What are the best labor pain management options?
Labor pain is the biggest concern expecting mothers have. Is labor equally painful for everyone? What are the natural and chemical labor pain management options available? Read the article to find out.
Labor pain management options
The way labor is usually portrayed in Arabic drama increases the expecting mother's fear of childbirth. Labor is usually represented as a negative, scary, and painful experience. A pregnant woman shouldn’t be affected by such portrayals, and not believe that her experience is bound to be as painful. How painful labor will be, and how much pain a woman can take, varies from one woman to another. Exactly how period pain is different among women, it’s the same case with the pain of childbirth. During my experience as a Doula, I have witnessed many deliveries. In some cases, labor and birth last for a very short period, with mild pain, while in other cases the woman didn’t feel any pain despite the intensity of the contraction appearing on the monitor.
[birth_labor_banner_en]
Steps to Choose the best pain management option
- Choosing the right hospital
Choosing the right hospital will support the expecting mother in setting the best birth plan for her. In addition to choosing the best pain management options for her. Therefore, it is best to choose a mother-friendly hospital, that supports a mother’s choices and her birth plan.
- Choosing the right medical team
The doctor and the midwife play an essential role in the birthing experience. So choosing a team that understands and supports a woman’s choices when it comes to labor and its pain management options is paramount in having a positive birth experience.
- Delivery Preparation
Pregnancy and labor education classes are an important pillar in supporting mothers. The information and advice offered in these classes offer the mom the confidence that prepares her for labor and delivery. This confidence comes from knowledge about everything related to pregnancy and birth, the expected pain, and how to overcome it.
How is labor pain managed?
- Pain-reducing positions
These are the same positions that a pregnant woman trains for during pregnancy in prenatal yoga and other exercises. The best of these positions are:
- Lay down and relax while practicing deep breathing.
- Squatting during the early labor stages, either on a birthing ball or without.
- Leaning on the ball or the bed while rocking the hips gently while practicing deep breathing.
- Sitting on all fours to reduce pressure on the uterus.
- Massage
Massaging the lower back is an efficient way to reduce the pain of childbirth. This can be done by the husband, the doula, or any other family member present during delivery, who knows how to do this kind of massage.
- Using essential oils
Relaxing essential oils such as lavender can be used either in massaging the lower back or inhaled through an electric diffuser. Relaxation will release endorphins that are efficient in controlling anxiety and fear, and in reducing pain.
- Showering
Showering in warm water in the early stages of labor helps with relaxation and pain management.
Medicinal pain management options
If all the mentioned natural methods didn’t work and the woman is not capable of taking the labor pain, she can adhere to medicinal pain management options, such as the epidural, laughing gas, and other painkillers used in childbirth, according to the medical guidance of the doctor. The number of pain experienced in labor, and the ability to tolerate it are different from one woman to another.
