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Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

author:Dr. Wang Yuhong, Department of Anesthesiology

Ms. Li, a 36-week pregnant mother-to-be, caresses her belly every day and immerses herself in joy. However, Ms. Li is also very afraid of another thing, and that is the pain during childbirth.

"The process of giving birth for a woman is very dangerous, often nine deaths, which is equivalent to breaking through a ghost door!"

"If you divide the pain into levels 1-10, the pain in childbirth is level 12, which is equivalent to breaking 20 ribs at the same time!"

……

The more she listened to these statements, the more anxious Ms. Li became, what to do to do it, Ms. Li was helpless.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

Until one day, Ms. Li's girlfriend accidentally talked about "painless childbirth", which has been vigorously promoted in first-tier cities, especially popular with pregnant women. The news was like a gospel from heaven, and Ms. Li was so excited that she immediately began consulting her obstetrician and anesthesiologist.

The anesthesiologist explained the process and precautions of painless delivery to Ms. Li in detail and evaluated her physical condition. After Ms. Li also underwent a comprehensive medical examination to confirm that she was suitable for painless delivery, she decided to use painless delivery during delivery.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

When Ms. Li, the mother, arrived at the hospital, the anesthesiologist performed a minor operation to inject anesthesia into her spine, a process that lasted about 15 minutes. After the anesthetic injection, Ms. Li's lower body was completely numb and she did not feel pain during delivery.

Throughout the delivery, the anesthesiologist monitored Ms. Li's vital signs and adjusted the dose of anesthetic. In the end, Ms. Li gave birth smoothly.

After the end of delivery, the effect of the anesthetic gradually subsided and Ms. Li began to regain consciousness. She did not experience any significant side effects and did not experience any complications.

Ms. Li was pleasantly surprised and grateful, saying that she was very lucky to have a smooth delivery in a painless state, which made her feel very comfortable.

Through this painless birth experience, Ms. Li deeply experienced the safety and effectiveness of painless delivery. She feels very fortunate that she received a painless birth and is confident about future postpartum rehabilitation and parenting. So since painless childbirth can bring such a good experience to expectant mothers, how safe and effective is it? Is the real labor process completely painless?

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

1. What is painless childbirth?

Painless childbirth, medically known as childbirth analgesia, is a method of reducing the pain of labor by giving the mother anesthetic medications, making the labor process more comfortable.

General anesthesia techniques for painless delivery include epidural, lumbar anesthesia, and intravenous analgesia. Among them, epidural anesthesia is one of the most widely used anesthesia techniques, which reduces pain by injecting anesthetic drugs into the lower waist to numb the lower body and pelvic area of the mother.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

The clinical application of painless delivery can reduce the pain and stress of the mother, thereby improving the delivery experience.

At the same time, painless delivery can also help reduce complications during delivery, such as fetal asphyxia and birth canal rupture.

In addition, painless delivery can help reduce maternal bleeding and reduce the chance of requiring surgical intervention during labour.

Second, is painless childbirth really painless at all?

Painless labor can help reduce the pain of labor, but it does not completely eliminate the pain.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

Usually, painless delivery is achieved through epidural. A small epidural catheter is inserted in the waist of the woman for puncture, and the other end of the catheter is connected to the analgesic pump, and the anesthetic is regularly and quantitatively injected to the epidural space to achieve the effect of analgesia, which can effectively reduce the pain of labor.

However, for some women, during childbirth, they may still feel slight pain or pressure, which is due to the mother's anxiety, fear, tension and other bad emotions, which aggravate the mother's pain.

Each woman's body and childbirth process are different, so the effect of painless childbirth will also be different. Some women may need more anesthesia to relieve pain, while others may only need a small amount of anesthesia to achieve a comfortable delivery.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

Therefore, painless delivery can effectively reduce the pain of labor, but it does not completely eliminate the pain.

Third, the benefits of painless childbirth

Painless childbirth is a type of delivery that reduces painful sensations during labor by using anesthetics, which has the following benefits:

1. Reduce labor pain: Painless childbirth can effectively reduce the pain sensation during labor, so that the expectant mother feels less pain and discomfort, making it easier to control emotions and mentality.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

2. Reduce stress and tension during childbirth: Childbirth is a challenging physiological and psychological process that expectant mothers may feel stressed and nervous, and using painless childbirth can alleviate these negative emotions and make them more relaxed and at ease.

3. Reduce the risk of complications during childbirth: Pain can put expectant mothers in a state of tension, which can prolong the duration of labor and increase the risk of complications. The use of painless delivery can reduce these risks and ensure the safety and health of mother and baby.

4. Promote smooth delivery: Reducing pain can reduce tension and fear, make contractions more effective, and thus promote the realization of normal delivery.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

5. Enhance postpartum recovery: Painless childbirth allows expectant mothers to go through the labor process more comfortably, resulting in faster postpartum physical recovery.

Painless delivery has many benefits that can make expectant mothers more relaxed and comfortable during labor, reduce the risk of childbirth, and promote vaginal labor and postpartum recovery. However, painless childbirth also comes with some risks and side effects, the most important of which is anesthetics.

Fourth, the anesthetic of painless delivery is a "double-edged sword"

Painless delivery is generally safe and effective, but clinically it brings some risks and side effects due to the treatment of anesthetics.

1. May lower blood pressure: causing some women to have symptoms of hypotension, such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc.

Is painless childbirth really painless at all? Doctor: Anesthesia is a "double-edged sword"

2. Certain anesthetics may affect the respiratory system: causing problems such as difficulty breathing or stopping breathing. Therefore, it is necessary to closely monitor the respiratory status when using anesthetics.

3. Appearance of uncomfortable symptoms such as headaches: This may be caused by irritation of the head by the puncture needle during spinal anesthesia or epidural anesthesia.

4. Allergic reactions: including skin itching, shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat and other symptoms.

Therefore, when using painless labor anesthetics, doctors need to evaluate the woman's health and delivery, and take steps as needed to reduce the risk. Women should also choose the most appropriate painless delivery method under the guidance of a doctor and be aware of the possible risks and side effects.

Bibliography:

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[3] Zhang Yongsheng. Anesthetics and side effects of painless delivery[J].New Century Medicine,2018,08(21):160-162.)

[4] HE Yuhang, CUI Yongping. Research progress on the effect of painless delivery on mother and baby[J].Journal of Practical Medicine,2017,33(22):3873-3876.)