Child Birth

5 Effective Methods to Relieve Labour Pain During Childbirth

Discover 5 proven methods to relieve labour pain including breathing techniques, nitrous oxide, epidural analgesia, and combined spinal epidural options.

Different methods are available to relieve labour pain. Effectiveness varies among individuals, so familiarising yourself with the common methods before you go into labour helps you make quick decisions when necessary. Here are five pain relief options to consider.

Breathing and Relaxation Techniques

These techniques from antenatal classes involve concentrating on breathing rate and breathing out loud to help relax during labour pain. Gentle massage on your back by your partner can also relieve discomfort. This may be adequate in early labour, but many mothers need additional methods as contractions become more severe.

Nitrous Oxide Gas (Laughing Gas)

Commonly known as "laughing gas," nitrous oxide is mixed with oxygen and delivered through a mask or mouthpiece. Take deep, steady breaths before each contraction becomes painful as it takes 20-30 seconds to be effective. The gas is safe as it does not build up in your body or your baby's. However, it may cause light-headedness, drowsiness, or nausea, and not all mothers find it effective.

Injection of Pain-Relieving Drugs

Drugs such as Pethidine (the most commonly used) can be injected into the muscles to reduce labour pain. Efficacy varies among individuals. Side effects may include nausea, drowsiness, and reduced cooperation in pushing. These drugs cross the placenta to the baby and may make it drowsy and depress breathing after birth. An antidote can be given to reverse these effects.

Epidural Analgesia

Epidural analgesia is the only method capable of providing complete pain relief during labour while keeping you awake. An anaesthesiologist places a fine plastic tube into the epidural space through a needle inserted at about waist level. The procedure takes about 10 minutes, with drugs working within another 10-15 minutes. Each dose lasts approximately 2 hours.

Local anaesthetics may numb your legs but have minimal effect on your baby.
You should still be able to push during the 2nd stage of labour with help from your obstetrician.
The tube allows surgical anaesthesia if an urgent Caesarean section or assisted delivery is required.
Particularly valuable when labour is long and difficult.

Combined Spinal Epidural Analgesia (CSE)

This procedure resembles epidural analgesia but includes an additional step: a finer needle punctures the dura (membrane around the spinal cord) for a small amount of anaesthetics before the epidural tube is placed. A major advantage of CSE is quicker pain relief while you still maintain mobility.

Method	How It Works	Onset Time	Key Consideration
Breathing and Relaxation	Breathing exercises and massage	Immediate	May not be enough for severe contractions
Nitrous Oxide Gas	Inhaled gas mixed with oxygen	20-30 seconds	Safe but may cause drowsiness or nausea
Drug Injection (Pethidine)	Injected into muscles	Varies	Crosses placenta; may affect baby's breathing
Epidural Analgesia	Local anaesthetic via tube in back	10-15 minutes	Best complete relief; may numb legs; lasts ~2 hours per dose
Combined Spinal Epidural	Spinal injection + epidural tube	Quicker than epidural	Maintains mobility; quicker pain relief

Kimberly-Clark India makes no warranties or representations regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information. This information should be used only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical or other health professional advice.

FAQs on 5 Ways To Relieve Your Labour Pain

Five main methods are available: breathing and relaxation techniques, nitrous oxide gas (laughing gas), injection of drugs like Pethidine, epidural analgesia, and combined spinal epidural analgesia. Effectiveness varies among individuals, so familiarise yourself with options before labour begins.

An anaesthesiologist places a fine plastic tube into the epidural space through a needle at about waist level. The procedure takes about 10 minutes, with drugs working in another 10-15 minutes. Each dose lasts approximately 2 hours. It is the only method providing complete pain relief while keeping you awake.

Yes, nitrous oxide gas is safe as it does not build up in your body or your baby's. It is mixed with oxygen and delivered through a mask. Take deep steady breaths before contractions as it takes 20-30 seconds to work. However, it may cause light-headedness, drowsiness, or nausea.

Pethidine may cause nausea, drowsiness, and reduced cooperation in pushing. These drugs cross the placenta to the baby and may make it drowsy and depress its breathing after birth. If this happens, an antidote can be given to the baby to reverse these side effects.

Combined spinal epidural analgesia (CSE) is similar to epidural but includes a finer needle puncturing the dura membrane for a small anaesthetic injection before the epidural tube is placed. Its major advantage is quicker pain relief while still maintaining your mobility during labour.

Breathing exercises and relaxation techniques practised during antenatal classes help you relax in early labour by concentrating on breathing rate and breathing out loud. Gentle back massage from your partner also helps. However, many mothers need additional pain relief methods as contractions become more severe.