Is it possible to reduce pain during labor without using medication? This is a question for many mothers as they get closer to their due date. Let’s discuss some of the different natural options available to mitigate pain during labor*.
Water
A shower or a bath can help you relax and relieve pain. It is important that the water temperature is not higher than 98.6° F (37°C). You should not stay in the tub for more than two hours. You should take a break for at least a half hour, before returning to the bath.
Aromatherapy
Like water, certain oils help you relax. You can use an aroma lamp or add oil to an infuser. Regarding the choice of oils, it is important to consult a specialist beforehand.
The pain of contractions is felt differently in different positions. For some women, it is easier to stand leaning on a table or window sill, for others on all fours is better. Here, the expectant mother should listen to her body and choose the position that is most comfortable. Exercise balls provide a variety of options for laboring positions.
Sounds
As a rule, instead of crying or squealing, making low vibrating sound can help with pain. If a woman is relaxed, they may form spontaneously. The brain turns off, and the body chooses its own pose and sound.
Breathing
Different types of breathing can reduce pain during contractions and help save energy. There are different courses you can take to prepare and learn these breathing techniques.
Massaging the lower back, especially the sacrum, can help relieve pain. This can be done by yourself, or with the help of a partner.
What methods of pain relief require the assistance of a specialist?
Acupuncture or acupressure
By massaging, pressing or acupuncture on special areas of the body, pain can be managed. Only a specialist can select the best points on the body and calculate the force.
Rebozo
This is a large wide scarf, on which a woman lies down, and a doula or midwife moves it in a special way, relieving pain and helping the expectant mother to relax.
Hypnotherapy
The hypnotherapist helps you enter a deeper state of relaxation, turn off the cortex of the brain and live through the process contractions and urges to push . To do this, she uses certain images that help switch the sensations. Contractions can begin to be perceived not as violent, but as undulating motions such as swimming on ocean waves or swinging in a hammock, for example. Because the body can relax, pain is reduced.
Can natural methods completely relieve pain?
Of course, all these techniques are not analogous to epidural anesthesia; they do not remove sensitivity, but they help the body relax through the process of childbirth, which eases the pain. In general, this is an individual process and each woman’s experience will be unique.
Is it possible to combine medicinal and non-medicinal methods?
It doesn’t make a lot of sense to combine an epidural with one of the above methods, but if a woman starts with these natural methods, and doesn’t find adequate relief, an epidural can be started. The main reason to start an epidural would be if you’re experiencing severe contractions, during which the cervix does not open. This is exhausting and potentially dangerous for her and the baby.
* This article reflects the naturopathic point of view on the management of pregnancy and childbirth.
