We offer a variety of pain relief methods to help you through labour. How you choose to manage your pain is entirely your choice. We respect your needs and concerns and will talk to you to better understand your wishes so that we can help you decide what is best for you. Remember that every birth is unique; everyone’s pain threshold is different, and it is important to choose a pain relief method that feels right for you. You may work through all the different options as your labour progresses
We encourage you to learn about pain management during your childbirth preparation. Please talk to your pregnancy care provider about your options during your prenatal check-ups.
While there are many methods available for pain relief, each one has their own positive aspects as well as drawbacks. It is important to remember that each method is effective in its own way and all of them are considered safe. At KHSC the following pain management methods are available to you:
Non-medical
- Breathing techniques
- Water immersion (showers and tubs available)
- Massage
- Changing positions
- Relaxation
Medical
- Injected medications such as a narcotic and gravol
- Nitrous oxide gas
- Local anesthetics - a local anesthetics can numb the nerves in specifically the vaginal area.
- Epidural - This is a small tube placed in your back that delivers medication to will block the pain from your waist down. The epidural is a safe option for pain relief used by many women. Click here to download our epidural brochure.
- Patient Controlled Analgesia Pump –a pump that you control that delivers a small amount of IV medication. It is usually reserved for those patients that cannot have an epidural.
