Top 3 ways to decrease pain in childbirth
Is it even possible?
This is probably the most common question newly pregnant people ask. They're either fearful because of stories others have shared with them or they are looking to avoid something they experienced with a previous birth. And it is absolutely possible to decrease pain in childbirth even if you don't plan to use pharmaceutical pain medication or hope to avoid it. These top 3 ways of decreasing your pain in childbirth are useful and highly encouraged for epidural births, too.
Tip #1 - Protect your space
Hospitals can be loud, bright places. But what if your labor & delivery room was quiet and peaceful? It can be! With a little help from your nurses, partner and doula, you can create a pleasant birthing atmosphere. This can often help you progress more rapidly, decreasing your labor time, and can also help your body produce more endorphins or happy hormones which are nature's way of decreasing pain. How? In quiet, dark spaces, our body produces seratonin. Seratonin acts as a natural booster for the birthing hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is what stimulates strong, productive contractions. Endorphins are produced when we feel calm, safe, and loved, and sometimes when receiving physical touch or support from a caring partner. A quiet, undisturbed atmosphere is more conducive to this type of partner support. To protect your space, you might try:
- Asking the nurse if it's OK to keep the overhead lights low or off. Turning the bathroom light on and cracking the door usually allows the right amount of light in the room. You might also ask if it's OK to turn the computer monitor off or throw a towel over it.
- Intermittent (20 minutes on / 40 minutes off) fetal monitoring is safe for low-risk situations. Putting this in your Birth Preferences is helpful because it should cut down on the wires and beeping. You can also ask your nurse to silence the beeps and turn the heart rate volume on low.
- Put a sign on your hospital door reminding staff and providers to enter softly with quiet voices.
Tip #2 - Use hypnosis for birth
Here at HelloBirth, this is the most important tip because it's the fastest, easiest way to learn actual skills (not just patterned breathing or meditation) that really work when you're in labor. In HelloBirth classes you'll learn birthing skills that are extremely effective in giving you more mind-body control over the sensations you are experiencing. Birth is powerful, but it doesn't have to overtake your ability to experience it with joy. Our classes give you many empowering tools that will help to support a positive birth and decrease your discomfort. Hint: You can't actually change birth but you can change the way you experience it. Our tools help you learn to increase your comfort level with a multi-layered approach that is fun and easy to learn.
Tip #3 - Reframe the mindset
In our culture, birth is supposed to be awful. Why? It's almost as if it's required by the patriarchy! It seems that no matter where we turn, we are told we have to get through the pain to get the baby. But that's not always true. While intensity and discomfort are often one aspect of giving birth, we don't have to allow that to be the predominant narrative of our birth stories. We can look to HelloBirth classes as a source of positive empowerment. We can learn to embrace more positive associations with common childbirth language. And we can remind ourselves daily that our bodies are designed to do this. There may be challenges or difficult moments along the way, but you can emerge on the other side of birth feeling whole, greeting your baby with confidence and shouting from the rooftops, "I did it!"