The only way for a painless delivery is the administration of an epidural. An epidural is an injection of an anesthetic into the spine, which is typically a painless process. With everything, it may come with side effects such as spinal headaches and backaches after the procedure, especially if you have to do the injections more than once in different areas. In the worst case scenario, paralysis may occur. In the event you do a c-section, you don't have to have an epidural again. In Singapore and most countries in this day and age, most elective c-sections are done by spinal epidural.