How to manage labor pain naturally

Mar 15, 2011 8:46 AM by Naomi de la Torre

Posted in Parenting / Having a Baby / Pregnancy, Labor & Birth

Natural Childbirth Survival Guide

Does the thought of your upcoming labor give you heart palpitations? Have you watched one to many birth horror story reality shows on TV? Never fear. The Natural Childbirth Survival Guide is here. From groaning and massage to deep breathing and doula support, read on for the best techniques for managing your labor and making your childbirth experience as comfortable and pain-free as possible.

Natural Childbirth

Let's face it. Childbirth can be downright frightening. If it's not enough that all your friends have given you the gory details of their painful birth stories, every random stranger you meet in the grocery store seems to feel the need to tell you to "Get the epidural, honey. You won't regret it."

Most women in the United States have never witnessed a natural childbirth. Our perceptions of birth are colored by sensational dramatizations of birth on TV that paint a picture of birth that looks more like a medical emergency than a natural event in the cycle of life. Unfortunately, this causes many women to accept unnecessary medical interventions during birth, which has been shown to lead to other birth complications. Ninety percent of infants born in the United States are born with drugs in their bodies. The C-section rate in the United States is 15- 20% higher than recommended by the World Health Organization. And yet after 75 years of hospital birth in this country, no studies have been able to prove that hospital birth is in fact safer than a homebirth with a skilled attendant.

Doula support

If you are committed to attempting natural childbirth, one of the best ways to kick start your natural childbirth journey is to enlist the support of a doula. Doulas are trained professionals who provide continuous physical, emotional and educational support to mothers before, during and after childbirth.

Research shows that women who give birth with the support of a doula have shorter labors with fewer complications. Their babies are healthier and experience less challenges with breastfeeding. Doulas "mother the mother" during labor, offering them natural solutions for any pain or discomfort such as massage, meditation, water therapy, breathing techniques, positioning, moaning and hypnosis.

Natural pain-control techniques

Talk about it!

Check out our parenting message boards and talk to other moms about natural birth right now!

Nature has given us the tools to birth naturally. When we trust out bodies, we empower ourselves to experience birth as a normal process in the cycle of life. Even if you don't have the support of a professional doula, you and your birth partner can still use many of the natural labor pain-control techniques listed above.

Taking a natural childbirth class ahead of time can help you learn about effective ways to relax your body and reduce your pain during labor. The Bradley Method, HynoBirthing, Birthing from Within and Lamaze are some of the most common classes available today that teach mothers powerful birthing tools and natural alternatives to pain relief.

Effective birthing positions

Did you know that the birth positions most commonly used in hospital births are also the least effective? This is because the most common positions used in hospital births -- the lithotomy (flat-on-back) or the C-position (resting on tailbone with body curled in the shape of a C) -- are convenient for doctors. But unfortunately for mothers, these positions not only work against gravity, but also restrict the pelvic outlet by up to 30%, putting unnecessary stress on the perineum, and can cause drops in fetal heart rate and other forms of fetal distress.

Poor birth positioning can lead to a variety of complications and unnecessary interventions such as tearing, episiotomy, forceps delivery, vacuum extraction and C-section. When birthing mothers are allowed to move around freely and use effective birthing positions (such as hands-and-knees, squatting, standing, side-lying and sitting) that work with rather than against gravity, the need for medical interventions during labor is greatly reduced and birth becomes a much more enjoyable experience.

Empowered Birth

One of the most amazing rites of passage during our human life is the experience of childbirth. We live in an age where we are very lucky to have access to medical intervention in the case of childbirth complications. And while it is true that not all births can be experienced naturally, when we empower ourselves by owning our own births and avoiding the over-medicalization of birth, we can help to transform the image of birth from painful and scary to beautiful and empowering.

More about natural birth

Tags: birth labor natural childbirth parenting pregnancy

Comments

Comments on "How to manage labor pain naturally"

My first child, born 42 years ago was done with drugs at the doctor's insistence. My second one, born 8 years later, was done completely natural, again, at the doctor's insistence (different doctors). I would advise mothers to give birth naturally. After the birth of my second child I felt invigorated, like I could get up off the delivery table and walk home. With my first child, I was exhausted and in pain for two whole weeks.

My first child, my birth plan was COMPLETELY ignored by the doctor and hospital. I was put in to bed and on a fetal monitor as soon as I got to the hospital and NOT ALLOWED up at all. I was given unnecessary drugs because the doctor wanted to get home for dinner (I was already at 5cm when I went to the hospital and dilated another cm within 20 mins of being there). The pain became so intense so quickly I ended up needing an epidural and an episiotomy. My son spent his first hour in the NICU. Because of the catheter they gave me I ended up with a bladder infection too. We are pregnant with our 2nd child and I have already vowed NEVER again will I let someone do that to me. I engaged a doula and will be making it VERY CLEAR to the doc and hospital (we live in a new state) that it is MY DELIVERY not theirs.

I had a natural-med free birth at the hospital. I agree with others that education is key! Being informed, knowing what you want, and knowing sometimes you cannot control mother nature. My husband and I did Bradley Method, which I highly recommend to all mothers, even if it is not your first labor. I had the average labor, 12 hours, and I would do it all over again. My daughter was born extremely alert and latched on great, all the nurses said it was due to the medication free birth.

The most useful single technique I read (from Ina Mae Gaskin) was that concentrating on making your mouth wide and round would help a similar shape down below. Low register sounds from a mouth as wide as I could make it really helped, I think because I could think about relaxing my face (I found this easier since it was the farthest part from the action and helped distract me). Birthing in water (at home for 36 hours and in the hospital tub for the next 12 hours) helped. Food and liquids through the process helped. And remembering that contractions are a muscle doing its job made me think I was doing the hardest but most rewarding workout of my life.

A quality childbirth education class makes all the difference! I use Hypnobabies Childbirth Hypnosis (different from HypnoBirthing btw) and love it! I had an epidural with #1 and would never have one again.

My daughter in law just had a baby at home yesterday. She and my son labored together so well and so much in sync that the midwife commented on it. She said it was one of the most beautiful births she has seen because of the way my son supported his wife without interfereing. She is 41 and this was her 4th baby born at home. She basically woke at 6 am and had the baby by 9:40 am. She was calm and confident and relaxed the whole time. I just wish people could see what a true natural birth looks like. But you just don't see them because there is no "drama". No screaming, no fear, no emergency, just love and empowering strength.

Natural birth is possible and wonderful! I had both of my children drug-free (in hospitals) and my first weighed 9 lbs 11 oz and my second was 8 lbs. We were all shocked by how big my first baby was because I am fairly small! But after I had done it once, I was determined to do it the second time, too. My husband and I did Bradley Method classes with my first pregnancy. Some of the things that helped the most during labor were staying at home as long as possible (the first time; the second time I had to go in to have my water ruptured but then I went natural from there), visualizing something peaceful and relaxing, and knowing that the pain of every contraction peaks and then lessens. So when it hurts the most, the worst is almost over. I also imagined that the more painful the contraction, the more work it was doing, so in a way I embraced the sensation (aka: the pain) and I squeezed the heck out of my husband's hand and breathed as deeply, slowly, and calmly as I could. It was wonderfully empowering to be present and alert for my children's births and I encourage every expecting woman to consider it.

Two of my three births of my kids were unmedicated and at home. I highly suggest watching The Business of Being Born, Rikki Lake's documentary. Educating yourself is SO important, and I wished I'd done more of that and less ridiculous lamaze breathing in preparation for #1. ;)

After having given birth with no intention of going naturally the first time, I find myself more curious about it when thinking about a second. I'm still a bit of a skeptic but want to be more educated.