Tips for Pain relief during Labour

Following are some of the Tips for Pain relief during Labour:

• Having your back rubbed during labour helps with the pain.


• When you are in labour, try and walk around or at least stay in an upright position for as long as possible. This speeds up the process.


• Squatting, hands and knees or standing during delivery increases the pelvis size by over 30% giving you a faster, easier and safer delivery.


• Eating and drinking fluids during labour is the best natural remedy for labour pain.


• You can help your baby move into the optimal position for birth in your third trimester by making sure that your knees are lower than your hips when driving, sitting or relaxing.

How Will I Know When Labor Has Begun?

The onset of labor is usually indicated by one of the following:

• A bloody show. This is the bloodstained mucus discharge that appears when the cervix (the opening of the uterus) begins to stretch. Until labor, this plug in the cervix seals off the uterus. The bloody show can precede the onset of labor by several weeks, so your practitioner will not have you come to the hospital unless other signs of labor are also present.


• The water bag breaks. When the membranes surrounding the baby have been pressed to the point where they can no longer withstand the pressure, the bag pops. It may occur suddenly with a gush of water, or more slowly. Your practitioner may want to be notified when this happens, even if you are not yet having contractions.


• Contractions begin. Contractions usually feel like a tight elastic belt over the lower portion of the abdomen and around into the back. They usually increase in intensity over 15-20 seconds, and then ease up. Once you begin to feel several contractions in a row, they should be timed. Once contractions get going well, they have a regular rhythm and last longer, while the interval between them is reduced. Many women experience what are referred to as Braxton-Hicks, or rehearsal contractions, before the true onset of true labor. Your practitioner will give you precise instructions about when to call if you begin having contractions.

Once labor is underway, it is divided into three stages:

• Stage 1. This begins with dilation of the cervix and ends when the cervix is fully dilated at 10 centimeters. It is the longest stage of labor, beginning with mild contractions and ending with progressively stronger contractions. Typically stage 1 is longer in first pregnancies and shorter in subsequent ones.


• Stage 2. This begins once the cervix has fully dilated. It is the stage where expulsion or birth of the baby occurs. It is usually shorter than stage 1, and is accomplished by the women’s bearing down with each contraction in an effort to push out the baby. Stage 2 ends with delivery of the baby.


• Stage 3. This is the final stage of labor and it involves the expulsion of the placenta or afterbirth. It is the shortest stage, usually lasting about 15 minutes. There is little pain associated with this stage. Vaginal bleeding is normal during this stage, with most women averaging about ½ pint of blood loss.

Water Breaking - Rupture of the Membranes

Many women think that their labor will begin with their water breaking and then the contractions. Contrary to popular belief, this is not always the case. Only 15% of pregnant women have the experience of their water breaking unexpectantly. Most women begin with contractions and then their water breaks (fast gush or slow trickle) or the doctor may break it for them.

Even if you are not having contractions and your water breaks (gush or trickle), call your doctor. 

How Do Doctors break your water?

The doctors use an instrument that looks sort of like a long crochet needle (with a hook). They insert the needle (not like a metal needle that you get a shot with) very skillfully and break the amniotic bag with the needle. Most of the time the water will gush out and feel very warm. It does not feel like you have urinated. It feels more like someone taking a bucket of very warm water and pouring it in that general area. You may feel like your abdomen is heavier due to the fetus not being supported anymore by the amniotic fluid.

What if my water breaks and I do not have contractions?

If your water breaks and you are not experiencing any contractions, call your doctor. After the membranes have ruptured, contractions are generally felt within 12 and 24 hours later. If you have not experienced signs of labor, other than your water breaking, between 6 and 24 hours, the doctor will induce labor.

Meconium in the amniotic fluid

Sometimes when the water breaks or the doctor ruptures the membranes, it is stained a brownish or yellowish color. This is meconium in the amniotic fluid. In other words, the fetus has had a bowel movement. This most often occurs if the woman is past due or because of fetal distress.

Signs of Labor

The first time a woman is pregnant is often marked by questions and concerns of "how will I know when I am in labor". Women who have given birth before have a better idea of what to expect. You have probably heard of friends or family members who have went to the hospital only to be sent home again. This can make a woman who is waiting for childbirth, very agitated especially if they are past due.

What is False Labor?

False labor is when you have contractions that are real, but they do not have a consistent pattern or dilate and efface the cervix.

The characteristics of false labor contractions are:

1. Contractions begin in the front, but they do not move to the back. Or contractions begin in the back, but they do not move to the front.
2. No predictable pattern.
3. Contractions may get longer or stronger or closer together, but one of these are missing.
4. Contractions may stop if you change what your doing or if you drink water. 

The characteristics of contractions that are TRUE LABOR:

1. Contractions are symmetrical
2. Contractions begin at the cervix, move up and around to the back or from the back to the front.
3. They are regular and in a predictable pattern.
4. They get longer and stronger and closer together (all three)
5. They do not stop if you change whatever you are doing (walking may make them stronger).

A Good sign that you definitely are in labor is:

When contractions last 45 seconds to 1 minute long and come every fifteen to five minutes or less for at least an hour. Call your doctor.

Note: Remember to always call your doctor if your water breaks, even if you are not having contractions.

Ease your pain

The number one way to ease the pain of your childbirth experience is to learn all that you can about labor before it begins. Fear is the number one enemy you have during childbirth. If you can find out all that you can and understand what your body is doing during childbirth, you can minimize your pain.

Think about when you were a child (or adult) and you were going to the doctor to get a shot. When you were scared, did it not make the pain much worse? Why do you think that the pain was worse? The attention was focused on the shot hurting and the body was telling itself it WAS going to hurt. Guess what! It did hurt. This is the same with childbirth. Of course, childbirth is going to involve pain, but does the pain have to be focused on and increased? No, it can be minimized and lessened by the knowledge that you gain.  

What should you know about childbirth?

• Stages of labor
• Breathing (Lamaze techniques) & Relaxation
• Other people's descriptions of birthing experiences

 What should you avoid hearing about childbirth?

• Negative people's accounts of their childbirth (hold off on war stories)
• Old wives tales about childbirth