Entonox (gas and air) – mild form of pain relief that you can use as soon as you arrive at hospital.

Pros
• Readily available form of pain relief that works instantly.
• No limit to how much you can have.
• Does not have any affect on baby.

Cons
• Can make you feel a bit sick or light headed.
• May not be enough pain relief as labour progresses.

Pethidine – pain killer / sedative, similar to morphine.

Pros
• Helps you relax and lessens the pain of contractions.
• Can be administered by a midwife.

Cons
• Can often make you feel very sleepy, sick or dizzy.
• Cross-placental which means it enters baby’s system too and can affect her breathing.
• Only recommended at the beginning of the first stage of labour in order to minimise risk to the baby.
• Can slow labour down.

Meptid – pain killer similar to pethidine, but milder.

Pros
• Helps you relax and lessens the pain of contractions.
• Can be administered by a midwife.
• Can be administered at any time during the first stage of labour.

Cons
• Can make you feel very sick or dizzy

Epidural – the big daddy of pain relief! This is a local anaesthetic that is injected into the small of your back, and deadens the nerves that carry the pain signals from your uterus and cervix. Although this sounds painful, the entry site for the needle will be numbed so you shouldn’t feel a thing.

Pros
• Complete pain relief for the majority of women.
• Does not affect your mental clarity and can help you feel more in control.
• Can help to control high blood pressure.

Cons
• You will have to stay in bed and be closely monitored.
• It is likely that you will need to have a catheter inserted into your bladder as you will be unable to get out of bed to use the bathroom.
• Can increase the length of labour, especially the 2nd stage as you are unable to feel as well to push.
• More chance of having to have an assisted delivery.
• Some women can feel very shivery and have an awful headache.