Pain management of painless labor in a university affiliated hospital: An observational study

The maternal health is one of the priorities of the World Health Organization and countries around the world. In this regard, promoting physiological childbirth has always been important for health care policy makers. However, fear of pain is one of the main reasons for pregnant women to refuse a natural childbirth, while this pain can be reduced by various analgesic methods. This study is a report of our experiences in painless deliveryand the related problems and complications.

In this retrospective cross-sectional study,all cases of painless delivery performed over a period of seven years in Taleghani Hospital affiliated to the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran were investigated. The data was collected from the maternity ward by a questionnaire.

Out of 3398 pregnant women referred to the maternity ward, 421 (11%) underwent various analgesic methods for painless delivery. Out of 421 pregnant mothers, neuraxial analgesia performed in 283 cases including 208 (73%) spinal, 33 (11%) epidural and 46 (16%) combined spinal and epidural methods. Thirteen patients (4%) had labor pain despite neuraxial analgesia.

Most cases underwent spinal anesthesia. The results showed that despite a well-equipped center and appropriate facilities, a significant number of pregnant mothers did not agree with neuraxial analgesia.