If you’re like most women, the pain of labor and delivery is one of the things that worries you about having a baby. This is certainly understandable, because for most women, labor is painful.
Pain During Labor and Delivery Pain during labor is caused primarily by uterine muscle contractions and somewhat by pressure on the cervix. This pain manifests itself as cramping in the abdomen, groin, and back, as well as a tired, achy feeling all over. Some women experience pain in their sides or thighs as well.
Other causes of pain during labor include pressure on the bladder and bowels by the baby’s head and the stretching of the birth canal and vagina.
Although labor is often thought of as one of the more painful events in human experience, it ranges widely from woman to woman and even from pregnancy to pregnancy. Women experience labor pain differently – for some, it resembles menstrual cramps; for others, severe pressure; and for others, extremely strong waves that feel like diarrheal cramps. In addition, first-time mothers are more likely to give their pain a higher rating than women who’ve had babies before.
The intensity of labor pain isn’t always the determining factor that drives women to seek pain management – often it’s the repetitive nature and length of time the pain persists with each contraction.
There are a variety of ways to reduce pain during labor, some of which you can start doing before or during your pregnancy.
The Lamaze technique is the most widely used method in the United States. The Lamaze philosophy teaches that birth is a normal, natural, and healthy process and that women should be empowered to approach it with confidence. Lamaze classes educate women about the ways they can decrease their perception of pain, such as through relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, distraction, or massage by a supportive coach. Lamaze approach takes a neutral position toward pain medication, encouraging women to make an informed decision about whether it’s right for them.
The Bradley method (also called Husband-Coached Birth) emphasizes a natural approach to birth and the active participation of the baby’s father as birth coach. A major goal of this method is the avoidance of medications unless absolutely necessary. The Bradley method also focuses on good nutrition and exercise during pregnancy and relaxation and deep-breathing techniques as a method of coping with labor. Although the Bradley method advocates a medication-free birth experience, the classes do prepare parents for unexpected complications or situations, like emergency cesarean sections.
Some other ways you can handle pain during labor include:
- hypnosis
- yoga
- meditation
- walking
- massage or counterpressure
- changing position
- taking a bath or shower
- distracting yourself by counting or performing an activity that keeps your mind otherwise occupied.
Here are some things to think about when considering pain control during labor:
- Medications can relieve much of your pain, but probably won’t relieve all of it.
- Labor often hurts more than you anticipated. Some women who have previously said they want no pain medicine whatsoever end up changing their minds once they’re actually in labor.
- Pain medications can affect your labor – your blood pressure may drop, your labor may slow down or speed up, you may become nauseous, and you may feel a sense of confusion and lack of control.
- Pain medications can affect your baby – if given shortly before birth, the baby may be drowsy or have difficulty breathing.
- If you end up needing a cesarean section, you’ll be given regional or general anesthesia for the birth. General anesthesia is given for emergency c-sections when a life-threatening condition has developed in the pregnant woman or baby.