Coping with Labor Pain | 5 Pain Coping Techniques for Birth
Today I will be diving deep into coping techniques and pain management for labor, without an epidural! You’re gonna want to stick around for this one.
Things you’ll learn in this video
What labor feels like
The gate theory of pain and how to use it to your advantage
Breathing and relaxation techniques
… and a whole lot more!
Watch the video on YouTube, here!
We all know how uncomfortable and nerve wracking labor and birth in general can be. If you're a first time mom, it’s usually the pain that seems the scariest, or maybe you've given birth before and you're wanting this birth to be different and more manageable.
So if you're wanting an unmedicated birth, to stay at home as long as possible, or maybe you're even planning on getting the epidural, it's still super important that we learn how to manage and cope with the pain and discomfort that labor can bring. I say this even if you're planning on getting an epidural, because there's always a chance that either the anesthesiologist takes a while to get to you while you're in the hospital, or there's a chance that the epidural doesn't work. So we just want to make sure that we are prepared!
Before we dive into my tips for managing pain, it’s essential that we understand the process of pain and how the brain perceives it. So where does pain come from? Pain is constructed entirely in the brain, so it's in your head. In terms of birth, that means that there technically isn't any pain coming directly from the cervix, the uterus, or from the vagina. Instead, the nerves are actually sending signals to your brain to create the feeling of pain and the brain is then creating what the body feels. Because of this, we can actually change the way we are perceiving pain, which is the ultimate key to managing pain.
So you might be wondering, what does labor feel like? How much is it going to hurt? Where does it hurt when you're giving birth?
I know I definitely was when I was pregnant! I want to try to answer those questions for you so that way you can be less scared and know a little bit more of what labor can feel like! Obviously, everyone's a little bit different in how well they perceive pain and how fast their labor will progress. In early labor, it will usually start as light cramps. Sometimes it can be more in your back, and it can wrap around to your lower stomach, or just feel more like stomach cramps in general, but I would say it's closer to menstrual cramps then when you're not feeling good stomach cramps. As labor continues, these just get to be a lot stronger cramps, and as the baby descends and gets lower into the birth canal, you’ll feel more pressure. This pressure is not as painful as the contraction pain and some women even describe this pressure as feeling like a bowling ball that you feel in your butt or in your vagina. As you start to push the baby out, this will feel more like a burning or stretching sensation! And then afterwards, you get to snuggle that sweet and precious baby of yours as you try to process what you just went through, lol! This would be the best way that I can describe what labor feels like for you in terms of relating to sensations you have probably felt before, so hopefully you can be more prepared aout what to expect.
So now that you know a little bit more about pain, where it comes from, how the brain perceives pain, and what to expect in terms of labor, I'm going to go ahead and share with you my top five tips for managing pain!
Tip #1: Set the environment and to boost oxytocin
Pain and emotions actually tend to overlap in the brain, meaning the brain creates a shared network with emotions and processes a lot of information in a short amount of time. So negative emotions can make pain worse, or actually just cause pain in the first place, and positive emotions can change the way that pain is perceived in the brain. So we really want to focus on those positive emotions, which is what boosting your oxytocin is going to do.
Oxytocin is the love and bonding hormone, but it's also the hormone that is produced during labor, and again, it will change the way that the brain perceives pain and helps labor progress! So the more that your cervix is dilating, the more oxytocin is being sent to the brain, and the more that those pain receptors can start to be kind of turned off, or again, just perceived differently. So before we talk about ways that we can set the environment, we want to understand a little bit more about how these positive emotions can start to change the way that we perceive pain. So we need to know that pain doesn't necessarily equal harm, or that something is going wrong, or that something bad is happening when we're speaking in terms of labor and birth. So if we can embrace the pain and learn not to get too worked up when we're uncomfortable, we're going to have an easier time embracing the pain. We're not focusing on just eliminating pain because we know that it's there, but we just want to focus on managing the pain and making it more comfortable, instead of freaking out and running from it.
So in terms of oxytocin, we want to keep the oxytocin high and we want to keep the adrenaline low. In order to do this, we need to keep a calm, loving and safe environment and make sure that you feel supported and loved by your birth partner or by your birth team in general. In terms of your birth partner, they can help by offering snuggles, touch, massage, counter pressure, words of affirmation, just anything that helps you feel loved and supported. If the environment is too much, you can also go into the bathroom and turn off the lights, so you can have a safe space where you can just tune into your feelings and focus on laboring. Having a dim room or the lights off in general, as well as keeping a quiet environment, can also be helpful for boosting oxytocin!
I also want to remind you that you are in control. You are the center and authority of your birth! You get to make decisions based on what feels best for you and your providers should listen to you based on what you want to do.
Tip #2: Utilize breathing and relaxation techniques in labor so you can reduce tension!
I know it sounds crazy to breathe and relax in labor, but it is possible and I'm going to give you some techniques in order to make sure you know how! When we breathe and relax in labor, what we're doing is reducing tension in the body, which is one of the most important things you can do! If you’re holding a lot of tension and not breathing correctly, you’re just going to be increasing the birth hormones we don’t want- hello adrenaline, fight or flight instincts, and hyperventilating, yikes! We want to have tools and techniques that you can really lean into during labor so we can avoid all of this. Two of these techniques are a full body scan/ meditation and a de-stressor breath.
The body scan and this breathing technique are practices that you should be working on and practicing throughout pregnancy so that you can have an easier time utilizing them during labor! This way you can connect to your baby and your body better and not expect to all of a sudden know how to calm down and do a breathing technique or body scan in the middle of labor, especially as your emotions and feelings are heightened, it's going to be a lot harder to be able to do this.
Regarding body scans, there are apps that do meditations, or YouTube can do it as well if you’d like to. But basically what you’re going to do is just close your eyes and you're going to scan from the top of your head all the way down to your toes, and while you’re doing this, you’re going to become aware of where the tension in your body is, and then work on releasing it. Focus on closing your eyes, relaxing your forehead, then your eyes, your jaw, shoulders, anywhere that isn’t fully relaxed. As you’re doing this just take some big breaths and relax into your body. So if we just close our eyes and we're breathing here, maybe we need to focus on relaxing your forehead first, relaxing your eyes, your jaw, your shoulders, your hands, etc. Where is the tension and where can you release that? So just feel in your body, kind of get in tune with it, and just see if we can really kind of focus on that, and again, being more at peace and just relieving tension. So during contractions, like I stated earlier, it's going to be hard not to really tense up, so if we are aware of the tension and tightness in our bodies, it's going to be easier to release this.
So my next technique here is called the de-stressor breath, or the core breath. I have heard it being called both, and it can be referred to as the core breath, because we want to focus on breathing more through the belly, not so much the chest. (If you need a visual of this, watch my youtube video here, from 12:20-15:49). So typically, when people take a deep breath, it's usually just focused on filling the lungs and chest with air, instead of intentionally breathing through the stomach, which we don’t want to do! Instead, we want to breathe through the belly, which will help us actually breathe the right way, and will help us be able to relax and connect to the body. So this breathing technique can be used to, again, release tension as that's our biggest focus here, as well as connect to your body, connect to your baby, and just to let go of fear and tension that you can have. So think of this breath to use to connect, breathe in peace, and let go. You can use this breath anytime during labor, especially if you’re needing to calm down. You will place a hand right on your belly (right on where baby is), and your other hand can go right underneath your breasts. Take a deep breath and feel your belly expand, not your chest rise. So as we do this, inhale for four counts and exhale for six counts. Relax your shoulders and again try to let go of any tension you feel. The goal here isn’t to try to eliminate pain or pretend that it doesn't exist, but we just want to make ourselves more comfortable.
If doing this breath seems hard, which it definitely can be, you don’t necessarily have to match this exact breath. As long as you are aware of your breathing and aren’t hyperventilating, that’s great! Being aware and in control of your breath can make a huge difference in helping you calm down, feel more safe and in control, and then reduce the pain that you’re feeling.
Tip #3: Utilize comfort measures (esp ones that support the gate theory of pain)
The gate theory of pain is basically tricking your brain by creating too many sensations in the body for your brain to focus on. The hope with this is that if you have a lot of different sensations going on, your brain's not going to be focusing only on the pain of contractions, but maybe focusing on these other sensations that you are feeling first or just while you're having contractions.
Hot and cold sensations can be great to use. You can have warm wash cloths, heating pads, or a hot water bottle and use them on the low back. You can use cold wash cloths on the forehead and/or the neck separately, or at the same time as your warming sensations. I highly recommend having a little crockpot that has warm wash cloths in it ready to go and having cold washcloths in the fridge ready to go as well.
You can also use a labor comb! I know lots of mamas that have used one and they have loved it. All you’re going to do with the labor comb is hold onto it with the comb facing the inside of your palm and squeeze during contractions. You can really use any comb, but they do sell wooden labor combs specifically. The labor comb is a fantastic way to get your mind to start to focus on something else besides the pain of contractions.
A tens unit is another great tool! A tens unit has little pads that you can stick onto your body (lower back is a great place) and it will just give small shocks to that area. This can help trick the body as well as offer different sensations to focus on. I know some moms who actually really enjoyed the tens unit, and it was something that helped make their contractions more manageable and relieved pain. Feel free to layer these comfort measures on top of each other, but most importantly, just listen to your body and what feels best for you!
Another great comfort measure to use is hydrotherapy, meaning a shower or bath. The showerhead is an awesome way to have different sensations going on, especially if we can target the shower onto the low back or even sometimes on the belly can feel nice. The bath is a place where a lot of women love to labor as this can help relax the body and really ease pain.
Counter pressure is another fantastic tool in helping relieve pain. Hip squeezes, skin traction, and even jiggles of the buttcheeks (I know sounds so funny lol) are great ways of helping the pelvis open up, relax your body, and help labor progress. Have your birth partner practice all of these types of counter pressure with you beforehand so they know exactly what to do when the time comes! Taking birth classes, hiring a doula, or watching videos on counter pressure are a great way to make sure they are doing them properly.
Tip #4: Use grounding techniques and birth mantras
As far as grounding techniques go, visualization can be a great one! During a contraction, you can have one thing you’re looking at and really paying attention to. I recommend something that isn’t moving so you can really keep your attention on it. You can also be focusing on your birth partner, so maybe it's looking them in the eyes and breathing with them.
Another grounding technique is to have your partner give you a firm squeeze on the forearm and reassure you that you are okay, safe, and they are there with you. Focusing on the feeling of them squeezing your arm can bring you back into reality a bit and help you calm down. Anything that will keep you from panicking or will bring you back if you start to get there, is great.
Other ways that can help you stay in a good mental state is having a birth mantra to latch onto during contractions. A birth mantra i've heard a lot of moms like is that they can do anything for 15 seconds. There is usually a peak point of contractions since it will build and then come back down (hence why I also like to refer to contractions as surges or waves) and that peak point is about 15 seconds. I’ve also heard of moms loving the fact that they are not alone in their laboring. There are hundreds of other women doing this right now with them. Repeating a mantra over and over again can be a great way to not get into that panic state and to believe in yourself. Hypnobirthing, listening to music, or reading birth affirmations can also work well too!
Tip #5: Move during labor
Stay moving during labor by responding and moving in the way that your body is craving, or intuitively wanting you to move. This will actually help labor progress and help baby descend and get into the right position. As baby's getting into the right position, baby is putting more pressure on the cervix, which is then causing the cervix to dilate more, which then again, is sending that oxytocin back to the brain. It just becomes this continuous pain oxytocin feedback loop that will help the brain receive pain differently. There's a lot of different labor positions which are good to know, but at the same time, it's not necessarily needed. Your body will know how to intuitively move, trust that and listen to it! Labor positions are good to know in case things are stalling or you're just wanting to help labor move along, but again, your body will also know how to move. Some examples of common movements during labor are swaying, squatting, getting onto hands and knees, and lunging movements.
To close..
Mama, you are in control of your labor and your birth. Keep these tools in your back pocket, of things to try, focus on your intuition and what your body is telling you to do, and practice that body scan and meditations before you're in labor. Know that your body is meant to birth and you are fully capable of doing this!
If you felt this information was helpful…
I am hosting an online live childbirth preparation workshop on Saturday, September 14th, where we will talk more about pain coping, practice together, as well as go over physiology of childbirth and common interventions. Here’s more information on my workshop!
PS!
If you’d rather watch my YouTube video where I explain each of these tips- here’s the link! Thank you for reading/watching!! :)
Xo,
Caitlyn