10 More Ways To Manage Labor Pain
Before a woman can savor the joy of holding her child in her arms, she normally has to undergo the tormenting pains of labor. Mostwomen experienced severe or intense pain quoting "the worst pain of my life",although other people reported minimal pain sensation. The intensity of labor pain may differ largely amongdifferent individuals, and from various pregnancies of the same individual.
Labor pain, like any acute pain, has two components. First is the sensory or physical element,wherein the pain stimuli is transmitted to the brain; second is the affective element,that refers to how an individual subjectively interprets the painful stimuli through theinterplay of external components like emotional, social, cultural, and cognitive variables singular to the person.
Nowadays, any pregnant woman can opt for a painless labor and delivery bymaking use of conventional medicine. If available in the hospital, she has an option from epidural anesthesia, inhalation anesthetics, or administration of injected drugs. All of these methodshave a similar system of action - to prevent the firstpart of the pain pathway, the physical side.
However, due to the limited accessibility of these conventionalprocedures, complementary and alternate methods exist. These are theories and practices that wish to tackle the second element of pain. Thesealternatives do not necessarily replace the conventional medicine, but only tryto supplement it.
Here are some known alternative ways to reduce the pain during labor.
1. Psychoprophylactic Approaches This is being founded on physiologist Ivan Pavlov's concept of classical conditioning. Thepregnant woman is taught the anatomic and physiologic details ofgiving birth and she is familiarized with the process. She is theninstructed to do some mental relaxation methods that may involveconcentrating on certain breathing patterns or a specific concentration point,such as a mark in the wall. Employing these kinds of techniques could possiblyprevent pain messages to the brain.
2. Leboyer's Method Instead of the typical environment where there is so much noise and light, this method offers comfort to the mother throughout delivery by supplying serenity and apeaceful atmosphere throughout labor.
3. Hypnotherapy Hypnosis seems to decrease awareness of pain, fear and anxiety; and elevate pain threshold in the course of labor. Here, the pregnant woman is first subjected to hypnotic experiences making her relatively unaware, but not totally blind, to her surroundings. Few negative effectsnoted involve headache, nausea, and dizziness. There can also be failure to dehypnotize the patient properly. Its use need to be avoided in patients with psychotic decompensation.
4. Yoga Yoga has an Indian origin, which indicates control of mind and body. It requiresspecial training of breathing, which achieves relaxation and inner peace. Though there has been no scientific confirmation for these assertions, practitioners of yoga noted decrease in pain sensation and need for analgesic medication.
5. Music Therapy It is believed that expecting mothers can attain sedation and relaxation during the early phase of labor by listening to a slow and relaxing kind of music. On the other hand, music with a continuous beat is a stimulant that can promote the active stage of labor.
6. Acupuncture This includes stimulating certain anatomic parts of the body with the use of needles. It is hypothesized that by stimulating acupuncture points, the level of chemical neurotransmitters in the body is altered. For instance, there is an increase of endorphin level, which like morphine, has analgesic property.
7. Therapeutic Touch This pertains to application of hand pressure to the expecting woman's back, hips, abdomen, thighs, sacrum or perineum. The goal of therapeutic touch is to communicate caring and reassurance.
8. Hydrotherapy Women who used water immersion during the earlystage of labor described statistically significant less pain in contrast to those not laboring in water.
9. Natural Medicines This involves the use and application of plant materials that are consideredto have a calming and relaxing effect. The draw back of natural remedies though, is that they have much less scientific inquiry with regards to its pharmacologically active ingredient and toxicity potentials.
10. Aromatherapy This uses essential oils extracted from botanical sources. Mixed with massage, it enhances relaxation and helpsease anxiety and stress.
Alternative methods may be helpful throughout the earlystage of labor. As a distracter, it diverts the woman's attention from the source of pain. But during the delivery itselfonce physiologic pain is at its peak, a woman may need further conventional intervention.
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