Hello and welcome to the Zero to Finals podcast. My name is Tom and in this episode I'm going to be talking to you about pain relief in labour.

And you can find written notes on this topic at zero to finals.com slash pain relief or in the Labor and Delivery section of the Zero to Finals Obstetrics and Gynecology

book. So let's get straight into it. There are several options for pain relief in labour,

and here we're going to cover the main medical options. Antinatal classes help prepare women for

what to expect in labour, and they can make the experience more comfortable and less scary.

Several things can improve the symptoms without medications, and these include understanding what to expect, having good support, being in a relaxed environment, changing position to stay comfortable,

controlled breathing, water births may help some women, and TENS machines may be useful in the

early stages of labour.

Let's start with simple analgesia.

Parasetamol is frequently used in early labour.

Codine may be added for additional effect.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or naproxin are avoided during pregnancy and labour.

Next let's talk about gas and air, or entinox.

Gas and air contains a mixture of 50% nitrous oxide and 50% oxygen.

Gas and air is used during contractions for short-term pain relief.

The woman takes deep breaths using a mouthpiece at the start of a contraction,

then stops using it as the contraction eases.

It can cause lightheadedness, nausea and sleepiness.

Next let's talk about intramuscular pathodine or diamorphine.

Pathadine and diomorphine are opioid medications, usually given by intramuscular injection.

As well as providing analgesia or pain relief, they may also help with anxiety and distress.

As far as adverse effects, they may cause drowsiness or nausea in the mother

...