Is Labour Painful?
Are you expecting and wondering what childbirth is going to be like? How painful is labour? How will I manage the pain? - Take a breath, let's have a look.
First things first - is labour painful? The short answer: yes, it can be, but it's also incredibly unique to each person. Anyone telling you childbirth can be completely painfree is telling porkies, I'm afraid. The good news though, you can do so much to prepare for and manage your childbirth so that 'pain' isn't the main focus. Let's break it down.
The Nature of Labour Pain
I've seen a lot on social media recently where labour is compared to 20 fractures, this is not helpful. When you break a bone something is wrong, that bone isn't meant to be broken, there's a good chance the event leading to the break was unpleasant too, like a fall or impact, so added to the physical pain is the fear and shock of what has just happenend. This kind of stress in the body increases a persons perception of pain. Labour pain is not the same pain as a broken bone, nothing is wrong, you are not in danger. Hypnobirthing classes teach you techniques to relax your mind and body by telling it you are safe. This will help manage your manage your pain and actually blocks pain signals being sent to the brain (see the study here).
Labour pain is often compared to something as monumental as a marathon. And yes, like a marathon, it can be grueling, challenging, and downright exhausting. However, much like a marathon, it's also a journey filled with incredible moments of strength, resilience, and even joy. Would you turn up to run a marathon without training? I'm guessing not, so why would you turn up to your give birth without any training?
Fear and Pain, How Are They Related?
In the late 1800s, early 1900s two Drs, Dr Jonathon Dye and Dr Dick-Read, investigated why it seemed that poor, uneducated women would birth their babies without fear and the need for intervention, while richer, better educated women typically had to be anesthetized. They concluded that because the poorer women did not have the same levels of fear around labour and birth, they had better experiences and healthier outcomes. They explained that the more fear a mother had about the labour, the higher the likelihood of complications and a painful experience. They called this phenomenon the Fear-Tension-Pain Cycle, understanding that the fear of childbirth led to tension and stress in the body which led to increased perceptions of and actual pain during labour and childbirth as their muscles would be tight, inadequately oxygenated and tired.
Where does fear of childbirth come from? Well, nowadays it comes from the way birth is portrayed in the media, on TV and in films - enter images of women on their backs, screaming, birth partner panicing/fainting and not supporting, medical staff taking charge and shouting out their instructions. Is this scary? You're damn right it is! But, this is not how birth is meant to be and it is not how it has to be. Learn your options, educate your birth partner to be your supportive advocate and take control of your birth. Childbirth education classes, like hypnobirthing, equips you with the information you need to boss your birth.
Pain Management Options
There are SO many different ways to manage pain:
- Medical pain relief options*: epidural, pethidine, gas and air, remifentanil
- Non-medical: massage, water, tens machine, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, a supportive birth partner, feeling in control, not feeling scared, movement, being free to change position, being upright (gravity helps you and baby), optimal environment conditions (dark, warm and quiet)
*Please be aware all medical pain relief options have pros and cons and I urge you to investigate them thoroughly before making a decision. (Hypnobirthing classes will cover this!)
Finally,
Labour pain isn't indefinite. In fact, it's often followed by one of life's greatest joys - meeting your newborn! If you are concerned or worried about labour, I urge you to invest in a good antenatal course, such as hypnobirthing, where your options are covered, the science of labour and birth and techniques on how to manage your labour and birth is taught. Future you and your baby will thank you for it.
Are you pregnant or had a baby and looking for yoga or hypnobirthing classes?
Check out my timetable of pregnancy and postnatal yoga classes in Sutton Coldfield and join us!
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