HEALTH: Chinese doctors conduct first painless delivery in Rwanda

It’s achieved through administration of epidural anaesthesia during natural labour. From now on, more women of Rwanda could benefit from this technique," Director General, Department of African Affairs Wu Peng said.

Chinese doctors pose for a photo after a succesfull painless delivery to a mother at the Masaka Hospital in Rwanda. Image: WU PENG/TWITTER

It is a good option for women with low pain endurance capacity who would otherwise consider having a C-section.

Chinese doctors in Rwanda have performed the first painless delivery to a mother, setting in motion what could become the most preferred form of delivery for African mothers.

Director General, the Department of African Affairs in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Wu Peng said the delivery was conducted on Wednesday at Masaka Hospital.

“On March 8, the Chinese medical team in Rwanda has successfully given the first painless delivery to a Rwandan mother at Masaka Hospital. From now on, more women of Rwanda could benefit from this technique,” Peng said.

“What a great gift for International Womens Day.”

Painless delivery is achieved during natural labour through the administration of anaesthesia to an expectant mother to relieve pain.

It is a good option for women with low pain endurance capacity who would otherwise consider having a C-section.

Women who are exhausted from pushing or are wheeled in in an emergency are also given the option of painless delivery.

The procedure uses the epidural continuous injection of low-dose drugs which greatly reduces the pain in the process of delivery.

Epidural anaesthesia is administered through an injection in the lower back of the mother and works by numbing the pelvic region while the mother remains conscious.

The procedure allows her to sit still with her back arched and it enables her to focus on the delivery while relaxed all through the delivery.

The drug takes about 10-15 minutes to take effect. Besides relieving pain, it increases the success rate of natural delivery as it helps the baby to descend easily by relaxing the pelvic and vaginal muscles.

Since the mother won’t be in any pain, the procedure allows her to focus on the delivery while she is relaxed.

Further, painless delivery reduces the risk of post-partum complications since the birth occurs with very little intervention from the mother.

The exhaustion and irritation experienced by most women during childbirth is greatly reduced.

The side effects associated with epidural include nausea, dizziness, back pain, breathing problems and shivering.

According to India’s Apollo Cradle and Children’s Hospital, the risk factors include trouble passing urine after childbirth, prolonged labour and severe migraine-like headaches due to epidural leakage into the spine.

It also causes numbness in the entire lower body and it may be a while before a mother can walk.

In extreme cases, an emergency C-section may be performed in the event that the mother’s blood pressure goes down and lowers the baby’s heart rate as well.