What Is The Best Method For Managing Labor Pain?

We are told that giving birth is one of the most painful experiences in a woman’s life. When you go into labor, you experience contractions — strong cramping in the abdomen, back, groin, and even on your thighs. This happens because of contractions of the uterus and pressure on the cervix. And that’s not all! Your baby’s head pressures your bladder and bowels, and stretches the birth canal and vagina, causing pain. Luckily, there are plenty of safe medical options and natural approaches to take the edge off labor and delivery. Here are some of the best choices.

Medications

Anesthesia

• General anesthesia. It’s typically used for specific emergencies during the childbirth process and sometimes for a cesarean delivery. An anesthesiologist will apply the anesthesia intravenously or through inhaled drugs. This will cause a total loss of sensation and consciousness.
• Local anesthesia. It’s given as a shot to numb the pain in a specific area (commonly around the vagina) before the episiotomy is done or after delivery when stitches are needed.
• Regional anesthesia. Regional numbs a great part of the body and it’s delivered intravenously. This type of anesthesia includes epidurals, spinal blocks, and a combination of the two (CSE). In each procedure, medicine is administered near your lower back’s nerves to block pain as you remain awake. An epidural is the most common method and the best one to control pain during labor and delivery. As you stay awake, you will be able to push whenever you need to. The spinal block is stronger and normally used during c-sections.

Opioids

Opioids or narcotics are typically prescribed to treat acute or persistent pain. When you are about to give birth, your doctor may inject opioids intravenously. Even though there are lots of narcotics available nowadays, only a few are normally used specifically for giving birth, including morphine, fentanyl, meperidine, and butorphanol in the US. When administered, they will take effect within a matter of minutes and last for up to six hours. While they won’t completely eliminate pain, they will make it more tolerable.

Tranquilizers

A tranquilizer is a medication that reduces fear, tension, and agitation related to mental distress. While tranquilizers won’t minimize the pain of labor and delivery, they can help you get through them if you are too anxious. Tranquilizers can also make analgesics much more effective. Once you go into labor, tranquilizers will be administered through an intravenous catheter and will take up to twenty minutes to kick in.

Natural methods

Water therapy

Don’t you love taking a warm bath after a stressful day? Water has a surprisingly relaxing effect on you. That’s why water births are so popular nowadays. The process entails going through part of your labor, delivery, or both while in a pool filled with water. During the first stages of childbirth, as the cervix dilates and contractions become more frequent and intense, a water birth may help ease pain and give you a greater sense of control. Other advantages include reduced duration of labor, less perineural trauma, and possibly lower risk of an episiotomy.

Needless to say, water births come with certain risks and are not for everyone. If you are younger than 17, older than 35, are having twins, or have an infection, you may not be eligible for this kind of birth.

Massage

A proper massage not only feels good but also facilitates deep relaxation and soothes pain. Having a specialist or someone who understands your body cues may come in handy during labor. This reduces pain in muscles and joints, improves circulation, and minimizes swelling. Of course, there are several types of massages and techniques. And, luckily most types are safe for labor. If you are wondering which kind of massage will work for you or how you can incorporate it into your birth plan, don’t hesitate to talk it out with your healthcare provider.

Breathing

Focusing on your breathing is an excellent strategy to ride out your contractions. Breathing deeply, in and out, is particularly beneficial for the first stage of labor as it assists the uterus by relaxing. During the second stage of labor, controlled breathing helps you push your baby out. Not sure how to incorporate deep breathing into your birth plan? The good news is that there are several breathing techniques out there. The trick is informing yourself a few months before the due date and getting as much practice as possible. Prenatal courses typically offer solid, professional advice in this area, which can make you feel more confident.

Walking or moving around

Movies and TV shows tend to depict women in labor immobile in a hospital bed. But the truth is that there are many options. Evidence suggests that walking, kneeling, changing positions, and rolling on a birthing ball in the first stage of labor has many advantages, including lesser pain, shorter labor, and reduced risk of cesarean birth.

Sound therapy

Why is it that whenever we listen to our favorite song or a relaxing playlist we feel much better? Scientists believe that certain sounds elicit positive reactions in our minds and bodies, including deeper focus and decreased physical pain. More specifically, sound stimulates the brain — it acts through the higher centers of the central nervous systems to relieve pain. It’s also believed that music can stimulate the pituitary gland inside the brain, causing a release of endorphins and an increase in serotonin. Listening to music may help you relax during labor, reduce anxiety and make the pain more bearable.

For the past four decades, sound therapy has combined music and natural sounds to treat chronic pain and also support women during childbirth. Many scientific studies have demonstrated the relationship between listening to music and enhanced physical and mental health. Findings on sound therapy and labor, although scarce in comparison, are also promising. A 2019 meta-analysis looked at controlled trials where participants either listened to music during labor or did not. Women who listened to music reported lower pain intensity in early labor compared to those who didn’t.

Beginning.com uses a one-of-a-kind sound therapy experience for moms-to-be. Discover The Moment, a series of carefully designed audios that create a serene, supportive, and less overwhelming birth for you and your baby. Each audio features sounds from nature and soothing music with augmented frequencies to stimulate your mind. The result is a deeply immersive, full-body listening journey that will help you focus on the beauty of welcoming your little one into the world.

Expect no surprises! Use Beginning.com’s period and ovulation tracker. Want to learn even more about labor and delivery? Watch our “Birth — Overcoming the Fear” and “Pain relief during labor and delivery” masterclasses.