5 Attitudes To Pain In Labour

Rhea Dempsey has been working in birth for about 40 years. That’s a great deal of birth experience.

With a background like hers, it isn’t surprising she notices quite a few patterns – some which have become well worn paths. In fact, Rhea has attended so many births she can map out accurately the attitudes to pain that can predict the path a birth will take, based on a few key factors.

She regularly gives talks to medical professionals, and the many doctors and midwives who listen to her emphatically agree with what she has cleverly devised.

Are you a little curious about the key factors that might determine where your birth will go, or influenced how your birth went?

How Your Attitude Towards Pain In Labour Can Predict Your Birth

Below you will find a two-part video series, which touches on Rhea’s trademark pain dynamics. I’m confident these videos will give you some ‘lightbulb’ moments about how birth ends up the way it does.

As you probably know, there’s a huge number of interventions going on. So you won’t be surprised that so many births involve interventions.

The World Health Organization suggests the rate of interventions (for example, c-sections and inductions of labour) to keep mothers and babies safe should be about 20-29%. We’re very lucky to live in a country where we have access to quality obstetric care when we need it.

After watching the two videos below, however, you’ll have a deeper understanding of what’s going wrong for the remaining 70-75% of women who are not having normal physiological births.

Instead, they’re having interventions that might not be necessary. Rhea is regarded extremely highly. In fact, she is something of a celebrity in our industry.

She has many adoring fans in the birth world, particularly those who care about normal physiological childbirth and, of course, about interventions when they are needed.

I feel very blessed to call her my teacher, as she was in 2004. She taught me about how birth can be – with the right information. Rhea’s work is incredibly important and valid.

No-one else is speaking up and saying what Rhea does. You certainly won’t hear this amazing information in your hospital-based birth classes.

Having said that, I’ll leave you to enjoy the videos, and I would love to hear your comments, which you can leave below.

5 Attitudes To Pain In Labour – Part 1

In the first part of Rhea Dempsey’s pain dynamics, she discusses the five main attitudes towards pain, which she’s observed over the last 40 years.

These 5 attitudes are:

1. Pain Avoiding (doesn’t want to experience any pain/intensity)
2. Status Quo
3. Wait & See
4. Aspirational & Naïve
5. Highly Motivated For Normal Birth

Which one do you, or did you, relate to? Have a listen and see what attitude you adopted during pregnancy.

5 Attitudes To Pain In Labour – Part 2

In the second part of Rhea’s pain dynamics, she talks about another big aspect which can significantly influence the direction in which your birth can go. And it’s probably not what you’d expect.

If you want to hear Rhea’s talk in full, visit The Truth About Natural Birth.

Ready For A Better Birth Experience and Outcome?

After watching these videos, do you want to increase your chances of a better outcome? An outcome where you feel more confident and informed?

By now, you probably understand that the outcome you have at birth goes so much deeper than just ‘going with the flow’ and hoping for the best. You need to be prepared. It’s not that women’s bodies are failing them. Difficulties arise from the way in which women have to give birth in the system.

But you don’t have to be a majority statistic.

All it takes is to have the right information and to learn from the right person.

Have you ever done something the same way for years, until someone told you a simple trick to do something in a much better way, or you found an easier way?

Or perhaps you discovered something that saved you money, time or pain. And it was SO good, you never looked back. That’s what can happen with birth education.

Birth experiences are highly transformational. Women, their partners and their babies deserve GREAT birth education and all that comes with an amazing birth experience.

You certainly can’t rely on hospital-based birth classes; they won’t teach you this stuff.

In fact, many midwives, birth educators and doulas will tell you that some hospital-based birth classes are actually sabotaging women’s birth plans.

I highly recommend reading my article about hospital-based birth classes.