Labor pain on your mind? Understanding pain relief options can give you more control over the labor and delivery process.
As labor progresses — and contractions become stronger and more frequent — many women add medication to their arsenal of pain relief options. Epidural and spinal blocks, for instance, temporarily block pain in the lower body. An epidural can be used continuously throughout labor, while a spinal block is typically used shortly before delivery.
Alternatively, narcotics or other medications can be used to alter pain perception. Nontraditional options for managing labor pain might include hypnosis, acupuncture, water immersion or reflexology. These techniques won't stop the pain of contractions, but they might help you feel more relaxed and better able to handle labor pain.
By Mayo Clinic staff
.../...
The results of this study indicate that self-foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention in reducing perceived stress and fatigue and, in improving skin temperature. Therefore, it is recommended that this be used in clinical practice as an effective nursing intervention for in female undergraduate students.
Source: Lee YM. Department of Nursing, Kangwon National University, Samcheok 2nd Campus, Samcheok, Korea.- Feb 2011 - MedLine
.../...
by Sue Bennett © 2007
An abridged collection of published research from Denmark, Germany, Britain, China, Switzerland and the USA
.../...