Coping with Labor Pain

Back pain in labor can be excruciating, and it may not let up between contractions. For women hoping to avoid an epidural, a labor that’s a pain in the back can put paid to that plan. A large [...]

“One of the most influential biases in the acquisition of evidence is choice of the question, and the best evidence in answer to the wrong question is useless.” Menticoglou & Hall 2002 Making [...]

Popping up on the internet from time to time are announcements that hospitals are offering nitrous oxide (N2O), a.k.a. laughing gas, as a new option for relieving labor pain. Used for dental [...]

Medpage Today reports on a study contradicting the rationale for delayed pushing, or “laboring down,” with an epidural. Analysis of the hospital records of 21,000 1st-time mothers concluded that [...]

EurekAlert reports on a trial finding that giving 1st-time mothers more time to push out their babies cuts the cesarean rate for prolonged second stage in half. The American College of [...]