Frequently asked questions about pain relief at birth

The article was consulted professionally by Dr. Nguyen Xuan Tinh – General Department of General Medicine, Share99 Phu Quoc International Health Hub.

Post-birth pain relief helps women quickly recover their post-birth health, with little pain after birth. Pain relief at birth does not affect obstetrics and gynecology. When obstetrics and gynecology is in place, the obstetrician will be born or operated to ensure the safest for the maternity and the baby.

Pain relief at birth in obstetrics is divided into 2 groups of methods: Non-medicinal methods and methods of taking drugs.

• Non-medicinal methods include: acupressure, acupuncture, psychotherapy, music, hypnosis, hydrotherapy, birth position, …
• Methods of medication include: Intravenous addictive drugs, anaesthetic gases and regional anesthesia (NMC), spinal anesthesia or coordinated NMC anesthesia – spinal anesthesia.

Currently, NMC anesthesia is the most effective and suitable analgesic technique for mothers and babies for both normal births and cesarean sections. For women who have been given anesthesia to relieve pain, if there is only cesarean section, they will be given an anesthetic in larger doses and concentrations for cesarean section.

In particular, the use of this analgesic injection drug can control the analgesic effect of the maternity during the overtaking process. The doctor can flexibly adjust the painkiller, the dosage and intensity of the drug as appropriate. Because each person's body is often not the same, there are cases of the same drug, the same dosage but there are good analgesic people and there will also be people who are not suitable.

• Painkillers at birth are most often used safely for mothers and babies today as anesthetic method of sural anesthesia or painless calving.
• Painless calving is the use of analgesic method to relieve pain. Anesthetics are pumped into the outer sural cavity (not in the spinal cord, this cavity is located outside the spinal cord, starting from the first cervical vertebrae to the same area – amputation). By professional techniques, the anaesthesial doctor will confirm this cavity and insert a small cathe tube into it, the anesthetic is continuously transmitted to relieve pain until the birth is complete.
• In painless calving, spinal anesthesia is rarely performed individually, usually spinal anesthesia (very little amount of anesthesia) in combination with sydural numbness. Spinal anesthesia allows pain relief immediately after injection. As for NMC numbness, after the first large dose of anesthesia, it takes about 10 minutes for the maternity to run out of pain.

Anesthetics used in NMC numbness to relieve pain are usually used in very low concentrations, just enough to inhibit pain sensations without affecting movement. So, the birth push will take place almost normally, the maternity can be assured.

The continuous infusion of anesthetics into the NMC cavity, in some women, is sometimes painless, or there is a feeling of heavy legs, the anesthesisihet must adjust the dose accordingly. The goal of painless calving is to reduce pain by 70-80%, leaving only 20-30% of pain, enough for the maternity to know the mound causes pain, coordinates well when the cervical is fully open.

In the case of cesarean section, it is enough to simply give an anesthesia to relieve pain during surgery and maintain post-cesarean pain relief, without the need for live anesthesia. For women who relieve obstetric pain by NMC anesthesia, during labor monitoring, if a cesarean section is in place, when entering the operating room, the anesthesiist will pump the anesthetic in large concentrations and doses for surgery. After surgery, these women can benefit by continuing to relieve post-surgery sural pain.

The anesthetic used for NMC anesthesia does not pose any danger to the baby. NMC anesthesia only blocks neuroly conduction (painful sensations) in the mother, not toxic to the baby. The mother's blood pressure must be kept stable and monitored regularly, if necessary can be adjusted with medication.

• Maternity may feel a little temporary discomfort due to a decrease in blood pressure. Sometimes cold tremors, itching can also occur. Women may feel numbness in their legs, slightly heavy legs, or difficulty lifting their legs.
• Maternity may find it difficult to transiently urinate and may have to have a cathethe tube.

However, the disadvantages or side effects can occur as soon as the maternity has been closely monitored and the anesthesi (GMHS) has taken all precautions to avoid them. The anaesthesisisisisithesisi will give specific treatment to minimize or eliminate these disadvantages.

• Post-birth backpain : Some women claim that post-birth back pain is caused by analgesic anesthesia, however no studies have in turned out that post-birth back pain is caused by NMC anesthesia. In fact, 50% of women do not use the method of "painless calving" at birth, still have post-birth back pain.

Post-birth back pain can be caused by the following causes: changes in the shape of the spine during pregnancy, dilation of ligaments in the dorsal spine, inappropriate position on the birth table due to pain,… However, if the pain is caused by an NMC anesthesia at the injection site, it will run out on its own for 48 hours.

The technique of sural anesthesia has now been applied at Share99 to help pregnant women gently overcome. At Share99, there is a team of professional and experienced anesthesisophym that will help women go through the safest painless labor.