Medicines used during normal delivery

Medicines during normal delivery may support labour, relieve discomfort, prevent complications, or help the uterus contract after birth. The choice depends on your health, the baby’s condition, how labour is progressing, and your preferences. Your maternity team should explain the purpose, expected effect, and possible side effects before giving a medicine.

Pain relief can include inhaled medicine, injections, or regional anaesthesia such as an epidural. Medicines may also be used to start or strengthen contractions when labour has not begun or is progressing slowly; this is called induction or augmentation. Oxytocin is one medicine that can stimulate contractions and may also help the uterus tighten after the placenta is delivered. Antibiotics or other medicines may be considered for a specific medical reason, rather than as a routine part of every birth.

Tell the team about allergies, regular medicines, previous reactions to anaesthesia, and health conditions. Ask whether a proposed medicine changes monitoring, movement, eating or drinking, or breastfeeding plans. You can discuss non-medicine comfort measures such as breathing, movement, massage, and different positions. If labour changes, the plan may need to change with it. Read about [Oxytocin](/materials/oxytocin/) and [Induction of Labour](/treatments/pregnancy-and-birth-care/induction-of-labour/) when these options are being discussed.

During labour, tell your midwife or doctor promptly about difficulty breathing, severe dizziness, chest symptoms, sudden weakness, a new rash, or a feeling that something is wrong. After birth, urgent assessment is needed for heavy or increasing bleeding, fainting, severe headache with vision changes, breathing difficulty, chest pain, fever with worsening illness, or pain that suddenly becomes severe. Contact your maternity team about medicine side effects that do not settle or trouble feeding your baby.

Which medicine are you suggesting, and what problem is it intended to address? What alternatives are available? How will it affect monitoring, mobility, alertness, or feeding after birth? Which symptoms should prompt an urgent call? If a [Caesarean Section](/treatments/pregnancy-and-birth-care/caesarean-section/) becomes necessary, how would the medication plan change? A [Lactation Consultation](/treatments/pregnancy-and-birth-care/lactation-consultation/) can help with feeding questions after delivery.