I'm not sure if there is a thread on this already....
But can you give me your tips on how to labour through the pain?
I have *intentions* to have this baby drug free, but if I have to have drug pain relief, then so be it.
However, what are some techniques to try and get me through before I cave?
There's the hot shower, which helped last time, but imo was no where near hot enough - but probably for good reason. DH told me the other day there was a fit/gym ball thing last time but I didn't use it. How would you even use that? I've heard walking around the room helps, but from memory, that made pain worse!
You can sit on the fit ball and make circles with your hips, you can use it to sit on in the shower, you just put a towel down underneath it so you don't slip, bath, tens machine, massage oil and massage, a tennis ball for massage, as hard as your partner can in the nape of your back, I find if you use enough pressure where you think you are going to be hurting the woman...thats how they like it, different positions, aromatherapy, massage, hynobirthing and other relaxation excercises, heat packs
Stamping my feet, wiggling my fingers, or during the real heavy contractions I found banging on a bucket helped distract my thoughts from the pain. Whilst swinging my hips down low, if that makes sense? I found the noise of the bucket banging (and DH reckoned he could tell when the ctx peaked as the bucket copped a real workout) really helped, this changed to the door handle of the car during the drive to hospital. I didn't agree with alot of the stuff in Birth Skills, but some of the distraction techniques proved to work really well for me.
oh just to add pretty sure yuo are going to the redlands, is that right? if you want to burn oil yu need an electric oil burner, you can't have live flame at the hosp.
Also maybe look at getting a doula?
I find a lot of how the woman is copying with the pain is a mental thing rather than a physical thing...also find this personally. So what I mean by that is that although there are some really wonderful physical things that can help...water etc (how I love water) if you have lights glaring in a womans eyes, and ask her 3million questions and a heap of people in the room etc water pprobably isn't going to do too much but if you turn the lights down low get some music pllaying, oil burn, really relaxed slow quiet and positive talking, having your support person encourage yu ike this and you can realx and feel comfortable then water can feel like heaven iykwim? So its about getting you what you need mentally to help you cope
Also one other little thing is making a long ahhhhhhh sound when you're contracting can help, can stop you tensing your body up and fighting the contraction, cause if you practise making that sound you can feel its harder to tense, something about it mentally having that repetitive action can be really helpful for some woman.
With the labour of my 3rd little one my contractions were quite manageable for quite some time (from about 3am-4pm) they were just pains that i'd stop and sway through (or slept through) whilst carrying on a normal day at home. It did get intense really quickly at about 6pm when i was still at home so all i could do was focus, breath and wait for them to pass. In between i was back to dealing with a 3 year old and 21 month old. We quickly made our way to the hospital where i think i maybe had less than 10 contractions/breaths of gas until she arrived.
My initial thoughts on how i got through the day/labour so well and possibly you could too was just keeping busy. Luckily for me i was able to labour at home and DD was born 50 min after arriving at the hospital. Maybe if your little one/labour allows it you could try something similar.
My boys were totally different and whilst i love all my labours my 3rd was by far the most enjoyable (strange concept i know).
1. Don't think of contractions as pain but intense sensations (I realise you've birthed before but through Calm Birth classes I heard of many women this worked well for in subsequent labours). Understanding the basic physiology of birth really helps too (there is a chapter in Dr Marsden Wagner's book below that explains this brilliantly). The different hormones and the way contractions actually work (3 ways) really helped me understand what was happening to my body during contractions. It removed fear and hence the tension that comes with fear and which can cause pain. This worked in the lead up for me and while it was intense I didn't feel pain per se.
2. If you want the best opportunity to have a drug free labour, have a birth plan in place that clearly states no one is to offer you pain relief during labour at any time. State clearly that if you want it you will ask for it. I also included that if I did ask for pain relief my birth team were to make some gentle suggestions like - why don't you try so and so for half an hour and see how you go, or you are doing so well do you want to just give it 30 more minutes and see how you feel then. etc.
3. Practice deep slow (yogic) breathing in the months leading up. Focusing on my breath made them seem shorter and helped heaps.This is all I used in an induced labour.
4. As you say water may help, I personally didn't need or want it.
5. Practice birthing positions prior to birth so they come more naturally on the day.
6. Embrace the experience as something to be celebrated and ensure you have a great birth team are there to support you not rescue you during a normal birth. Having relaxed, gentle caring people present was a godsend for me. No loud noises, no talking and a dark welcoming space really helped.
7. I went into my cave (the toilet) during transition, sat on the toilet and went with the flow. It was a lovely safe space. Feel empowered to birth where ever you want regardless of anyone else.
8. Read Ina May Gaskin's "Guide to Midwifery" and/or Dr Marsden Wagner's "Creating a Birth Plan". Both fabulous books making the understanding of birth so easy and obvious.
I've heard really good things about TENS machines and labour pains. Unfortunately, I can't vouch for them because I planned to use one in my last labour and my baby was breech so I had to have a c/section. I am thinking about it again this time. To use one though, my hospital makes an appointment with me for the physio and they teach you how to use it prior to labour. It costs a $50 deposit to hire one and they give back the $50 when I return it. Different hospitals would offer different things though but that's what mine does
I had sterile water injections last time as DD was posterior and i have to say while this was extremly painful at the time and the only time i swore during my whole 50hr labour it definatley helped to relieve the unrelenting pressure in my back and calmed me down heaps, giving me the second wind i needed to keep going. Not sure if all hospitals are doing this now but it may be worth researching further.
For me it was water on my back while I layed over the fit ball and closed my eyes. I don't think I even opened my eyes the entire time I was in labour! lol
first time contractions came on really quick and hard and lasted about 16 hours i was stuffed at about 12 hours got a peth shot i would not recommend it i couldnt get the gas to work
second time contractions were bareable untill my waters broke hot water helped heaps and when i had a contraction i would stare at something stationary and that helped a bit sorta like a distraction DD came about 4 hours after the doc broke my waters and when i needed to push i had to walk from my room to L&D lucky it was right next to it but the middie copped a serve lol
i wana go and apologise to her coz she was really nice and helped me so much but i think the relaxed environment helped first time i was on ABs with a cannula and it was all rushed and impersonal the environment helped a lot
Change your mindset NOW.
Remove the word "pain" from your vocab, and begin some positive NLP.
Ditto everything Dusty said. Especially regarding pain relief - do NOT let them offer it to you, put it in your birth plan, have your DH reiterate this when you go in, labour as long as possible at home first. Remember to stay in a safe place - once you even subconsciously feel "unsafe" or watched, your labour may well stall or slow.
Fingertip massage helps - have your DH practice it - lightly stroking your skin works just like a TENS machine - it confuses your nervous system and allows you to focus on something else.
Honestly, I think most of it is state of mind. If you go in expecting pain and trauma and hurt, that is what you will get. If you are able to teach yourself now that it isn't any of these things, you will do much better.
Breathing definitely helps, and being able retreat into your own headspace.
Depending on how open minded you are, take a look into some orgasmic birth info... fascinating stuff, logical and very achievable.
Anything else - I will let you know in a couple of weeks!
The "aaahh" sound that Jas mentioned helped me to stay focused with DS and not lose it. I think it meant I was in control of the contractions.
Other things were stomping whilst leaning on a windowsill. I found an object (a blue office chair) to stare at in a window across the courtyard (well, until the stupid cleaner turned the light off!), once things got a bit unbearable, I hopped in the shower, where DH alternated the shower head between my front and my back, whilst I lent on the handles and stomped. I also blew the pain away down the plughole - this really seemed to help. But for me, movement was the biggie, no way was I sitting down.
Definitely the 'aaah' sound. Open jaw, open cervix. In any case, it was as if the noise coming out of my mouth was like releasing the pain through sound, itms. As if I were transferring it out of my body. Hot water on my back helped, leaning up against the wall and letting the water play on my back during contractions helped.
Mostly the second time it just helped to know that soon it would be over.
Re the pain relief, I agree with the birth plan idea... and M was right there to reiterate that I didn't want any pain relief; saying that, if I'd needed there were other options (pethedine, morphine) but I have a reaction to opiates (I vomit) so they weren't for me. Gas didn't seem to do anything, tried about 2 sucks with S and got nothing, so didn't even bother with T. If you want to try TENS, I've heard it's good - my mum uses it on her back - but start practising now so you can get used to using it.
Good luck. Remember above all that you can do this.
I would read "Birth Skills" by Juju Sundins and Sarah Murdoch. It is fabulous and it helps you work with the intense feelings and not be afraid of the 'pain' by using a few different techniques and helping you work with your body and contractions.
I have no pain tolerance at all and I had two beautiful drug free labours using these techniques. DH read it too and it really helped him be an amazing support person - the midwife with us for our two births keep going on at how amazing he was - which he truely was.
Best of luck
Have a look at the SpinningBabies website - they have a pile of positions for birth as well. In my experience, the best is to go in whatever position your body tells you to. This will help the baby out...
As others have said, it's all in your head.
Things that worked for me:
Embrace it - this is bringing your baby to you. I had a litle 'chant' going in my head "I welcome the contraction. It bings my baby closer". Surrender is a big part of the process - when you fight it you make it take longer and you make it harder. And sometimes that means embracing the pain - I remember in my first labour i sat on the toilet at one point and the cnotractions were so much more painful. IN fact, the pain I felt (I realised later) was my cervix opening more quickly. But I didn't like it and got up. Later, I realised I should have stayed there - it would have been so much quicker if I'd not been afraid and embraced that extra pain.
Open yourself - keep your mouth and lips loose. Imagine that your cervix is opening.
Be comfortable - you need to feel completely safe and at ease so you can do whatever feels right for you without inihibition. My last labour I found leaning over and swaying felt good. And I vocalise through the contractions - a big breath in and a low, aaah/ooo type noise on the outbreath (making it as long as possible).
Surround yourself with people who believe - nobody in your birthing space should doubt your ability to labour and birth.
Breathe - you, your uterus and your baby all need that oxygen.
tips to push through labour pain?
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