 Labor
Pain
By Helen
Pain in labour is a normal physiological reaction; it is there
for a reason. Unfortunately Westerners are reluctant to accept that
it is normal and they do a lot to relieve it. In a normal labour,
pain can be used in a positive manner. We react against the pain
by tensing and fighting it. Labour pain is positive pain that will
have a positive end--the baby. It is not the same kind of pain that
suggests illness or problems. The pain of each contraction will
not be experienced again when it passes; each pain is a step nearer
to birth. The midwife is there to help and support the woman through
her labour and through the pain... Contractions build gradually
and allow the body's natural endorphins to reach their peak and
allow the mind to accept the pain as it increases. Pain changes
with each stage of birth. In the first stage, pain needs to increase
as the contractions increase to allow the physiology of labour to
progress. In the second stage the pain is different, less intense,
more expulsive. When the head crowns, pain is there to tell the
woman to take it slowly, to gently birth her baby, to allow the
perineum to stretch. In the third stage, the pain is there for her
to know when to birth the placenta. If the woman is allowed to relax
and is allowed to believe that her body can birth, she is more able
to accept the pain. We all find it difficult to see a woman in pain,
even at normal levels. Each woman has different reactions to pain,
so pain relief should be individualised and not a routine offer
from a list. Most pain relief does not take pain away as completely
as the name suggests. It makes pain easier to accept and can help
a woman relax and concentrate on the birth if it is used positively.
Pain relief can come in many forms. A supportive, positive midwife
who believes in a woman's ability to birth can be a great form of
pain relief! A comfortable position, to be able to adopt that position,
mobility, feeling supported--all can be pain relievers. The midwife
does not have to resort to pharmacological forms of pain relief--they
often lead to a cascade of intervention. We all know of births that
are going well until the epidural is sited, the pain goes, the contractions
are not felt, the woman does not know when her body wants to push.
She needs to be told, she needs to be "helped," she needs
further intervention. Pethidine does not relieve pain; it takes
the woman away from her body, out of her control and into the control
of others. Pain relief can make the labour ward more manageable--contact
and support for women is not needed if they are quiet. Pharmacological
pain relief has its place, but it should be used wisely. The pain
of labour is there for a reason. We need to understand it and accept
it, and not be afraid of it.
-Helen
U.K.
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 2 Issue 24 June 14,
2000)
Additional Information:
Importance of Relaxing
Perineal Tear Prevention
Warm Tub Bath During Labour
Blue Cohosh and Birth Defects
Why is there Pain in childbirth?
Dealing with Pain during Childbirth
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