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Abstract
For many women labor causes severe pain (comparable to a complex regional pain syndrome or the amputation of a finger), yet each woman’s experience of labor pain is highly individual in its intensity, nature of the sensations, and her ability to cope. Some women experience a higher degree of physical pain without suffering, while others suffer greatly from pain that caregivers may perceive as modest. In the United States, women desiring relief from pain associated with labor have relatively few options available – especially pharmacological. Non-pharmacological pain-relieving options such as continuous labor support, water immersion, and sterile water papules have been demonstrated to be helpful, but are not always available to women in labor, and for some women, do not provide adequate pain relief.