Pain and pain relief

Pain and pain relief during your birth

Every birth is unique and every woman experiences pain differently. It is therefore difficult to predict how much pain you will have during childbirth. We will guide you as best as possible and help you absorb and alleviate the pain. This can be done with or without medication, at home, in the maternity care home or in the hospital.

Natural painkiller during childbirth

Relaxation and warmth help to deal with childbirth pain. When you relax, your body produces a natural painkiller: endorphins. These endorphins allow you to cope with the pain better and that helps you relax properly.

In the first phase of labor, when the contractions are not yet too strong, try to continue what you were doing. Distraction ensures that you are less concerned with the pain. If the contractions become more intense and painful, it helps to find a position and place where you feel comfortable. This way you can concentrate well to cope with the contractions. If you have taken a pregnancy course, you have also received exercises and advice during your course to help you relax as best as possible. These exercises can help you during childbirth.

TENS device and pain relief without medications

In addition to relaxation techniques, there are also methods of pain relief without medications that can be used everywhere. Examples include sterile water injections, acupuncture, acupressure and the TENS device.

In addition, it helps to change positions regularly. This ensures that the contractions are easier to handle. If you regularly change your position during childbirth, you will have less pain and the birth will take less time. Try out what feels best and works best for you. This can vary from time to time, so we advise you to vary and not lie down too quickly.

Pain relief with medications

You have to go to the hospital for pain relief with medication. It is important to always monitor your heart rate, blood pressure and breathing when you receive medication. Your baby's heart rate should also be monitored closely. This is done with a CTG device and this is only available in the hospital.

In the hospital you can get an epidural, a pump with Remifentanil or an injection with Pethidine. All medications can have side effects for you and the baby.

Pain relief during childbirth or not?

It is wise to familiarize yourself with the pros and cons of pain relief during childbirth. By thinking about it in advance, you can make a conscious decision that you both support. To help you with this, we answer your questions and think along with you. You will also receive the brochure 'Your birth: how do you deal with pain?' around the 27th week of pregnancy, you can also find this on our website leaflets. You can read all about the possibilities and pros and cons here at home.

On the website www.bevallingspijn.nl There is also a lot of information available about ways to deal with pain during childbirth. You can also watch this video For more information.

Pain and pain relief