46 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • JULY 5, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
Myths and facts about pain management in childbirth
Nearly half of fi rst-time moms (46 percent)
said the labor and delivery pain
they experienced with their fi rst child
was better than they expected, according
to a nationwide survey commissioned by
the American Society of Anesthesiologists
(ASA).
Th e survey fi ndings suggest that being
proactive in managing pain with your
physician anesthesiologist is important,
whether laboring moms demand an epidural
right away, choose other medical
pain management methods, use complementary
techniques only or opt for a
combination. Nine out of 10 women said
pain management was eff ective, no matter
what method they chose.
Th e survey also revealed that many
fi rst-time moms held some false beliefs
about labor pain management before they
experienced childbirth:
• 74 percent thought you couldn’t have
an epidural aft er a certain time in labor
(you can have one up until the baby’s
head begins emerging, known as crowning)
• 44 percent feared pain at the epidural
injection site would last for a prolonged
time
• 26 percent believed an epidural slows
labor
• Most concerning, 20 percent believed
only one pain management option
could be provided during labor and 16
percent didn’t know
Expectant mothers should work with
their health care providers, including
their physician anesthesiologist, to discuss
what pain management methods
may work best for them.
“A wide variety of options exist to
manage pain, from epidural to massage,
nitrous oxide to breathing techniques
and it’s acceptable to change methods or
use a combination during nearly every
stage of labor,” said ASA President Dr.
James D. Grant, M.B.A., FASA. “But it’s
also important to be fl exible, since it
may be necessary to change pain-management
methods based on the labor process
itself.”
When it hurt most and
what it was like
While slightly more than half said having
contractions was the most painful
aspect of delivery, about one in fi ve noted
pushing or post-delivery was most painful.
Moms 18 to 39 were more likely to
say post-delivery pain was the most painful
aspect than those 40 and older. Th e
most common description of the level of
pain experienced was extreme menstrual
cramps (45 percent), while 16 percent
said it was like bad back pain and 15 percent
compared it to a broken bone.
So, what pain management
did they choose?
While the epidural was the most common
option, chosen by 73 percent, 40
percent used complementary techniques
(breathing, water birth, massage, visualization
or hypnosis). Th irty-one percent
used both medical (epidural, medication
delivered through an IV or injection, spinal
block or nitrous oxide) and complementary
methods.
Nitrous oxide was rarely used. Only
2 percent of moms had nitrous oxide,
and none 40 and older or who lived in
the Midwest used it to manage labor
pain. “Th is suggests that despite the buzz,
nitrous oxide may not be widely available
yet, or that mothers aren’t convinced it
would be very helpful,” said Grant.
In the future
If they were to give birth again, most
moms would choose the pain management
method, whether medical and/or
complementary, they originally chose
during their fi rst childbirth, with the
majority (60 percent) opting again for an
epidural to manage their pain.
“Every woman’s pain during labor is
diff erent and talking with your health care
provider and physician anesthesiologist
can help you decide which pain management
method will give you the best labor
and delivery experience,” said Dr. Grant.
The ORC International Caravan
Omnibus Survey was conducted online
among 912 mothers (18 years or older)
of children ages 0-8, whose fi rst child
was born either via vaginal childbirth or
Cesarean section (C-section) aft er the
onset of labor. Ultimately, 73 percent had
a vaginal childbirth.
For more information about pain management
during labor and delivery and
the importance of seeing a physician
anesthesiologist, visit asahq.org/labor.
To learn more about the ASA, an educational,
research and scientifi c society
with more than 52,000 members organized
to raise and maintain the standards
of the medical practice of anesthesiology,
visit asahq.org.
Courtesy BPT