Coping with Labor
During labor and delivery, there are many factors that will influence you ability to cope more effectively with the pain of labor, including the place in which you have chosen to give birth, your care-provider and you support system, your ability to relax and your emotional mind set. Here are some tips in more effectively managing your pain with regards to some of these factors:

Birth Place & Care Provider :

-Familiarize yourself with the place of birth. Know what's available to you.
-Discuss your goals with your care provider
-Create a birth plan and discuss it with your care provider
-Participate actively in decision making.
-Rely on companionship and support, let those around you know what you want and need.
-Try water therapy - shower, bath or Jacuzzi
-Privacy - within the limits of safety.
-Music - soft and relaxing music for first stage, energizing for second stage.
-Adjust lighting and temperature to your comfort.

Comfort Measures & Relaxation:

-Relax, particularly where you hold tension.
-Use breathing patterns to enhance relaxation.

-Touch - massage, heat, cold, pressure, tap a rhythm.
-Use a variety of positions that use gravity to help your baby descend.
-Sway, rock, dance to keep your pelvis mobile.
-Go to the bathroom often
-Eat and drink as you can to maintain strength and energy.
-Make releasing, relaxing noises.

Emotional Well-Being :

-Practice relaxation, focusing, and breathing together with your partner to build trust and confidence.
-Have confidence in your body's ability to cope with labor and the birth of your baby.
-Think about and visualize giving birth to your baby
-Figure out what your needs are and communicate them.
-Focus on something positive that you see, hear, feel, smell, taste or imagine.
-Pray or meditate.
-Expect the unexpected.

More Specific Methods of Pain Relief During Labor:

Hydrotherapy (And the Benefits of Water Birth)

Women have been instinctively birthing in water for thousands of years that alone says something about the benefits. By laboring in water, women are allowed some element of freedom from gravity's pull on the body and sensory stimulation, so her body is more relaxed and able to produce endorphins, the pain inhibitors associated with labor. It has also been shown that women who are hypertensive often experience a significant drop in blood pressure upon entering a warm water bath because the hormones (noradrenaline and catecholamines) that are released during stress, which tend to raise blood pressure, are not being produced to such a great extent.

The physical relaxation achieved by laboring in a warm water bath also promotes mental relaxation and relieves much of a woman's anxiety and fear. Pain perception is greatly influenced by anxiety level, and when a woman is more at ease she is better able to focus inwardly on the birthing process, making the desire for pain meds that can have a negative effect on both mom and baby less likely. The water also helps the perenium become more elastic, thus reducing the risk of tearing.

There are also significant benefits for the baby. The relaxed physical and emotional state of the mother carries over to the baby, making birth more positive for both. If a baby is born in water, s/he has the ability to unfold in a more natural way, with the comfort of familiarity (surrounded by water) after the stress of birth. This mitigates the shock and sensory overload of being born into a fairly cold, dry, and often busy environment.

For more information on WATER BIRTH and HYDROTHERAPY:

The Water Birth Website

Labor/Birth Balls
The Birth Ball is a wonderful comfort tool for pregnancy and labor. The ball is made of a unique material that resists tearing when punctured. This allows the ball to be repaired and offers a new level of safety when using the balls. If the ball got punctured, it would slowly deflate.

Therapeutic balls have been used for years by physical therapists in a variety of ways in treating orthopedic and neurological disorders, and also for exercise. The Birth Ball has many uses: in late pregnancy, when sitting can become so uncomfortable and getting up and down from a chair becomes increasingly hard, the ball makes an excellent alternative to a couch or chair. While in labor, the ball becomes an important labor tool. Sitting on the ball encourages a natural swaying or rotating motion of the pelvis, which encourages fetal descent. The ball provides perineal support without a lot of pressure and helps keep the baby aligned in the pelvis. Sitting on the ball puts mom in a squatting like position, which opens the pelvis approximately 25% more, helping to speed up labor. Also, this sitting position allows complete access to the laboring mother's back for massage or counter pressure. The birth ball can be used in a variety of positions: sitting, as mentioned above; or leaning on a ball that is placed on a bed or table, which allows the laboring mother to stand and lean into the softness of the ball and encourages pelvic swaying and mobility. Kneeling position is wonderful for a mom who is having back labor. In most cases, the cause of back labor is a posterior baby, which can make for a long and painful labor. Having a mother on her knees and leaning over the ball gives her excellent pelvic motion which can aid a posterior baby in turning to the correct position, allowing labor to progress more quickly. In this position, the mother's weight is supported entirely by the ball and this allows her labor coach excellent access to the mother's back for massage and counter pressure. The Birth Ball is being used in many birthing centers, hospital and home births because of it's proven usefulness to laboring woman. In my opinion, the Birth Ball is a "must have" for the pregnant woman- not only is it useful in pregnancy and labor, but it can be used as a rocking chair when baby comes, bouncing or rocking on it can aid you in quieting a fussy baby. I have seen photos of colic babies held over the ball, which appears to comfort them. You might find the ball so comfortable that it will become your spare chair in the house. As a Doula, I consider the Birth Ball one of the most essential items in my "Doula Birth Bag".


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