What are the benefits of painless labor (labor analgesia) for the mother and fetus?

A successful delivery and motherhood is arguably the happiest time in a woman’s life! However, almost all mothers cannot forget the pain of childbirth, which makes every woman who has experienced it feel painful. The survey found that the number of women who felt pain during childbirth was 50%, the number of women who felt moderate pain during childbirth was 35%, and only 15% of women were able to tolerate labor pain. As a result, many women are now requesting cesarean section because they are afraid of labor pains, leading to a sharp rise in the cesarean section rate, which in some hospitals even reaches 80%. Another random survey shows that 93.6% of pregnant women expect to have a natural birth, but are worried about the pain of labor and the safety of the fetus. It is also based on these concerns that many mothers and their families choose to have a cesarean delivery. Experts point out that cesarean delivery is an effective way to deal with high-risk pregnancies and difficult deliveries, but it is after all an invasive procedure that may cause unnecessary damage to the newborn and the mother herself. Natural births, on the other hand, are more beneficial in terms of respiratory system and other aspects as the mother recovers quickly after delivery and the baby has a natural birth with the process of being squeezed through the birth canal. The pros and cons of both are obvious, and labor analgesia provides the opportunity for women who are afraid of labor pain to have a natural birth. Labor analgesia, also known as painless delivery, can greatly relieve the fatigue, fear and tension brought by “labor pains”, avoid applying for unnecessary cesarean delivery, and allow women to get enough rest during the longest first stage of labor, so that they have more energy to cooperate with forceful delivery when the uterus is fully opened. Secondly, effective “painless” measures can better solve the psycho-physiological reactions of the body stimulated by “labor pain” and the problems of prolonged labor and intrauterine distress caused by somatic and visceral reactions, depression, tension, pain, vasospasm, etc. The problem of maternal and fetal safety. At present, 85% of women in the United States and 90% of women in the United Kingdom choose to give birth without pain, while less than 1% of women in China practice painless delivery. Some large hospitals in China are also gradually implementing this technology. The ideal painless delivery must have the following advantages: low impact on mother and child; easy to administer, fast onset and reliable; avoid motor nerve block, not affecting uterine contractions and labor; the mother is awake and can participate in the birth process; and can meet the requirements of surgery if necessary. At present, the most used method for painless delivery at home and abroad is intradural block analgesia using low concentration and small dose of local anesthetics and opioids for epidural block.