Pain Control - Mothers appreciate our 24-hour anesthesiology services.

Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital goes to great lengths to make expectant mothers as comfortable as possible. So it should come as no surprise that we offer a variety of pain control options, including epidurals.

We take the time to assess the needs of each mother and her pregnancy, to determine the best pain control option for her unique delivery. Best of all, our anesthesiology services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

A range of pain control options:

• Epidural analgesia

  One of the most effective forms of pain relief for delivery, an epidural brings numbing medicine right to the source of labor pain. Labor epidural analgesia is in the form of a continuous low-dose infusion through a small catheter placed in the lower part of the back.

  The medications given through the catheter provide just enough anesthesia to block the pain without immobilizing the legs. In the event that the labor course should require a Cesarean section, the epidural catheter can be used to provide further anesthesia for that procedure. Although epidurals are a popular choice, they’re not appropriate for every delivery.

• Traditional narcotic analgesia

  Narcotics are delivered intravenously to help reduce the anxiety and discomfort of labor, but do not eliminate pain.

• Local anesthesia

  Local anesthesia may be used to numb the vaginal area if an episiotomy or sutures are needed.

  For mothers who will deliver their baby by Cesarean section, our anesthesia providers will expertly administer anesthesia through one of the following methods, based on each mother’s individual circumstances:

• Spinal block

  Delivered through a small needle placed in the lower part of the back – much like an epidural – a spinal block causes temporary numbness and immobilization from the breasts down. The mother will be awake but pain-free during the procedure. A drape separates the surgical field from the mother’s view. After the baby is delivered, intravenous sedation may also be given. This is the most common type of anesthesia used for Cesarean section.

• General anesthesia

  Used mainly for emergency Cesarean section delivery, general anesthesia is given intravenously to put the mother in a sleep state during the procedure.