The Power of Birth

Ok let’s cut to the chase it is the main worry for many women when it comes to their birth

“How will I manage labour pain?

For this reason I am going to release a series of blogs on the subject of alternative ways to counter the pain of labour.

The alternative approach to pain management includes a wide variety of techniques that address not only the physical sensations of pain, but also attempt to prevent you suffering by enhancing the emotional and spiritual aspects of your care. In this approach, pain is seen as normal but is separated from suffering and made acceptable. The woman is educated and assisted by her caregivers, childbirth educators, and support people to take an active role in decision-making and in using self- comforting techniques to relieve pain. Her caregivers and support people also help her by providing reassurance, guidance, encouragement, and unconditional acceptance of her coping style. By taking an active role in decision-making and receiving appropriate support, you will be more likely to be able to transcend your pain and experience a sense of mastery, control, and well-being, factors associated with their ability to cope with labour (Lowe 2002)

There have been studies on women’s expectations and experiences of pain and pain relief during labour and their involvement in the decision-making process. The study found a gap between what women expected labour to be like and their actual experiences (Lally et al 2008). They were inadequately prepared for the reality of labour pain and were unable to make informed choices about pain relief.

In order to close this gap, I think women need to be given information during their pregnancy about the risks and benefits of both the natural methods of pain management, and the use of drugs and epidural anaesthesia. Women need to have sufficient time to opportunities to practice in non-pharmalogical pain relief methods.

I shall be exploring a variety of natural methods of management of pain during labour and the evidence of their efficacy. I shall be reviewing the use of water immersion, relaxation and breathing, massage, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS)

Most studies of non- pharmacological approaches to labour pain used either the woman’s rating of her pain or her use of subsequent drugs for pain relief as outcome measures.

However, these measures can be misleading. For example, if a woman rates her pain as severe, one should not assume that she cannot cope with it or that she is overwhelmed by it. Most women who use non- pharmacological methods of pain relief expressed satisfaction with these methods and desired to use them in subsequent pregnancies, despite experiencing pain during birth. This suggests that women see value in these methods that are not fully appreciated in studies that merely determine pain scores.

Also it is wrong to assume that if a woman has an epidural that the natural methods failed, no it is so often a reflection of the usual care practices of the people who are caring for her, or supporting her during labour. In some hospitals with higher rates of epidural analgesia, the staff may be less familiar with non-pharmacological methods of labor support And this may be one reason why they do not encourage them.

I shall begin my over view of natural pain relief methods by spot lighting water emersion in my next blog. Let me leave you with this thought, in the book “Birthing from within” by Pam England and Rob Horowitz., there is a chapter entitled

 “The Pain and Power of Birth” and the author’s state:

 “Here’s some good news for pain worriers. Women who worry “the right amount” do the best in labour. Why? Because worrying activates searching for resources, both inner and outer. Worrying also motivates you to practice pain-coping techniques whilst there is still time to master them.”

 So are you on board with the idea that pain is a normal part of birth? However with good support you can deal with it. At Private Midwives, all of our midwives are here to support you, and try to ensure that you have a positive birth experience.

Lowe NK. The nature of labor pain. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002; 186:S16.

 Lally JE, Murtagh MJ, Macphail S, Thomson R. More in hope than expectation: a systematic

Review of women’s expectations and experience of pain relief in labour. BMC Med 2008; 6:7.

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