If you prefer to have a childbirth that does not use drugs, there are a number of pain relief options you can try that are drug free.
There are two main types of natural pain relief methods: active and passive. Active pain relief methods are performed by the mother during labor and delivery and include changing positions, visualization or vocalization. Active pain relief methods are often taught in prenatal classes.
Passive pain relief methods do not require participation from the mother during labor and delivery, and include a number of natural remedies such as water birth, hypnosis, acupuncture, aromatherapy, reflexology and machine operated, such as TENS or transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation.
While not all of the methods may work for you, consider your options and learn about the different methods so that you have more alternatives during labor.
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Breathing and relaxation are closely associated. Have you noticed that you breathe more quickly when you are anxious? Or more deeply and slowly when you are lying in bed? Carefully controlled breathing is important during labor, both to help you relax and reduce pain, and also to prevent hyperventilation (if you do hyperventilate, your assistant will recommend that you hold your breath for short periods to get it back under control).
Your birthpartner will encourage you to follow the breathing techniques you have learned in your prenatal classes during labor. Most classes recommend breathing slowly and deliberately during the early part of your labor, breathing in slowly through your nose and out through your mouth. Later, as the contractions increase in both intensity and frequency you may want to take lighter breaths, using your upper body and not your abdomen. There are a number of breathing techniques available that you can explore to help you relax.
Contractions come in waves, so carefully controlled rhythmic breathing can help relieve pain during labor and promote relaxation. In order to do so, you must learn to 'accept' the strength of the contraction and learn to breathe with it.
Breathing during labor is not meant to be a distractive technique such as visualization or massage. Instead you will learn to be more in tune with and in control of your body. Anyone who practices yoga will recognize the importance and benefits of correct and controlled breathing during labor.
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You will learn to become aware of your breathing during labor. Try resting your hands on the lower part of your abdomen and feel it moving as your breathe. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Notice how your nostrils dilate as you breathe in, and the short pause between the end of your inhalation and the beginning of your exhalation? Become aware of the pressure increasing under your hands as your breathe in, and how it slowly releases as you breathe out through your relaxed lips.
There are a number of different breathing patterns you can follow during labor. Each can benefit you during a different phase of your contractions. Generally you will be encouraged to breathe long slow breaths during the early stages of labor. As the contractions become more intense and frequent, your breathing will become lighter and shorter. Try practicing the following breathing patterns so that you are prepared when labor begins.
Greeting breath
'Greet' each contraction with a long, slow and deliberate breath out. Use this breath early in labor, slowly breathing out as the contraction starts. As you breathe in, gently press your lower back against the floor or bed, doing the reverse as you breathe back out.
Resting breath
As the contraction comes to an end, you need to pause and relax before the next contraction starts. Try performing a 'resting breath' by breathing slowly and completely out through your mouth while the contraction diminishes. By doing so, you will feel more relaxed, and those in the delivery room with you will be alerted that a contraction is finished.
If your contractions are particularly strong, you might feel that you want to give several resting breaths to help you relax more. Perform as many as you feel comfortable doing, knowing that the more you breathe deeply the more oxygen your baby is receiving.
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Sometimes simply changing your position can provide tremendous relief from the pain you are experiencing during labor. By walking around, standing up or leaning on a wall you can relieve pain and have the added benefit of gravity to help you during your contractions and accelerate the process of labor. Do whatever feels comfortable and instinctive. If you don't feel like getting up, use cushions, a chair or your birthpartner for support.
Standing
Stand up and lean against a wall, or your birthpartner and rotate your hips. By doing so, the weight of your baby will be removed from the spine making each contraction more efficient and less painful. Have your birthpartner coach you through your breathing techniques. (Have your birthpartner hold you and massage your back. Rocking together can be beneficial.)
Sitting
Lean forward in a chair with your legs wide apart (try sitting facing the back of the chair or leaning on your birthpartner). Make sure your back is straight and let your shoulders drop.
Kneeling
Some women find that as the contractions become more intense it becomes comfortable to kneel on all fours, taking the pressure off of your spine. Be sure to keep your legs wide apart and rock your pelvis back and forth. Keep your back straight and sit back on your heels or forward on your folded arms between contractions.
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Lying down
You may find that you are more comfortable lying down during labor. Instead of lying on your back, try lying on your side with pillows or cushions under your head and upper thigh. Concentrate on your breathing while keeping your eyes closed and shoulders relaxed.
During transition
Sometimes your baby will move faster than the dilation of your cervix. You can use gravity to control the descent of the baby. If you need to slow the baby down, try kneeling with your head resting on some cushions or pillows on the floor and your pelvis in the air. By using this position you can alleviate backache until the first stage of labor is complete and you are ready to deliver the baby.
Massage can provide tremendous relief during labor, especially if you are one of about 90% of women who experience back labor. Letting your birthpartner massage you during labor can provide deep emotional bonding, and gives your partner the opportunity to provide reassurance and support. There are a number of different methods your birthpartner can employ. Some women find relief from pressure applied to special points on the body. Called acupressure or shiatsu, it is especially beneficial if you are experiencing back labor.
Shiatsu, or acupressure, is a style of massage that uses pressure points on one part of the body to relieve symptoms felt elsewhere on the body. It can be effective during childbirth to relieve the pain felt during labor.
There are three prime pressure points to try during labor: the feet, buttocks and wrists. Use the pads of the fingers to apply strong pressure for about 10 seconds at a time, pausing in between.
The pressure can provide relief from strong contractions and tingling sensation may be experienced where the pressure is applied.
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Feet
There are two pressure points on the feet. One is just below the center of the ball of the foot. The other one is between the fleshy pads separating the big toe and the next toe over.
Have your birthpartner hold one foot firmly and apply pressure with a finger or thumb. Light counter-pressure should be applied on the top of the foot at the same time.
Buttocks
Lie on your side or kneel forward so that your birthpartner can apply pressure to your buttocks. Although you may want to experiment with different locations, try having pressure applied to the top of the buttocks just below the bony pelvis. Another pressure point exists just below the curve of the buttocks.
Backache experienced during labor maybe relieved with deep pressure applied with the thumbs into the middle of each buttock. Have your birthpartner encourage you with your breathing technique while applying pressure.
Wrists
There is a pressure point on the inside of the wrists between the tendons. Have your birthpartner apply pressure firmly to your wrists for 10 seconds at a time pausing in between.
Shiatsu can be used in combination with more conventional massage techniques. Firm, regular movements of the flesh against the bone can provide relief. Some practitioners use wooden tools (although a rolling pin wrapped with a face towel or hot compress will work well) to apply pressure. Your birthpartner should use either baby powder or massage oil to reduce skin irritation, and apply moisturizing cream for extended massages.
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About ninety percent (9 in 10) women experience backache during labor. It is a result of the baby's head pressing down on the spine and sacrum, and usually caused by the position most doctors expect their patients to adopt during labor. Backache can sometimes be alleviated by trying different positions during labor. You can also have your birthpartner gently massage your back to relieve the pain. The birthpartner should coach the mother through her breathing exercises and encourage her to relax.
Rubbing the sacrum
Adopt a position either on your side or kneeling forward that allows your birthpartner to massage your lower back. Apply pressure with the heel of the hand firmly all around the lower back and sacrum.
Circular pressure
The birthpartner should rest their hands on your hips for support and press their thumbs firmly against the sacrum, moving in a circular motion to relieve pain in the lower back.
Deep pressure
Using techniques similar to that employed in shiatsu or acupressure, the birthpartner should rest their hands on the mother's hips and press their thumbs firmly into the middle of each buttock.
Reflexology works by stimulating the brain to release endorphins and other chemicals to reduce pain. It is closely related to shiatsu, both using carefully prescribed pressure points to reduce pain in other centers of the body. In reflexology the feet are massaged using gentle pressure.
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Some women find that they can alleviate the pain they experience during labor by using their imagination to visualize something much stronger. If you try to use visualization techniques during labor, imagine something that you find soothing at the start of each contraction. Maybe it's warm sunshine, or a pleasant river or brook. Each contraction opens the cervix slightly. You may find it helpful to imagine something such as the bud of a flower slowly opening. Ocean waves can also be soothing if you match the images of the waves with the movements of the contractions. Experiment with ideas that you find soothing and reduce the amount of pain you are experiencing.
Classical music has been shown to temporarily increase the IQ of students in studies. So it shouldn't be a surprise that it can also help alleviate the pain you are feeling during labor.
If you choose to listen to music during your labor, you and your birthpartner should choose different pieces of music to affect your moods. Light uplifting pieces of music can be especially helpful during the early stages of labor. More intense dramatic pieces of music are more suitable as your contractions intensify.
If listening to music is a bit much for you, try vocalizing your pain by sighing, grunting, groaning and moaning. It works for athletes and weightlifters at the gym and for fighter pilots as they strain against g-forces nine times their weight so you may want to give it a try. Just remember that there is no reason to be inhibited. The medical staff around you are professionals and have heard it all before, so just be natural and express the way you are feeling.
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If you are about to enter labor and you have never been hypnotized before, don't do it! For it to work, you have to respond well to hypnosis. Those that do are able to experience forceps deliveries and even cesarean sections without feeling pain. If you want to try it, have a few practice sessions with your hypnotist first so you both know what to expect.
If you have used acupuncture successfully before, you may want to consider it for labor. You will already know that acupuncture can relieve pain. but may not be able to eliminate it entirely. Just make sure your practitioner is familiar with labor and delivery.
Homeopathy is a type of medicine that aims to treat the whole person, physically, mentally and emotionally. Some practitioners are medically trained and all take at least an hour to build a case history with the initial treatment. While some detractors suggest that the listening acts as a placebo, others feel that the treatment of like with like in minute quantities proves effective.
Treatment consists of a combination of over 2,500 remedies including plants, metals (gold and silver), animal products (cow's milk and snake venom), allergens (pollen and dust) and some drugs such as aspirin. Practitioners feel that the smaller the dose the more effective the remedy.
Homeopathy uses small doses of any of over 2,500 remedies either together or in combination. There are a number of recommended homeopathic remedies for labor and delivery. These would usually combined into a 'labor pack' consisting of 7 gram bottles of the following.
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Amica Leopard's Bane (30c)
Helps reduce bleeding and bruising
Hypericum St. John's Wort
Helps promote healing of the skin after injury. It may be combined with Amica Leopard's bane, with the treatment commencing when labor begins and lasting for five days.
Staphisagria stavesacre (10ml)
Used to treat trauma to the urethra and postpartum blues.
Hypericum and Calendula Pot Marigold (10ml)
A combination of both of the above remedies are usually mixed in a single 10ml dose and is used to soothe and heal bruised skin. Ten drops are mixed with about 20ml of cool sterile water and rubbed gently over the affected area when it becomes sore.
Aromatherapy is a method of treatment in which pleasant smells are inhaled thus stimulating the limbic area of the brain, releasing neurochemicals into the bloodstream and promoting relaxation in the body.
Enthusiasts cite that such pleasant smells in the right combination can stimulate the body's production of endorphins (the body's own analgesic) and decrease the feeling of pain. Traditional medicine feels that there is not enough research conducted on aromatherapy and that the highly concentrated essences can cross the placenta and reach the baby. They feel that aromatherapy should be subject to the same extensive and expensive trials as regular drugs (many of which are also derived from plants).
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However you feel about aromatherapy there is no doubt that certain combinations of smells can cover up the odors found in the hospital environment and make it more pleasant for you and those in the delivery room with you
Essential oils derived from plants can help you relax. Notice how your facial muscles relax and your breathing slows when you inhale the scents. Instead of jerky breaths, you will become calm and with slow rhythmic breathing.
Try a variety of combinations that suit you during your pregnancy and create your own. But be careful if about trying some scents if you are taking homeopathic remedies (avoid peppermint for example) and talk to your homeopathic consultant or your doctor if you have questions.
Some scents can be overwhelming, so make sure you sniff the bottles and check the strengths of the different oils before mixing your own remedies.
Essential oils can be mixed with a dispersal oil and placed in your bathwater to create a relaxing atmosphere. You can burn your favorite scents using a vaporizer to scent the air or put a few drops on your pillow, handkerchief, or a hot damp facecloth.
Ask your partner to mix your favorite essences with a vegetable or nut oil (try soya, jojoba, apricot kernel, wheat germ, sunflower, almond, or avocado) so that they can be massaged into your skin.
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Combinations to try
Lavender is a gentle oil that can be put directly onto your skin. It can be used alone or in combination with other oils.
Try mixing it with one or two of the following scents: chamomile, cedarwood, frankincense, sweet geranium, jasmine, mandarin, myrrh, neroli, rosewood or rosemary.
Relaxing combinations
Lavender and orange
Lemongrass and orange
Geranium and orange
Ylang ylang, sandalwood and jasmine
Try mixing rose, neroli and sandalwood in jojoba oil to create a oil that you can rub into your forehead, face and neck.
Combinations to avoid
Avoid using peppermint if you are taking homeopathic medication. Consult your doctor about combining homeopathic and aromatherapy remedies.
Clary sage can stimulate uterine contractions and should be avoided during pregnancy. However, if you are dilating slowly in labor, you may ask your doctor if clary sage would be beneficial to you.
Bach flower remedies are a form of homeopathy that treats only the emotional state and not the physical state. There are 38 remedies designed to treat different states such as depression, shock, apprehension and irritability. Because emotions are complex they are often used in combinations.
They can be used in pregnancy and labor to treat fear, and apprehension. The general 'rescue remedy' designed to treat those 'distressed by startling experiences' is recommended for labor, although you should talk to a practitioner to find out more information.
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As its name suggests TENS uses electrodes attached to the skin surface usually at the base of the spine, although they are sometimes on the groin or abdomen. These electrodes pass a variable intensity wave to the nerve endings blocking the transmission of pain to the brain and increasing the production of endorphins.
Attached during the first stage of labor, the stimulation is controlled by the mother using a button or two dials. When a contraction is building, the stimulation is initiated creating a tingling sensation. TENS is becoming increasingly popular, especially in the United States, although its main disadvantage is that it can't be used in water.
Everyone knows how relaxing a warm bath can be to relieve muscle aches and pains. And you may find that it will help relieve the pain of your labor as well. Warm water reduces the pressure in the veins allowing the blood to return to the heart more efficiently. Because of this the pulse rate reduces helping you relax and feel more comfortable. The contractions can then be more effective and some women have found the cervix dilating so quickly that the baby is delivered while they are enjoying their bath! Don't worry if this happens. Your midwife will be prepared and lift the baby clear. And your baby will still drawing oxygen from the umbilical cord (it's spent the last nine months immersed in fluid anyway).
Water has the additional benefit of reducing the effect of gravity on the back and buttocks, further minimizing the pain felt during labor. Some people find the benefits of immersion so compelling that they choose to deliver the baby in water.
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