The fear of pain of labour (process of delivery of the baby) is in the mind of the expectant mother almost from the time she gets pregnant. For years together women have been tolerating this suffering because there was no safe choice to get rid of it. Now with the developments in the science of anaesthesiology it is possible to safely get rid of this pain.

Why does labour cause pain ?

Once the process of delivery sets in, the uterus starts contracting and the mouth of the uterus starts opening so as to deliver the baby. The vigorous muscular contraction of the uterus and stretching of the mouth of the uterus causes pain.

Is this pain really severe ?

The pain begins with the process of labour and gradually increases in frequency and severity as the labour progresses. It is more at the time of the first delivery and if the labour is prolonged for some reason.

Is labour pain useful ?

Labour pain gives an indication to the expectant mother that the delivery process has begun. However once the pain has given as indication, it loses its usefulness and becomes a suffering.

If the pain is gone, how will the labour progress ?

Pain is the effect of the contractions and not the cause of it. So stopping pain will not stop contractions. With pain reducing techniques, only the pain conducting nerves are blocked however the process of uterine contractions continues as before.

What can be done to reduce the pain ?

There are varieties of methods like injections of pain killer medicines, TENS, acupuncture, or breathing gases which reduce pain threshold. But all over the world the method which has proved superior over the others in quality of pain relief is Epidural Labour Analgesia (ELA). Is is being widely used in the developed countries for more than 30 years.

What is Epidural Analgesia ?

The nerves that supply the uterus and the birth canal pass through a space called "Epidural Space" A small dose of local anaesthetic is placed in the epidural space which stops the pain associated with the contractions.

How is the Epidural put in ?

The anaesthesiologist will clean the back using antiseptic solutions. A small area of the back is made numb using local anaesthetic. A needle is used to locate the Epidural space.

A fine Catheter is passed through the needle. The needle is then removed and catheter is firmly fixed to the back. Local anaesthetic is given through this to relieve pain as and when necessary. It takes about 15 minutes for excellent pain relief.

Are there other advantages ?

Apart from relief from pain it increases blood supply to the baby and improves its well being. Epidural Labour Analgesia is also known to shorten the duration of labour. In case certain emergency arises, the  anaesthesiologist will be available at the very instant to give the necessary help. If caesarian is required anaesthesia can be given through the same catheter without additional injection.

Are there any complications ?

Fortunately complications are extremely rare. Occasionally the injection can cause headache, but this is self limiting and amendable to pain killers.

Will epidural injection cause backache ?

It is statistically proved that epidural analgesia is not the cause of backache. there are many other causes of back pain in women like laxity of ligaments and calcium deficiency. These are wrongly attributed to the injection in the back. On the contrary epidural injections are often used in the treatment of back problems.

Who will do it for me ?

A qualified anaesthesiologist specialized in technique of labour analgesia will give the injection and will stay with you throughout the labour. If you decide to opt for pain free delivery during the antenatal period, inform your gynaecologist. But if you feel during the process of labour that you can't bear it any more, you can inform the gynaecologist at anytime and the anaesthesiologist would come to your aid as soon as possible.