Different women can have different experiences of pain during labour. Some women feel pain more intensely if they feel afraid, shocked or distressed. An induced labour can be more painful than a labour that starts by itself. Inducing labour can also take a long time, especially if it is some time before your baby is due.
You may decide to use self-help techniques in the early stages of labour. For example, you might try relaxation, a warm bath, breathing awareness, massage, and different positions.
If you decide that you want additional help with pain relief, it is usually possible to change from one method of pain relief to another during labour.
Most maternity and gynaecology units can offer strong pain-relieving medication such as diamorphine. This can be given either as an injection or through a drip in your arm. Some people find this type of pain relief helpful while others might not. Strong pain medication can reduce the pain and help you relax, but it may not take the pain away completely. It can make some people feel sick, drowsy or forgetful. If the medication is given shortly before the birth, you may still feel drowsy when your baby is born and you may not remember as much about the birth.
Gas and air (also called Entonox) is available in both maternity and gynaecological units. You inhale it through a mouthpiece as soon as each contraction starts. It is very short acting and helps to take the edge off the pain, but doesn’t remove it completely. It can make you feel a bit sick and sleepy and it can also be tiring to use it for a long time.
In most hospitals, an epidural is available only to women who are cared for on the labour ward. An epidural is a local anaesthetic injected into your lower back. The needle is then removed and a very fine flexible tube is left in place so that the anaesthetic can be topped up when it starts to wear off. This usually removes all the pain.
You will usually have an intravenous drip in your arm and your blood pressure will be checked frequently. You may need a catheter (a small tube inserted into your bladder) if you are unable to pass urine.
You should be offered a chance to talk to a doctor who specialises in pain relief for labour.