pain relief options in labour in leeds

“Oh, hypnobirthing. That’s all about water births, isn’t it?”

NO!! I can’t say this enough. 

Hypnobirthing is for ALL BIRTHS. 

Hypnobirthing is for ALL BIRTHS. 

Hypnobirthing is for ALL BIRTHS. 

Hypnobirthing is for ALL BIRTHS. 

Hypnobirthing is for ALL BIRTHS. 

Hypnobirthing is about knowing your options and then making informed choices for YOU. Pain relief is a really important example of how knowing your options and the benefits and risks attached to those options allows you to make informed choices. 

Hi, I’m Rhi, founder of Birth BeYOUtifully With Rhi and I help women enter their births feeling calm, confident and empowered. My courses are taught in person in Leeds and online.

So, let’s talk pain relief options. Yes - water can be a great source of pain relief in birth and is a great option for lots of women. But so too is entonox, so too are epidurals and pethidine. What’s important is what feels right for YOU and YOUR birth. 

The hypnobirthing toolkit I will teach you on my courses will help you to assess the benefits and risks of all the aspects of your maternity care you may be offered. You will learn that you have many choices in your care and that only YOU are able to make those choices. 

Here are some pros and cons of some of the most common pain relief options in labour.

WATER

Pros - helps you feel more buoyant and allows you to move freely, reduces pain perception, easily accessible in early labour or if birthing at home (see my previous post specifically about water in birth), it may reduce your labour time.

Cons - if birthing at hospital, your access may be limited depending on who else has asked to use a pool, if your pregnancy is deemed ‘high-risk’, you may be advised against birthing in water, water cannot be used after an epidural.

TENS MACHINE

Pros - controlled by you, you can buy/hire your own to guarantee access, safe to practise during pregnancy, non-pharmaceutical so can be used alongside other pain relief.

Cons - not everyone likes it, cannot be used in water, some women find it ineffective for them.

ENTONOX (GAS AND AIR)

Pros - available in most birthing places (even home birth midwives will bring it), makes pain more manageable through surges, you are in control of how much you inhale.

Cons - makes some women feel nauseous or dizzy, short-term pain relief that needs to be ‘taken’ repeatedly throughout labour.

PETHIDINE (DERIVED FROM OPIUM AND INJECTED INTO YOUR THIGH)

Pros - aids in relaxation and oxytocin production, very quick to take effect, doesn’t affect your movement in labour.

Cons - only available in hospital settings, can have short-term effects on your baby, can’t be used throughout all stages of labour due to the mild sedation it gives.

Pethidine is the most common drug to be administered via a needle in the thigh but some trusts also offer diamorphine or reminfentanil. If you want to know about the specific pain relief your trust uses, speak to your healthcare providers.

EPIDURAL (A CATHETER IS INSERTED INTO YOUR SPINE AND NUMBING MEDICATION IS THEN ADMINISTERED THROUGH THIS)

Pros - complete numbing over the lower half of your body so no discomfort is felt, long-lasting, can be topped up as needed, allows you to rest through surges.

Cons - restricts your movement, losing the feeling of surges means you don’t know when your body feels ready to push, may prolong labour, increases your risk of instrumental delivery (forceps or ventouse).

It is so common to think that hypnobirthing is “anti medical pain relief” but it’s a myth! Hypnobirthing is “pro knowledge and pro informed consent and pro YOU”!

So where does hypnobirthing fit into all of this?

Whether you want a medicalised birth or to birth your baby in a birth pool, my courses will help you to achieve a beYOUtiful birth, however it looks for you. When you leave my course, you will have a powerful toolkit to help you make informed choices and ask the right questions of your healthcare providers when it comes to pain relief as well as anything else they might suggest to you. You will also have all the tools you need to stay calm and relaxed, which will help your body get on and do what it was designed to do.

Ready to book? Reserve your space on one of my courses here.

Yours,

Rhi x