Alternative Methods of Pain Relief for Birth
Birth is a normal, healthy part of a woman's life. Many alternative methods of pain relief are available that are safe and inexpensive. Whether a woman is actively seeking a natural, drug-free childbirth experience, or simply wishes to minimize the amount of medical interventions and their possible negative impact on her labor, she may want to try these methods during some or all of her labor. The following is a survey of the most common and effective strategies and techniques currently available to birthing women in Houston.
The amount of pain a woman experiences during her labor is influenced by many individual, physical, emotional, and environmental factors. Some of these factors can be anticipated and actively controlled by the woman and/or her support team with preparation and information. Relaxation skills and accurate knowledge about the birth process give a woman confidence in her ability to work with her body. These skills, ideally, should be learned before labor begins by attending childbirth education classes.
Breathing and Relaxation — These are perhaps the most familiar forms of alternative pain coping methods. Commonly referred to as "Lamaze Breathing", which uses learned breathing patterns to aid the woman's relaxation efforts, as she consciously releases any tension in her body, allowing her uterus to do its work without any added effort or waste of energy. The ability to quickly relax under stressful conditions such as labor is an acquired skill that improves with practice.
Hydrotherapy — Showers or baths in labor use water to provide comfort to a laboring woman. Numerous studies have shown that hydrotherapy, when used correctly during labor, is safe, reduces pain, enhances progress, and reduces the likelihood of tearing. A shower is beneficial almost anytime during labor. A bath (immersion in a deep birth pool or tub of clean, warm water) may speed labor along if it is used in active labor (greater than 5 cms). Women should limit their time in the tub to about 1/2-2 hours for maximum benefit and keep the water temperature under 100 degrees. Studies show that a tub bath is safe even with ruptured membranes since water does not travel up the vagina.
Sterile Water Block is a new technique for non-narcotic pain relief originally developed to relieve the pain from kidney stones. With slight modifications for labor, it uses four tiny (0.1ml) injections of sterile water under the skin around the sacrum or lower back. These sting initially then cause numbness in the area which lasts up to 2 hrs. and can be repeated as often as needed. This technique is easy and safe and is very helpful for back labor.
TENS — Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation uses electrical current to numb areas of the body. These soothing pulses, which travel across the surface of the skin and along nerve fibers, prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. They also stimulate your body to produce higher levels of endorphins.
Acupuncture — Ancient practice that involves the placement of needles in certain points in the body which, when stimulated, result in dramatic pain relief. Pregnant women usually receive several treatments in the last few months of pregnancy, which result in a smother, less painful birth.
Acupressure, Massage and Counterpressure — These are specific touch techniques that help relieve pressure or pain and enhance relaxation and endorphin release. Stimulating certain acupressure points in the body of a laboring woman may help speed labor progress. Try hand and/or foot massage, effleurage (light, circular stroking of the abdomen), the double-hip squeeze, or the knee press. Childbirth educators, midwives, nurses, and doulas may be familiar with these specialized techniques.
Hot and/or Cold Compresses — Applied to the lower back, these help relieve back labor. A 'hot rice sock' (a tube sock filled with uncooked rice and heated in a microwave for 2 minutes) placed under your belly, on your back, or over your shoulder feels wonderful! It can be reheated as often as necessary.
The Birth Ball — A physical therapy ball that laboring women use in a variety of positions. Sitting on the ball and rocking back and forth is comfortable and helps labor progress using gravity, while increasing endorphin release because the elasticity and the curvature of the ball stimulate receptor sites on the pelvic floor which are primarily responsible for endorphin release. The ball should be soft and under-inflated, and large enough in diameter so that the woman's knees are flexed at a 90-degree angle. Hold on to a chair or bed as you sit down on the ball safety.
Aromatherapy — The use of aromatic substances which stimulate chemoreceptor sites in the nasopharanyx that trigger other chemical responses in the body.
Music — Auditory, acoustic, and vibratory stimulation actually decrease our perception of pain and enhance relaxation. Different types of music are useful at different stages of labor. Couples should bring their own musical selections with them to hospital or birth center. Music masks the distracting sounds often experienced in the hospital environment while helping to create a more personal, spiritual atmosphere in which to labor.
Movement, Positioning, and Position Changes — Your baby's position contributes directly to the pain of labor as well as the length of labor. Labor progress in enhanced when woman is allowed to follow her body's messages and move and change positions frequently. Walking, swaying, slow dancing, stair climbing, squatting, lunging, hands-and-knees positioning with pelvic rocking, rocking on a birth ball or on a rocking chair are all examples of helpful movement and position changes for labor.
Companionship and Support — Labor support provided by a professional Doula, or birth companion, has been shown to improve birth outcomes, reduce the numbers of Cesarean sections, epidurals and other medical interventions, while promoting bonding and successful breastfeeding. Doulas are usually hired by a couple before labor and provide continuous, personal emotional and physical support to both of them throughout the entire process.
