Let's talk pain management

[sharita]

I believe from past experience that those of us who educate ourselves and conquer most of our fears and become comfortable and trust our bodies with the birthing process need less pain management than those that are full of fear and don't know what to expect and don't fully trust the process.

I would like to find out about the various techniques mamas who have had natural childbirth (no epidural, IV meds, etc) have used whether it was at home or birthcenter, hospital, etc.  From hypnosis, guided imagery and visualisation, to bradley method, and beyond.

I never prepared mentally for the pain really before my last 5 births.  Somehow I just intuitively dealt the best way I could at the time but last time as I was doing my usual tensing my whole body up during each super contraction leaning over the side of the birth pool, midwife holding my hand, she suggested something that went against all of my instincts.  To just completely relax your entire body through each contraction.  Now, my body was telling me to tense up and wiggle around and grunt, but instead, with the next one, I just let go and relaxed every muscle in my body and gave a low deep moan instead.  Somehow, though it felt foreign at first, it did seem to help.  Instead of feeling like I was on a tiny canoe in the middle of the ocean during a hurricaine just clinging on for dear life, riding out each wave, I felt like it was something I was actually working "with" instead of against now.  Each time took effort as it is not the body's natural reaction to intense pain, but somehow it really did the trick. 

With each beginning of pain, I grabbed for midwife's hand, rested my head on the side of the pool (In kneeling position) and relaxed as though I was trying to fall asleep and would moan really deep and low one long time or two through each contraction.

I plan on trying to relax my body and just take one contraction at a time like last time again, but as we all know, what works once, doesn't always feel right the next time as each experience is different. 

I am really trying to find info on different pain management techniques (ones that dont require a partner as my DH isn't much of a hands on kinda guy)  I don't know if there are any books out there, I know there are self hypnosis for pain books but are there any strictly for pregnancy as that is a different issue than say chronic daily arthritis pain which is the type of pain these books were focused on instead of one time very intense few hours.  I can't afford hypnobabies and tried listening to "hypnobirthing" last time but it didn't do much for me. 

What are some techniques you guys have used for the intense pain of childbirth or have heard about?

[Jenni1894]

I had all 3 of mine at the hospital.  Pitocin induced w/all 3 also.   (1st w/an OBGYN and I didn't know better, ODD had heart problems and YDD had low fluid, which didn't turn out that way....grr)  I had no pain meds with any tho.  

I got thru it by breathing and listening to music.   My son ironically was born as "break on through" (by The Doors) was playing, my oldest dd to Black Dog by Zeppelin.   ;)  With my youngest, I think the music was off b/c I started having a nervous break down of sorts b/c I wanted my mom.   I lost my mom almost 3 yrs to cancer.   DH was the DJ and he was too busy calming me down.  But once I was I thought about the words she used to coach me thru my birth w/DS...just her pep talk and I swear I could hear her telling me...relax, your doing great, it's almost over.   lol

But generally, I just would breathe really deep and exhale deeply.   I'd focus on the result....one more cx and I'll be holding my baby!  Granted it was like 100000000 more..but I kept thinking soon...I'll be holding my baby.   And I would find an object and focus on that also...just stare at it.  

[dayiscoming2006]

First birth was pitocin augmented (was in labor for a couple days already and doc was getting impatient)  and epidural at the end. It was pretty awful as I didn't really get any pain relief for like almost 3 days of labor. I wish I would have educated myself about the alternatives. 

Second birth, all natural and in a tense situation. My hubby couldn't even be in the room with me because that's the way that country works. I just prayed. Trusted God. Tried to remain relaxed and stay in positions that would help with progressing the process. Just focused on breathing and the music on my mp3 player. At the end it got intense but that was transition and I wasn't familiar with it because I had an epidural during transition with my first. I kinda knew, but I still started freaking out because it hurt way worse than I ever thought it should. Thankfully as I yelled for pain meds; they told me it wasn't an option. I figured out that moving around and changing positions and doing my very best to relax were what got me through that. Also, when it came to pushing; hands and knees was so much better than when I laid on my back with my first. It was so much faster too. It only took 10-15 mins to push my second child out vs the 45 mins it took with my first. Also, I didn't have to put so much effort in pushing. My body pretty much did 98% of it. With my first I was pushing when the doc told me I was having a contraction because the epidural took effect a bit late in the game. I couldn't feel when it was time to push. Only felt some pressure. I did feel baby coming out but it just wasn't the same. 

I far prefer my unmedicated birth to the medicated one. I definitely feel it's better to go natural if at all possible. 

So in short for dealing with the pain, I plan on...

Relaxing

focus on breathing or other things to distract myself

changing positions and moving around when I feel like it

praying

reminding myself that it'll be over soon

[SilverSage]

I have a weird way of dealing with pain. I focus only on that and relaxing into it. I don't know if that makes any sense, but it works for me. I relax my body and practically wallow in it. I get very annoyed when people distract me from that. With dd's birth, the midwife and my husband kept trying all the normal things to help and it just made things worse. I finally snapped at them to just leave me alone while I did my thing.

[lovinmy3]

I've had 2 all natural vbacs in the hospital with midwives. I never really had any techniques or took any classes I just did what felt right to me. I spent most of the time laboring on a birthing ball. Anytime a contraction would come, I would relax my body, bow my head a little, close my eyes, take a deep breath in through my nose and slowly let it out my mouth. I wasn't a moaner or noise maker during labor...when it came to pushing now that was a different story lol ;)  During labor I didn't like anyone talking to me or touching me, I just wanted to be on my own. I think my breathing technique is more along the lines of hypnobirthing, but other than that I didn't really get into the music or relaxation techniques hypnobirthing offers.

I remember with my first vbac, at one point the nurse tried getting me to do the lamaze breathing (hehewhooo). That made the contractions feel horrible and I could not relax during the contractions. I just went back to my own way of breathing and was fine.

[tracymom1]

Originally Posted by sharita 

I believe from past experience that those of us who educate ourselves and conquer most of our fears and become comfortable and trust our bodies with the birthing process need less pain management than those that are full of fear and don't know what to expect and don't fully trust the process.

I would like to find out about the various techniques mamas who have had natural childbirth (no epidural, IV meds, etc) have used whether it was at home or birthcenter, hospital, etc.  From hypnosis, guided imagery and visualisation, to bradley method, and beyond.

I never prepared mentally for the pain really before my last 5 births.  Somehow I just intuitively dealt the best way I could at the time but last time as I was doing my usual tensing my whole body up during each super contraction leaning over the side of the birth pool, midwife holding my hand, she suggested something that went against all of my instincts.  To just completely relax your entire body through each contraction.  Now, my body was telling me to tense up and wiggle around and grunt, but instead, with the next one, I just let go and relaxed every muscle in my body and gave a low deep moan instead.  Somehow, though it felt foreign at first, it did seem to help.  Instead of feeling like I was on a tiny canoe in the middle of the ocean during a hurricaine just clinging on for dear life, riding out each wave, I felt like it was something I was actually working "with" instead of against now.  Each time took effort as it is not the body's natural reaction to intense pain, but somehow it really did the trick. 

With each beginning of pain, I grabbed for midwife's hand, rested my head on the side of the pool (In kneeling position) and relaxed as though I was trying to fall asleep and would moan really deep and low one long time or two through each contraction.

I plan on trying to relax my body and just take one contraction at a time like last time again, but as we all know, what works once, doesn't always feel right the next time as each experience is different. 

I am really trying to find info on different pain management techniques (ones that dont require a partner as my DH isn't much of a hands on kinda guy)  I don't know if there are any books out there, I know there are self hypnosis for pain books but are there any strictly for pregnancy as that is a different issue than say chronic daily arthritis pain which is the type of pain these books were focused on instead of one time very intense few hours.  I can't afford hypnobabies and tried listening to "hypnobirthing" last time but it didn't do much for me. 

What are some techniques you guys have used for the intense pain of childbirth or have heard about?

Sharita, I could have basically written this word for word. Everything from grabbing my DH's hand, resting my head on the birth pool and releasing tension by low moaning to just going one contraction at a time. I had no birth classes, no instruction at all. I just trusted my body and focused on relaxing into the contractions. It was hard work-the hardest I have ever done, but tolerable and actually enjoyable at times.

I wonder what this next time around is going to bring... I am not going to do anything differently... so we'll just have to see!

[Almi]

I've only ever experienced labor once, but it was completely unassisted (at home) with just my partner there, and that alone helped immensely - that no one was there to talk to me, touch me, or bother me in any way.  Next, I got to be in any position I wanted, and I didn't have to worry about embarrassing myself.  I could also control the temperature, and I never thought of that before, but I don't remember being hot or cold during labor.

I also really mentally prepared myself before the birth.  I convinced myself that my birth would be totally tolerable, and I wasn't afraid of it.  I read about other women that had easy natural labors (some pain-free), and I decided that I would be one of them.  Yes, that's right, I decided.  I read a book called Orgasmic Birth, and it really put things in perspective for me, and it made me realize that labor and birth could not only be tolerable/pain free, but it could be enjoyable!!  And my births were enjoyable.  I didn't have a pain free labor, but it was tolerable.

I didn't get any "nice" labor, the kind you can talk and play cards through.  About an hour (or even less??) into my labor, contractions were intense (my water broke before I felt any contractions), and I had to concentrate and breathe through each one.  I found a comfort item: a bottle of water, which I sipped between each contraction (ugh, were they ever close together, the entire time!).  When contractions got really intense, I started hollering a bit through each one, and tensing and writhing around a bit.  Then I realized that I needed to relax.  And I did.  With the next contraction, I relaxed.  My uterus, my cervix, my vagina, my limbs.  I breathed slowly.  It was amazing, once I relaxed I could actually feel the first baby moving down with each contraction.  And before I knew it, I had two babies in my arms, and a placenta in a bowl in front of me!! :)

[Mamatoabunch]

My idea of pain management, 8 HB/UC's, is the pretend it isn't happening until I can't any more. Then I usually get into the birth pool and moan through contractions. I no longer talk much, but w/ some w/ each contraction I would pep myself up. Dh mostly floats around the pool offering encouragement, a hand or whatever. 

[sharita]

Originally Posted by Mamatoabunch 

My idea of pain management, 8 HB/UC's, is the pretend it isn't happening until I can't any more. Then I usually get into the birth pool and moan through contractions. I no longer talk much, but w/ some w/ each contraction I would pep myself up. Dh mostly floats around the pool offering encouragement, a hand or whatever. 

Ha!  Denial.  Love it!  I think that is how I have gotten through most of this pregnancy, lol.  I just rarely make it my main focus (harder to do as the due date approaches) and time just seems to fly by. 

With all the prodromal labor I have before it kicks into high gear, I often am in denial in the early stages of labor as well and I think it really makes it tolerable.  You can't have that Oh My Gosh this is really it panic that brings about the pain if you are convincing yourself its another false alarm, haha.

[ElizabethE]

My first thought was: don't expect it to hurt!

Then I read what Almi and Silver said and totally related. I thought that was excellent and echoed some of my own experience.

I find denial doesn't work for me-- it makes me a wuss and things get severe. I find going into the pain I've felt was better (for me).

[emma1325]

I had two natural hospital births.  I got through them by mentally preparing myself, and repeating my mantra during the moments of intense pain: "I'll be holding my baby soon."  I made sure to walk a lot, change positions, and drink water regularly.  I had short births...I believe because I did so much mental preparation by reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth several times over during pregnancy (both times), staying active during pregnancy, having lots of sex, and having "conversations" (lol) with my babies about how I wanted them to help me be prepared and able to deal with the pain of labor.  I had a moment of weakness during transition with my first baby, in which I thought to myself "this is too painful...if the nurse asks me again if I want an epidural...I'm saying HELL YES!"  haha.  Luckily the nurse didn't ask and the intensity of transition made me unable to speak.  With my second birth, I don't remember having the desire for pain meds once.

[ElizabethE]

Emma, I'm glad the mental preps and mantras worked so well for you! That never would have worked for me.

[greenmama66]

I just surrender to the process and at around 5 cm get in the tub. At 5 cm I'm fine anyhow- it's just the last few cm's that get me feeling uncomfortable but it's never been unbearable. This time around I've been listening to a hypnobirthing CD I like and will try to incorporate that- it puts me into a deep relaxation and now when I take a bath without the CD I even zone out so I hope I'm prepping in that way. We shall see what happens! BTW- I've had back labor (with 4 out of 5 babies) and it's not been any huge ordeal. The one labor I didn't have back labor I didn't even feel transition and when my MW told me I was 10 dilated I sat there and laughed and didn't believe it. Maybe I can have another birth like that LOL? In any event I do pray for another birth like that daily! I did swear the last time I was in transition though- told my MW the pain felt like a mother......LOL, then his head rotated and I pushed him out. Those darned posteriors!