Research has shown that the less medication taken or anesthesia given during birth, the better. Both for mother and child low doses of anesthesia will reduce any problems that may occur during childbirth. As always anything entering a woman's bloodstream will affect the child during delivery. To reduce the use of drugs certain breathing techniques could be used to help to minimize the need.

Preparation with your partner well before the onset of labor is the first step. Lamaze or Bradley training is helpful, in order to learn good breathing and relaxation techniques. It is important to start this training early in the pregnancy. It's difficult to focus on the process rather than the pain when you're in the moment, but with continuous repetition training Lamaze can get her part way there.

Some training involves learning focusing techniques. Focus techniques involve zeroing in on the need to push or the progress, rather than the discomfort. Others techniques may emphasize distraction - counting, remembering a specific event clearly and so on. Those who have practiced yoga may find many of the ideas familiar. Several weeks practice before labor begins is a minimum, but there should be no substantial gap in time. Train up to the day.

Physical comfort can be enhanced by a variety of methods. Hot or cold packs can ease cramping. Sipping warm tea or ice water is sometimes helpful. That will need to be kept to a minimum, though. If general anesthesia has to be given, doctors will require minimal liquid intake beforehand. Anesthesia can produce nausea and vomiting. Disgorging under anesthetic is potentially dangerous, since it can lead to choking.

Some hospitals will use tubs of water or even showers to maximize physical and mental comfort during labor. A good soak can ease back tension and aid a sense of well being. Techniques like these don't require any training or practice, just the ability to remember to use them when needed. A partner can help here, too.

A general pain medication can range from over-the-counter remedies to mild narcotics. It's important to be able to focus and participate during the process, so doctors keep the dosage to a minimum whenever possible. Stronger narcotics to ease pain can be used if necessary.

Local anesthetic is no longer an automatic choice. Studies revolving around the neurological effects on the baby have made doctors and mothers very conservative. But the types and dosages used very rarely present a problem. There's no such thing as zero risk, but the odds are so low that this is a valid option.

A regional block, epidural or spinal, refers not to specific medication but simply the way it's administered. The drug is injected into a space at the base of the spinal column. The purpose is the same: to numb pain in the vaginal and back areas where the pain is most intense. Here again, doctors are cautious but the option is still used safely in thousands of cases every year.

Explore your options well in advance so that on that golden day you can put your mind where it needs to be: delivering a healthy baby.