Anesthesia Options

General anesthesia

General anesthesia causes you to lose consciousness so that you do not feel pain. It usually is used for emergency situations during childbirth or may be needed for certain high-risk conditions. It is given through an IV line or through a mask. Your care team will discuss risks and side effects with you in detail if the need for general anesthesia arises.

Local anesthesia

Local anesthesia is the use of drugs that affect only a small area of the body. Local anesthetics provide relief from pain in a specific area. Local anesthetics are injected into the area around the nerves that carry feeling to the vagina, vulva and perineum. The drugs are given just before delivery. They also are used when an episiotomy needs to be done or when any vaginal tears that happened during birth are repaired.

Vaginal Delivery

During a vaginal delivery, the healthcare provider will assist the baby’s head and chin when it becomes visible. Once the head is delivered, the healthcare provider applies gentle downward traction on the head to deliver the shoulder, followed by the rest of the body.

Positions for delivery may vary from squatting, sitting to semi-sitting positions (between lying down and sitting up). With semi-sitting positions, gravity can help the mother push the baby through the birth canal. The type of position for delivery depends on the preference of both the mother and the healthcare provider, as well as the health of the fetus.

During the delivery process, the medical personnel will continue to keep an eye on the mother’s vital signs, like blood pressure and pulse and the fetal heart rate. The healthcare provider will examine the cervical opening to determine the position of the baby’s head and will continue to support and guide the mother in her pushing efforts.

After delivery of the baby, the mother is asked to continue to push during the next few uterine contractions to deliver the placenta. After delivery, the mother is usually given oxytocin. This is a medicine that is given either by an injection into the muscles or intravenously to contract the uterus. The uterus is then massaged to help it contract, and to help prevent excessive bleeding from happening. Any tears may be repaired before or after delivery of the placenta.

Episiotomy

In rare cases, it may be necessary to perform an episiotomy. This is a small cut through the vaginal wall and the perineum. In order to increase the size of the vaginal opening to help deliver the baby. Episiotomies are not needed for every delivery and are not routinely performed.