Howling through labor ?

This mother was given medication to help her with pain during contractions.
While I found this video clip quite humorous at first glance, it's not so funny when I consider what the baby could be feeling, because this kind of medicine does cross the placenta. In early labor, narcotics may not pose as much of a risk to the baby, but given late in labor, they can cause severe problems with the baby's breathing and ability to feed. Narcotics can also have a very unpleasant effect for the mother such as frightening hallucinations and/or nausea, headache or vomiting.

When considering ways to cope with pain in labor, it is safer to start with drug free methods, such as soaking in a warm tub of water with the jets on, or having someone give you a great massage. And howl if you must :)