Absolutely there are.  A spinal block (or "saddle block") consists of a doctor placing a needle near your spinal cord, in your lower back, inorder to apply medication which will allow your delivery to be painless.   In a C-section you would be under general anesthesia, or asleep, which allows the physician to surgically remove the infant from you.  Lemaze Training prepares women for delivery.  The more one knows about how child birth happens the better prepared one is to do it.