ABSTRACT
The first public demonstration of the use of ether for anesthesia in 1846 was quickly followed by its application to obstetrics in January 1847 by James Young Simpson of Scotland. Spinal anesthesia provides a more rapid onset and more reliable block than does epidural anesthesia. The process usually begins with childbirth education classes that inform the pregnant patient and her partner of the normal progress of pregnancy, labor, and delivery as well as the expectations. Psychoprophylaxis is probably the most common method of nonpharmacologic management of labor pain. Its premise is that knowledge, education, and preparation reduce the severity of the fear–tension–pain cycle. Systemic analgesics have been widely used throughout the latter half of the 20th century. The mainstay of this technique is the use of opioids, both naturally occurring and synthetic. Virtually, all drugs administered maternally have the potential to transfer to the fetus.
