OB Anesthesia:

Pain Management for Labor and Delivery

Today, women have a number of options for managing the pain of labor and delivery. These options include:

• natural childbirth

• intravenous medications

• labor epidural

• intrathecal (spinal) narcotics

• combined spinal-epidural

Two pain management options not provided by UMHS are caudal and "walking epidurals".

Ultimately, the patient, with the assistance of her obstetrician and anesthesiologist, chooses a method for pain management. Though not all patients require pain management services from an anesthesiologist, a member of the OB anesthesia team sees and evaluates all women admitted to the Birthing Center. The evaluation interview provides the woman in labor an opportunity to discuss the risks and benefits of the various pain management options. Preadmission consultation is possible and is made through your obstetrician.

Dept. of Anesthesiology, Univ. of Michigan Medical School

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