Does painless childbirth hurt? Does painless childbirth have any effect on the baby?

The popularity of painless childbirth in my country is very high, and even some concepts have led to a low success rate in its popularity. So, does it hurt during painless childbirth? Does painless childbirth have any effect on the baby?

Painless childbirth, medically known as "labor analgesia", involves the same process as normal childbirth, which is a natural childbirth process and therefore has all the advantages of natural childbirth.

"Labor analgesia" requires the help of epidural anesthesia. The anesthetic is slowly injected into the expectant mother's body through a hose, thereby relieving pain.

After the anesthesia is applied, if the doctor allows, the mother can do what she wants, such as eating, drinking water, going to the toilet, watching TV, and even walking back and forth in the room.

"Labor analgesia" is generally used from the time the cervix is ​​two fingers dilated, and continues until the cervix is ​​fully dilated, until the delivery is complete. This method of delivery does not require entering the operating room, but can be completed in the delivery room, which is simple and quick.

When doctors perform painless childbirth, they regard maintaining the safety of the mother and fetus as the highest principle. The amount of drugs absorbed through the placenta is very small and has no adverse effects on the fetus, let alone the brain health of the baby.

Current labor analgesia methods include two categories: non-drug analgesia and drug analgesia.

Non-drug analgesia: doula delivery, family members accompanying delivery, and Lamaze breathing pain relief delivery method, etc. Lamaze breathing pain relief delivery method is also known as a psychological preventive delivery preparation method. Through the learning of neuromuscular control, prenatal gymnastics and breathing skills training, it effectively allows mothers to focus on their breathing control during delivery, thereby diverting pain, moderately relaxing muscles, and being able to stay calm during delivery, so as to achieve the purpose of speeding up the delivery process and allowing the baby to be born smoothly;

Drug analgesia: Intrathecal administration is currently the most commonly used method of labor analgesia. The concentration of anesthetics is low, equivalent to 1/5-1/10 of that during cesarean section anesthesia. It is highly controllable and safe, and has almost no effect on the movements of the parturient. The parturient is conscious and can actively cooperate and participate in the entire delivery process.

The prerequisite for implementing labor analgesia is to ensure the safety of the mother and fetus. Intrathecal analgesia is performed in the same way as anesthesia for conventional cesarean section, but the dosage is much less, and the amount of drugs that pass through the placenta is very small.

Intrathecal painless delivery not only relieves pain for pregnant women, allows them to relax and enjoy the delivery process, recover quickly after delivery, get out of bed and move around early, and reduce complications, but also provides you with a safe, reliable, emergency anesthesia method when an emergency cesarean section is needed, avoiding delayed surgery or serious complications caused by general anesthesia, thereby ensuring the safety of mother and baby.

In foreign countries, "labor analgesia" has become a common form of delivery. 85% of American women choose "labor analgesia", and in the UK the rate is as high as 90%, but its popularity in my country is particularly low.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon, such as some doctors' concepts and the lack of anesthesiologists... Then there is the cost issue, because anesthesiologists need to continuously monitor the mother, and a labor process takes an average of about 10 hours, so the cost is naturally high... This is also the reason why labor analgesia is more commonly performed in some high-end private hospitals than in public hospitals.

However, although painless childbirth is good, it is not suitable for all expectant mothers. Expectant mothers with heart disease, allergies, lumbar spine surgery, lumbar trauma, etc. must consult a doctor in advance, and the doctor will decide whether to use this delivery method.