Many women want to experience natural childbirth, while others seek to get rid of the pain. But perhaps most women are willing to do without powerful painkillers and not experience physical suffering.

First of all, prioritize what you want:

• the more you want a natural birth, the more likely that your wish will come true;
• if you have learned well the techniques that facilitate delivery, pain relievers you may not be needed;
• if you trust the doctor and medical staff, hoping to help your partner - it will also help you cope with the pain and unpredictability of the clashes.

Previously should still weigh the "pros" and "cons" of the use of medications during childbirth:

• Medications may be nearly or completely rid you of the pain of labor.
• Childbirth is often more painful than you expected.
• Although today there are many new drugs and technology, the perfect way to undo the pain of childbirth is not. Thus, one should not expect a complete absence of pain from the beginning to the end even when receiving delivery of pain medications.
• The drugs and anesthesia can affect the course of labor. For example, drugs are sometimes promote relaxation, which speeds up the progress of delivery, but often do the exact opposite - inhibit the development of labor and increase the need for other medical intervention.
• When you ask for pain medication, it can bring you at once. After receiving medications also take effect immediately.
• Since "no drugs, known safe for the unborn child," most doctors and midwives do not welcome unlimited consumption of hard drugs throughout labor and delivery.
• You are taking drugs directly or indirectly affect the fetus.
• Specific effects of medicine depending on the type of medication, dose, dosage form, and the reception time, individual response to the drug and other factors. When you are given any medicine, doctors monitor the negative effects and, if necessary, begin to take steps to remedy.
• Because immature liver and kidneys of the newborn is unable to quickly metabolize and remove the drug from the body, the effect of some drugs on a child is longer than in the mother.
• Pain medications and anesthesia are often used when required painful surgery or intervention (forceps or episiotomy) and always used for caesarean section.

Ideally, if you can discuss with your doctor the properties of the drugs used for pain relief, namely:

• objectives and advantages of this drug;
• whether there analogs and what can happen if you do not use this medicine;
• possible adverse drug reactions on your body;
• side effects that may arise from the action of this drug to the mother, the fetus or the development of labor.

After analyzing this information, you can make an informed choice that will have the most positive effect on your state and the well-being of the child.

However, the choice is not so simple. You need with the help of a doctor weigh the potential physical and psychological benefits of this medication and the potential risk.

The only factor which is impossible to predict and control - the very nature of childbirth. When using medications wisely to maintain flexibility. Most deliveries occur without complications, and at your request can be carried out without medication. Sometimes labor is much more difficult - some very long and exhausting, and some may require the help of a doctor or a surgery that increases the pain. In such cases the use of drugs clearly outweighs the risk. Childbirth can be difficult, so prenatal training should include study of essential drugs and the circumstances when they should be used.

Each drug and anesthetic has its own characteristics, and are suitable only in a particular phase or stage of labor. Certain medicines should not be taken too early, because they might interfere with the development of labor. Others should only be given at an early stage, since they can have a dangerous effect on the newborn. With enough time, most of these drugs is derived from the child's body before birth. Because of the differences in the effects of drugs you may be offered a drug during the latent phase of labor, and the other - during the transition phase or delivery. With proper selection of drugs may partially or completely relieve the pain and at the same time seriously damage the child's well-being and progress of labor.

Used at the time of labor and delivery medications cause any analgesia (pain relief), or anesthesia (numbness). These drugs may also be classified as drugs, and systemic local anesthetics.

"System" - means "acting on the whole body." Systemic medications are available in many forms (pills, liquid candles). They all enter the bloodstream and spread throughout, which enters the blood, t. E. Are available on all systems of the body (hence the name). The desired effect - pain relief, but there may be other adverse effects. It can be sedative and hypnotic drugs, tranquilizers, narcotic analgesics, and so on. D. As we have said, the use of a drug should be discussed in advance with your doctor.

Since systemic medications are spread throughout the body, they penetrate into and through the placenta to the baby, which can show side effects. The strength of these effects depends on the amount of the drug, the number of doses and the time between the last dose and childbirth. Another important factor is a full-term, health and the reaction of the child during birth. The same amount of the drug may have a lesser effect on the healthy, full-term baby than premature, sick or injured.

Medications or their metabolites do not disappear entirely from the baby's blood for several days after birth, and during all this time saved small neuro-behavioral abnormalities. These deviations may be so weak that they can be detected only by professionals using very sensitive tests.

General anesthesia and analgesia

The term "total analgesia" refers to reducing the pain and sensitivity thereto. General anesthesia - complete loss of sensation and consciousness. For labor and delivery analgesia and general anesthesia is achieved by inhaling certain gas that acts almost instantaneously. In fact, the gas is faster than any other form of synthetic drugs.

The main difference between the total analgesia and anesthesia - the used gas concentration (percentage of drug in the air). Lower concentrations reduce the sensitivity to pain, but do not remove it completely. Woman in labor sometimes she takes the mask and uses her own for analgesia, but general anesthesia always carries an anesthesiologist. General anesthesia is rarely used during childbirth through natural way, because it requires participation of mothers in the process. General anesthesia is used in the following situations:

• an emergency caesarean section when required rapid loss of sensitivity;
• in small or rural hospitals, which can not perform a local anesthetic around the clock;
• in those rare cases when it can not be performed epidural or spinal block;
• woman intolerance to local anesthetics.

In such circumstances, the benefits outweigh the risks of general anesthesia. In other cases, local anesthesia is preferred.

General anesthesia is performed in two stages. First the intravenous injection for the "induction of anesthesia." This quickly leads a woman into a relaxed and semiconscious state. Then allowed to inhale the gas, which causes a complete loss of consciousness. The mothers trachea tube inserted to keep the airway open and to continue to introduce gas. Because a person who is unconscious, there may be vomiting, tube prevents the inhalation of vomit.

Regional and local blockade causes a decrease or complete loss of sensation (numbness) certain parts of the body .  The anesthetic was injected to a particular nerve; it blocks the transmission of nerve impulses .  The main function of the nerves - the transfer of sensations (including pain) to the brain and control of muscles and organs .  This function is weakened local anesthesia .  Small doses of the anesthetic released from pain and other sensations, without affecting muscle control .  At high doses disappear and feelings and the ability to use the muscles .  High doses are also more likely to affect your child .  In your response and reaction of the child is also influenced by other factors: the choice of medication, injection site, the technique of administration, the individual response of the body and the condition of the child during birth .  Local anesthesia does not affect your mind .  You do not begin to "float", do not get sleepy and scattered, as in the case of systemic analgesics .

The difference between the local and regional anesthesia is the injection site. Local anesthetic injected under the skin, in a muscle or cervix. It blocks a small area around the sensitivity of nerve endings. So, paracervical blockade leads to numbness of the cervix; blockade insensitive perineum makes this area. Regional anesthetics are administered in the lumbar region, close to the spinal nerve roots and act on those parts of the body, which goes to the nerves (in small areas such as the abdomen and lower back, or the entire body below the rib cage).

Regional block anesthesia provides a much larger area than local anesthesia, using less medication. Cerebrospinal, saddle, and epidural caudal blockade are types of regional anesthesia.

The purpose of anesthesia - provide good pain relief without adverse side effects. In recent years, anesthesiologists have developed a technique called regional analgesia (epidural anesthesia or light segmental block), which relieves pain but does not remove the sensitivity completely. Because of this there are fewer side effects than standard regional anesthesia. To achieve analgesia and anesthesia is not full, the doctor uses a lower concentration of anesthetic. Another recently proposed method - to enter a combination with a small dose of anesthetic drugs. But even with the modern development of the art of anesthesia is a risk of side effects for the mother or child.