Reducing Labor Pain

Because pain perception is so malleable, you can reduce the pain you feel during labor in a variety of ways. You may be able to alter the physical sensation itself, say, by changing your own position. Perhaps you’ll choose to intercept the pain message, closing the gate or jamming the transmission of pain by sending competing soothing messages–counterpressure, massage, or TENS are but a few of the means to do this.

You’ll probably also use many psychological methods of restructuring the pain messages, like tuning into your body and employing positive imagery to reinterpret painful sensations as "opening" or "the baby descending." You can soothe yourself with attention-focusing devices such as relaxation, slowed breathing, and music; and you can supply yourself with calming sights to look at, and special companions to comfort you. Perhaps you’ll choose to concentrate on so-called left-brain (rational) activities–counting to yourself, pacing or patterning your breathing, focusing on a particular picture, or listening to your partner count time on a watch. Practicing lots of strategies and being flexible about changing strategies midstream can help you get through the painful contractions and prevent you from tensing up in anticipation of future pain.

All these techniques represent merely the tip of the iceberg of methods you can use to lessen the pain of birth. Many ways exist to respond to the challenge of bringing a new life into the world, and we’ll explore a good number of them in detail. With education, practice, and commitment, you’ll be well equipped to help yourself alleviate pain and get the most out of your birth experience.

How do you picture yourself during labor?

Perhaps you’ve imagined yourself getting into bed, pulling up the covers, and simply lying there awaiting your baby’s birth. Your husband mops your face with a wet washcloth while doctors and nurses flutter around your bedside. This image bears little resemblance to reality. If you really want to have your baby more quickly and with less pain, plan to get up and keep moving around as long as you can through labor. Since having a baby requires active participation on your part, you may want to prepare yourself to help the process by engaging in an exercise program during pregnancy. In your childbirth preparation class you’ll probably learn several stretches to promote good posture and the proper functioning of the muscles that support your uterus.

You may also want to get involved in some regular aerobic exercise that pushes your heart and lungs to perform at their peak level. Aerobic exercise during pregnancy provides many benefits. It can build stamina, make you more comfortable, alleviate aches and pains, and relieve stress.

Aerobic exercise may even make your labor shorter and less painful. An American study published recently in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported that women who continued running or aerobic dancing during pregnancy enjoyed labors about 30 percent shorter than women who stopped exercising. Women who maintained a regular exercise program also required less labor stimulation and fewer epidurals, episiotomies, and cesarean deliveries. An Italian study in the same journal examined women having their second or third babies who pedaled on stationary bicycles three times a week for 30 minutes beginning around the fifth month of pregnancy. The bicyclists maintained higher endorphin levels during labor. Accordingly, they reported less pain than a matching group of sedentary women.

Even if regular exercise can’t guarantee you a shorter or easier labor, it undoubtedly can help you to cope better with whatever labor has in store for you. Going into labor physically fit also means you will recover more quickly afterward.

The aerobic exercises of swimming, walking, and bicycling are readily available to most pregnant women. Or, you may choose to take an exercise class or purchase an exercise videotape (see Resources). Some women even continue jogging through their entire pregnancies. Be sure to get your doctor’s approval before embarking on an exercise program, especially if you have medical problems such as high blood pressure. You should also be aware of the following precautions. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has established these guidelines to help prevent your core body temperature from rising too high and possibly harming your baby:

•  Keep your heart rate under 140 beats per minute during exercise.

•  Check your temperature by armpit or rectum at the end of your usual exercise to make sure it is less than 101 degrees.

•  Limit very strenuous exercise to 15 minutes at a time.

•  Replenish fluids after exercising.

•  Avoid exercising outdoors in very hot weather or if you have a fever.