Below are a few tips on things you might need, pain relief and other birth related options that may help you make some decisions about the type of birth you would like.

Labour Bag

What's the difference between a Labour Bag and a hospital bag? A Labour bag will only be with you during labour/birth and then you can send it home with your partner. 

• Sleeveless top to wear whilst in labour, or the hospital will provide a gown for you to wear. Be prepared to throw this out after the birth. 

• Toiletries for the shower afterwards 

• Two pairs of underpants 

• Maternity Pads 

• Change of Clothes 

• Hair Elastic or Clips 

• Hot Pack (great for back pain) 

• Deodorant (you'll need it with all that sweating and panting!) 

• Face Washer (helps cool you down during the birth) 

• Lipbalm (to help with the dry mouth from the heavy breathing) 

• Calming Music/Sounds (check your hospital has facilities to play the CD) 

• Medicare Card & if applicable Health Insurance card. 

• Your Pregnancy Card (the card that the Obstetrican/midwife writes on at each appointment and gives back to you) 

• Obstetrican/midwife's contact details 

• A list & contact details of all the people that you would like your partner to call. 

• Change or a phone card to call all the relatives & friends 

• Your camera - if you are buying a new camera for the birth, make sure that partner leans how to use it before its required. Some hospitals recommend no flash because of the babys eyes which means your photos may turn out slightly blurry. So practise with the flash off! 

• Video Camera - most hospitals will not permit the use of video cameras during the delivery but will allow you to use them after the baby is born so you can still catch a few mins with mum and baby getting their first cuddle. 

Hospital Bag

• Few pairs of PJ's 

• Comfortable clothes to wear around the hospital. Don't forget that you won't be back to your pre-pregnancy weight immediately. 

• A gazillion pairs of underpants (you will be surprised how many you go through). 

• More Maternity Pads 

• Maternity Bra's (make sure that they have a little extra room for when your milk comes in. Even if you choose not to breastfeed you will still have boobs 1-2 cup sizes bigger! 

• Breast Pads 

• Toiletries (eg. toothbrush, hairbrush etc) 

• Socks and slippers (for walking around the ward) 

• Toiletries (eg. toothbrush, hairbrush etc) 

 

Baby's Bag ( at hospital/going home)

 

• Clothes for Baby 

- Most babies go in to size 000 but be prepared that your baby may be bigger or smaller. The hospitals provide most things but if you would like to dress your baby we suggest you pack: 

- a couple of full length body suits (eg. bonds) as babies loose body heat very quickly. 

- Singlets (size 000) if you are going to have a small baby size (0000) is best 

- Newborn hat and mittens 

- Cotton wrap for the trip home 

- A cute outfit to wear home 

• Newborn nappies (The hospital will supply cloth ones but if you prefer to use disposable ones then you may need to supply them yourself, depending on the hospital's policy). You may need a couple for the car ride home. 

• Cloth nappy - These are great for those little vomit/reflux incidents that may catch you off guard.

Birth Plans & Pain Relief

Many women have different ideas on how they would like the birth of their baby to go eg some people would like a natural drug free birth, others would like all the pain relief possible and others would prefer to leave their options open and see what happens. Having a birth plan is great because it gives you a chance to think about things before the birth. You will be in a different frame of mind once labour commences so its good to have everything worked about beforehand. We have created a birth plan checklist to help assist you with these important decisions.

 

 

Pain Relief

Relaxation and breathing exercises to help you manage your labour pains. Sometimes this is all that you may need. Gentle exercise, breathing, posture and relaxation techniques help in early labour. A warm bath may also help. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS) may be of help in early labour. 

 

Your Pain Relief Options 

TENS 

TENS has been used for pain relief in labour and is said to be effective particularly in early labour. 

Treatment with TENS consists of attaching pads to your back. A low voltage electric current is passed across these pads and this stimulates your body to produce it's own natural pain relieving substances. It takes approximately 30 minutes before any sort of effect is felt. The pain relief achieved is usually assessed as moderate but this can very according to your pain tolerance levels - everyone is different. There are no known ill effects from TENS and for some women it can be just the right amount needed to help them get through the early stages. As labour progresses the intensity of the electrical stimulation can be increased to cope with the increased pain of contractions. Many women find that this great during early labour but require something a little (or a lot stronger) to help them as the contractions get stronger. 

 

If you are interested using the TENS machine during labour, please check with your hospital to see if a TENS machine is available for hire or contact Masters Medical on (02) 9689 3655 - Hire costs are $40 for two weeks or $60 for 4 weeks (plus courier charges)* Prices subject to change. 

Gas 

The Gas is a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). It is designed to provide as good a pain relief as possible without causing undue sleepiness. The gas works quickly, and takes about 30-45 seconds to have an effect. To gain maximum benefit you need to start breathing it as soon as you feel a contraction start. This means the maximum action is being achieved at the height of the contraction. Gas can be used throughout both early labour and the delivery of your baby. Gas crosses the placenta but is not known to have any effect on your baby. Some mothers feel light-headed during use and Occasionally nausea can be experienced. To prevent dry mouth, so you may wish to have a glass of water to sip, or small ice cubes to suck. 

Tingling in your fingers may be experienced, which is due to over breathing. Your midwife will know when you are doing this and remind you of your breathing exercises (sigh out slowly) and this will automatically lead to rhythmic breathing. The gas only works when you breath it in, so it's effects wear off very quickly once you stop breathing it, normally within a minute. 

Gas mixtures will give help to relieve pain by taking the 'edge' off it, but will not remove it completely. 

Pethidine Injections 

Pethidine is administered with an injection into the muscle of the thigh or buttock. Pethidine can sometimes be given into the bloodstream directly for a faster effect. 

Side effects of these drugs are drowsiness, nausea and vomiting. They can slow your breathing down if you have too much. 

The effect of each injection is around two to three hours. If given often, in big doses, or too close to the delivery of the baby they can make you and your baby sleepy and may delay successful breastfeeding. 

Epidural Anaesthesia 

Anaesthetic is injected in the back into the lining of the spinal cord, which makes the mother feel numb from the waist down. This option provides pain relief for vaginal delivery, or allows the mother to stay awake and alert during the baby's birth by caesarean section. Since an epidural may cause the mother's blood pressure to drop, it is not recommended for women with low blood pressure or a bleeding placenta. Possible side effects and complications of epidural anaesthesia include: 

If the anesthesia isn't injected into the correct spot, only one side of the body is numbed – this requires a subsequent injection. 

The lack of sensation in the lower body means a urinary catheter must be inserted in many cases. 

Epidurals can lengthen the duration of labour in many cases. 

The odds of having a natural vaginal delivery are substantially reduced. 

The woman can't feel her muscles and is unable to push, which means the baby may have to be delivered by forceps or vacuum cup, or by caesarean section. 

Around one per cent of women experience headache or migraine immediately following the procedure. 

Around one in 550 women experience ongoing patches of numbness on the back near the injection site. 

Emergency caesarean section 

It may sometimes be possible (depending upon assessment at the time) for a working epidural to be used for emergency Caesarean section. However a general anaesthetic may be necessary. 

Obtaining the pain relief you want 

Advice on the various techniques, with their pros and cons, can be obtained from your midwife. 

If you have a preference you can ask for whichever of the methods of pain relief you think will suit you best. 

If you have any health problems please mention this to your midwife or doctor early in your pregnancy. 

Occasionally there may be medical reasons why one of the methods is not suitable for you. If this is the case the reason, and the alternatives that are available will be explained to you. If you suffer from any medical condition please mention it to antenatal clinic staff. They can then decide whether it is necessary for you to be seen by an anaesthetist before you are in labour.