the size of the maternal pelvis, the mother's emotional state, the strength of contractions and her outlook, with tension itself known to increase labor pain. Non-pharmacological approaches include breathing and relaxation techniques, water immersion or a warm bath, massage, changing position or using a labor ball, music, acupuncture and continuous support from a partner or doula, while medical options include injected or intravenous opioids, epidural and spinal blocks, pudendal blocks and inhaled nitrous oxide. Chemical pain relief in labor dates to 1847, was popularized after Queen Victoria used chloroform in childbirth in 1853, and modern epidural use for labor began in the 1960s.