How to relieve pain during labor

To relieve pain during labor, the woman can resort to several natural resources, instead of anesthesia, if she prefers a delivery without interventions. Controlling your breathing, having something to hold tightly, walking, dancing, exercising on the pilates ball, staying under the shower, staying in the bathtub with warm water, are some options to ease the pain during active labor.

The pain of labor is similar to an intense menstrual cramping, which at first is weaker and which is gradually increasing, being caused by contractions of the uterus and dilation of the cervix. And, even if the pain is not completely eliminated, using these resources can bring great relief.

3 Natural Ways to Relieve Pain Without Medicines

To relieve the pain of labor without the use of medication, the pregnant woman should be in a calm environment, with low light and without noise. However, the woman can listen to relaxing music to help her stay calm.

1. Control breathing to relieve pain

To control breathing, relieving pain, simply:

Fill the chest with air as if you are smelling a flower and; Release the air very slowly as if you are blowing out a candle.

This breathing helps to maintain enough oxygen that you need to contract properly, reducing severe pain and general discomfort.

In addition, deep breathing also decreases adrenaline, which is the hormone responsible for stress, helping to control anxiety, which often intensifies pain.

2. Positions to relieve pain

Before the pain caused by the contraction appears, the pregnant woman can walk slowly with the support of a relative to allow the baby to position herself correctly in the uterus, and the birth occurs faster, reducing the time of the pain.

Pain Relief Positions

Relieve pain with chair

However, during the intense pain of contraction, the pregnant woman must choose a body position that allows to relieve the pain, such as:

Kneel with your body tilted on pillows or birth balls; Stand and lean on your partner, hugging your neck; Position of 4 supports on the bed, using your arms as if you were pushing the mattress downwards; Sit on the floor with your legs open, bending your back toward your feet; Use pilates ball: the pregnant woman can sit on the ball and make small rotating movements, as if she were drawing an eight on the ball.

In addition to these positions, the woman can use a chair to sit in different positions, as shown in image 2, identifying which position helps her to relax more easily during contraction.

3. Body massage to relieve pain

Massaging the back with gentle circular movements is a good strategy to relieve pain, as it reduces muscle tension caused by the weight of the belly.

The woman can also do a relaxing massage along the body with a moisturizing cream, as the contact of the hands with the pregnant woman's skin helps to reduce stress, leading to the sensation of pleasure.

In addition, taking a hot bath or applying a hot water bottle on the back also helps to relax the muscles and decrease the pain, and can help to complement the massage in some moments.

To relieve labor pain

In some cases, the woman uses epidural anesthesia, an anesthetic is injected into the spine that eliminates pain from the waist down, without changing the level of consciousness of the woman in labor and, allowing the woman to attend the delivery without feeling the pain of contractions.