why we feel pain in labor and pain relief methods

[meow]

Just finished reading this thread and Natalie- thank you! What a great read! I'm just in the process of reading through so many great books and BB articles but TBH it's a bit much to read it all. This was such a fabulous summary and has inspired me to read the other stuff now too.

I loved all the stuff you wrote- especially the first few bits on pain and what causes it. I think understanding that will help me coast through it and accept it even better.

[artemis]

U have done a fantastic job Yogababy,this ifo has been excellent & very helpful & u have written it in such a way that it is easy to understand ie: simple & straightforward .I'm going to print this out too & show it to my hubby & my mum as well as she still seems to b in the dark over these matters .I couldn't believe it the other day when she was actually agreeing with all the stuff the doctor was saying but i guess that is all she knows.This info will help me explain it to her in a much more knowledgable way & hopefully also give hubby more of an idea on how he can help me & b a more active part of the birth.
THANKU!!!

[Meluchja]

Thanks Natalie, I've even found this thread helpful with my doula studies. Thank you so much. I really want to be the best possible doula I can be, and every bit of extra info helps. Thanks.

[blue daisy]

thanks artemis and mummy mel xxxxxx

mummy mel...I am happy to share as much as you need to help you be the best doula you can be

xx yogababy

[Heaven]

oh SaraJane dont avoid them just find what suits you...which may mean a private educator, or only taking what you need from the classes and not being overburdened by all the negative stuff

Thank God we have Belly Belly or we might not ever know that it could be different!! Thanks for all your great information!

[Emma1979]

hi yoga baby, probably not the right place to post this, but i was wondering, have you had any experience with women going for an xray to see the dimensions of their pelvis prior to TTC? i had a horrific birth and suffered post traumatic stress after my emergency c-section, not keen to go thru any of that again and was told i would have 5% chance next time of vaginal birth due to the shape of my pelvis... anyways was wondering if it is possible to actually know for a fact about my pelvis, as this could change my mind about having an elective csection next time, if i know my pelvis isn't the wrong shape, maybe i would try a vbac, but not sure, would need to really think it over as not keen to end up like i did last time, as i was a mess for months. sorry for long post i realise i probably should have started a thread asking this question.

[Smoke Jaguar]

There is an article here on BB about 'Pelvis too small' etc - gets you questioning the diagnosis without at least a second opinion

[blue daisy]

Hey Emma

yes some women who have had a difficult and traumatic birth experience, have so because of the shape of their pelvis...some OB's do recommend a series of pelvic xrays to determine pelvic shape, symmetry, measurements etc

women have a unique pelvic shape, designed to hold a baby's head and allow the baby to pass through and birth

men have a narrow pelvic inlet...and some women also have this simmilar shape

in ages past women with a narrow pelvic inlet would die in childbirth...today we have a c/s...

hope this helps

xx yogababy

[blue daisy]

Hey BB girls
thought some of you would be interested in this research

A rise in pain threshold during labor: a prospective clinical trial -
Pain ,vol 132, suppl 1, November 2007, pp S104-S108 Ohel I; Walfisch A; ****enberg D; et al - (2007)

To evaluate changes in pain threshold before, during and
after labor in a prospective clinical trial. Forty pregnant women at term
were included. Pain threshold in 18 specific pressure points was evaluated
using a dolorimeter. Woman underwent pain threshold assessment at term
before labor, during the active phase of labor and postpartum. Subjective
pain intensity was assessed by the parturient using the Verbal Rating Scale
(VRS). Pain threshold was significantly higher during active phase of labor.
There was a significant decline in pain threshold after labor as compared to
pain threshold during labor (2.507+/-0.947 and 2.608+/-1.023, respectively,
p=0.01). Pain intensity using the VRS score was higher during labor than
before labor (4.8+/-2.7 and 2.4+/-2.6 p<0.001). We found a significant rise
in pain threshold during labor in term pregnancies. This rise may have an
intended protective effect during the intense labor pain experience.

xx yogababy

[blue daisy]

hey everyone

Ive been away for a bit and Ive noticed quite a few posts on how much birth is going to be painful, and how much fear there is

soooo...I thought I would bring to the light of day this post for some newbies

and when given the time I will go through and make a few extra posts

xx

[blue_hebe]

Thanks Natalie. You have a great gift for writing and taught me a whole lot of new facts that will no doubt come in very handy one day Thank you!

[kirsty_lee]

Thanks Natalie, your posts have been soo helpful especially seeing as this is my first baby i've been so nervous as I've only got 9 Weeks to go. I found the thread on breathing particularly helpful as I suffer from anxiety (ie: panic attacks) and was worried about how the hell im going to cope going into labour cause im worried about triggering a panic attack which would be scary i imagine during labour.. but the different breathing techniques were a very interesting read...

[blue daisy]

ok I have edited some of my posts

thanks blue_hebe and kristy-lee

xx

[sasha]

thanks so much for bumping this up - it's really great to read how my body works and I'm almost ashamed to realise how little I knew about it! Gives me renewed confidence to birth drug free again this time - thank you!

[blue daisy]

thanks sasha

I'm glad it helped

good luck with number 2

x

[Helly]

Hey yogababy -

I wanted to thank you for posting this as well, it's confirmed a lot of the things I've been trying to teach myself, and trying to believe in the face of overwhelming disbelief from the "system". I'm really trying to hold fast and try for a home birth, with no interventions unless they're absolutely necessary due to my life or the baby's life being in danger. I'm lucky enough to have a hubby who is also convinced of these things, and a mum who is as well, so I know they'll support me, but I know a significant part of the whole process is my mental state.

So it's always great to read articles that reinforce what I hope to achieve, with practical ways on how to do it. Cheers!

[blue daisy]

hey Helly

you sound like you have a good idea of what you want and who will be there for you...and that is essential

I noticed your a WA girl like me, but im south

You are more than welcome to pick my brains all you like and you will probabley find some of my other articles (click on the link below) useful

xx
blue daisy (formerly known as yogababy )

[EmnM]

thanks Nat - for replying to my post so I have now been in here for an hour - this was exactly what I wanted to read - following on from Mangan's book.

Now I guess it is time to find a calmbirth course or something similar. Thanks for all your information,

Mich