Objective to explore the maternal and neonatal effects of fentanyl administered
subcutaneously to women during labour. Design two methods were used:(1) A retrospective
audit of the birth register and maternal and neonatal records for the period from January
2000 to December 2007.(2) A pilot study was also conducted on a convenience sample of
women between July 2008 and October 2008. Setting this study was conducted within a
maternity unit at a rural South Australian hospital where approximately 350 babies are …

Background: Epidural analgesia has become the gold standard for control of pain in labour.
However, it requires specialised resources, is not always effective, significantly increases
assisted and operated deliveries, and is contraindicated for a number of medical conditions.
In addition, there is a population of women who do not wish to be given an epidural. Under
these circumstances, IM pethidine remains the most widely used narcotic administered for
labour pain. To date, many women are unaware of alternative options should they choose to …