Pain Management for the Obstetric Patient

Pain Management for Obstetric Patient
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Pain Management for Obstetric Patient
PART 1
Causes of Pain for anterpartum, intrapartum and postpartum patient
There are many causes of pain during and after pregnancy. Recognizing the causes of this pain should be a major goal for every registered nurse. One of the main sources of pain for obstetric patients is abdominal pain. In most cases, abdominal pain happens in nearly all the patients in these categories even if they have normal pregnancies or deliveries. During pregnancy, this pain is caused by the constantly enlarging uterus as well as the displacement of the uterus during this process. During pregnancy, the ligaments holding the symphysis pubis often soften and enlarge to accommodate the growing fetus bringing about severe pain. This mostly occurs when there is an inflammation of the symphysis. After birth, the body begins going back to its original shape, and this causes further abdominal pain to the patient. During labor, abdominal pain might be caused by the rupture of the uterine wall to allow the baby to come out. In most cases, abdominal pain does not signify the presence of complications and can be managed using various pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management measures (Callister, et al, 2013).
Another source of pain during and after pregnancy is back pain. Ideally, 50 percent of pregnant women and more than 60 percent of those who have just given birth experience back pain. Such pain is brought about by advanced age as well as by pre-existing conditions before the pregnancy. At the early stages of the pregnancy, back pains are often a result of neuronal and endocrine mechanisms. During the first three months of pregnancy, the corpus luteum produces polypeptide relaxin that ends up softening the pelvic joints. This is meant to provide room for the growing fetus and give room for vaginal delivery. This is thought to be one of the major causes of back pain and discomfort during and after pregnancy. During the second and third trimesters, the back pain might be caused by the increasing weight of the mother and is therefore nothing alarming. Back pain during this period manifests in various forms and management should be on the basis of the intensity of the pain. However, diagnosis of the pain should not exclude any other causes that are outside the sphere of the pregnancy (Callister, et al, 2013).
Pain Management during Labor
One of the common pharmacologic methods of pain management during the intrapartum period is analgesia. Analgesia is inclusive of the use of sedatives to inhibit the pain during the labor period. The sedatives that are common during this period include secorbarbital and phenorbarbital. However, these two analgesics are only recommended for use during the onset of labor and cannot be used during the advanced stages of labor. If used correctly, analgesics can help in calming the mother for examination after she gets to the hospital. This is especially the case considering that the commencement of the intrapartum period causes irritability and unrest among mothers and might prevent diagnosis. Although this pharmacologic intervention is highly recommended for managing pain during the intrapartum perio...