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Article Series: Pregnancy
Pregnancy: Everything You Need To Know
Contractions:
How To Ease the Pain
Many
techniques have been stressed to help relieve the rigors
of labor pains. First thing is first, use
the breathing techniques and focus on what you learned in your
childbirth classes. These are designed to make you focus on
a particular way of breathing or item to refocus your brain
on something other than the contraction. While a contraction
is happening, focusing on this other distraction can be quite
effective. You may also want to have some acupressure or massage
applied to your back at this time as well. Many women will
focus on their coach or partner and breathe together for the
duration of the contraction. Breathing techniques are great
to use in early labor when contractions aren’t too bad yet.
Combinations of breathing and other types of distraction or
method may need to be used as labor intensifies. Many women
bring pictures or items that they designated as focal item
to help keep them focused on something during contractions.
Other women find closing their eyes and just breathing works
for them. Do what is best for you.
Try
walking as labor progresses and follow you internal instincts.
Birth is a primitive function that has been taking place since
the dawn of time. If a contraction occurs while you are walking
then drop into a squatting position and grunt through the contraction.
This is very effective and satisfying as well. Most contractions
make you feel like you need to push and it is the withholding
of this pushing that causes pain and discomfort. Squatting
or getting on all fours and groaning and/or grunting the pain
through your voice is a good way to move past each ever-increasing
contraction. Vocalization of pain and discomfort is a really
good way of expending the pain with another physical act. You
may need to scream, yell, groan, grunt, or whatever works for
you to get through the pain best and most effectively. Make
faces and grab at railings and the bed if need be. Sometime
putting pressure and squeezing another object will help displace
the pain and make you feel more in control.
Many birthing facilities and hospitals now offer water-assisted
labors and sometimes even deliveries. Water in any form can
be a laboring women’s best friend. It is recommended to try
standing, squatting or sitting on a birthing ball in a shower.
Focus on the water as your breath hitting your body and face.
This is a great focal point because it not only offers the
internal focus but also provides a light physical distraction
from the water. Ask to be placed in the facilities labor tub.
Soaking in a warm bath can relieve the physical pain and stress
of the contractions. If you can tolerate it, have the jets
put on to help distract you from the labor. Some women find
the jets make them worse so make sure that you do what is working
for you. Many facilities also encourage the partner to get
in the tub too. This gives the mother the sense of being together
and she can be aided in massage or pressure points to further
help ease the pain. So have your partner bring his bathing
suit unless he doesn’t mind the nurses seeing him in the buff.
Medications can be given to help pain as well. There are several
options available as well. You can take the quick fix and get
a nice shot of something in the arm. Most of these types of
drugs only take the edge off but still allow the mom to stay
in control and coherent. Intravenous drugs are also available
and allow the mom to rest in a more pain free way, but can
make you feel a bit woozy and have a harder time controlling
your thoughts and reactions if pain is detected. Another and
widely used option is the epidural. This will allow you to
feel nothing from the waist down and be perfectly coherent
and happy through labor. Many women prefer laboring in a pain
free state and find that they are less tired and able to be
awake more after the birth. But don’t bank on this, many complain
that since they can’t feel the erge to push they take longer
to push and exhaust themselves or end up with a medically assisted
birth or C-section. # # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com
: 2006
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