Labouring the natural way

Labouring the natural way

There are many ways to relieve labour pains without having to resort to drugs below are just some of the ideas to consider if you would like a drug free labour

Water

It’s a long established fact that water is a natural pain reliever, for example the first thing we do if we have a back or tummy ache is run ourselves a hot bath. Spending all or part of your labour submerged in either a bath or birthing pool will reduce the need for further pain relief.A recent study howed that women who laboured in water felt less pain and were less likely to need a sopinal or epidural than those labouring on’dry land’ .

A supportive birthing partner

It makes all the difference in the world if you have someone supportive with you during the labour. Someone who is confident enough not to panic, support your needs and also be able to talk to the hospital staff on your behalf. This could be your partner or husband, mother, sister, friend or even a doula. Research shows that women who have another woman present during labour and birth have a shorter and seemingly less painful labour with less intervention. This cant be said the same for partners and husbands as theres been little research into this. You may have 2 people in the birthing room to support you but it best to check first with the hospital you are using as some only allow one.

Breathing techniques

Controlling your breathing is a good way to reduce the amount of pain you are feeling.A good technique for labour is to breathe in slowly through the nose and out through the mouth, keeping the mouth and cheeks soft. The breathing should commence with a large breath in at the start of the contraction concentrating on the technique throughout the contraction, then finally breathing out and relaxing as the contraction fades.

Heat pack or hot water bottle

It is known that warmth on the site of pain eases it somewhat. placing a hot water bottle or wheat pack(the ones you microwave for a few minutes) on the stomach, lower back or groin area will ease the pain of the contractions.

Moving Around

Unless you are exhausted or having to labour in bed due to monitoring then moving about and changing position during labour is a good form of pain relief. Some good positions to adopt are:- kneeling on the floor with one knee pointing outwards and the other knee at a right angle to it. This widens the pelvis allowing the baby to decend quicker, sand and lean on a partner, bed or even windowframe, kneel onto the seat of a chair or over a beanbag, Rocking on all fours helps as does bouncing on a birthing ball.

Massage

The rhythmic rubbing motion of someone giving you a back massage during labour can help ease the pain of the contractions. This also links in to heat treatment as heat is created by the massage and also breathing. The massage helps the body to relax and release natural endorphins therefore easying pain and making focusing on breathing techniques easier.

Of course another good help is a supportive midwife who knows what she is doing and also listens to what you want to happen during your birth experience.