Relieve childbirth pain: methods from A to Z
Would you like to find out how you can alleviate the pain of childbirth? Amazing results can be achieved with medication, various home remedies or sometimes just with the atmosphere in the birthing room. Find out what you can do in our ABC for relieving childbirth pain.
A for breathing to relieve birth pains
Proper breathing during labor has an important function: it can help you bear the pain more easily. If you breathe calmly and evenly, you can also relax better and ensure that your baby is optimally supplied with oxygen. Learn more about the role of breathing during labor and how it can ease labor pains in our article How Proper Breathing Eases Labor.
B as in exercise to relieve birth pains
Women in opening labor are often encouraged to walk around. You can actively process birth pains through movement. Walk up and down in the birthing room, circle with the pelvis, just try out what is good for you. The movement not only relieves labor pains, but also increases the pressure your baby’s head is putting on the cervix . This naturally speeds up the birthing process.
C like chemistry between you and the obstetrician
During the birth, the midwife or doctor will do everything possible to make the situation as comfortable as possible for you and to relieve your birth pains. You should start looking for a midwife with whom you get along well and take the time to familiarize yourself with her early on. If the chemistry between the woman giving birth and the obstetrician is right, it can make the birth less complicated and more relaxed.
D for perineal massage to relieve birth pains
The midwife will try to protect your perineum during the delivery. However, many women also prepare themselves for childbirth with a targeted perineal massage to make the connective tissue softer and more flexible. This reduces the risk of a perineal tear or episiotomy during childbirth. You can find out how and when you can carry out the perineal massage to relieve birth pain in our article ” How the perineal massage works “.
E for relaxation to relieve birth pains
If you are anxious and stressed during childbirth, your body will release stress hormones, your muscles and cervix will spasm and the birth will be a lot more strenuous for you and your baby. That’s why you should make sure that you create a calm and comfortable environment for yourself to relax. This relieves the pain of childbirth and changes your perception of pain. Even if you prepare yourself thoroughly for the birth in advance, this can help you to approach the birth more relaxed and less anxious.
F as in Sensitive support from an accompanying person
You should bring someone with you who you trust, who knows you well and who can provide you with the best possible support. Your partner, close friend, or sister can help you relax during labor, bring you what you need, and mediate between you and the hospital staff. This makes the situation more comfortable for you and you can concentrate better on yourself.
G for birth preparation acupuncture
In acupuncture to prepare for childbirth, fine needles are inserted up to 3mm deep into the tissue. This promotes the release of endogenous substances against pain, which makes you less sensitive to pain and can alleviate the pain of childbirth. However, this method does not work equally well for all women. You can read more about this topic in our article “ Making childbirth easier with acupuncture? “ read.
H like homeopathy to relieve birth pains
Another way to relieve labor pains is to use homeopathic remedies . Your attending doctor or midwife can assess which remedy is best to use. The homeopathic remedies have hardly any side effects, so that the natural course of childbirth is not disturbed. However, you should keep in mind that homeopathy does not work for every woman.
I always do what is good for you
Childbirth is not a competition where you have to prove how strong you are. So listen to your body and don’t be afraid to ask for help or painkillers when you feel you can’t take it anymore. You also don’t have to worry about disturbing someone if you moan or scream or walk around loudly. If you can handle the pain better that way, that’s absolutely fine. Shouting, cursing or laughing is also allowed.
J as always ask questions about relieving childbirth pain
The better you know what is happening to your body, the less fear and insecurity you will feel during childbirth. So always ask your obstetrician questions if you don’t know how to behave or if you don’t understand something. Let yourself be cared for and calmed down, because this can also relieve the birth pains. You are the main person in the birth, so you also have the right to know everything that is going on in the delivery room.
K for posture to relieve birth pains
If you experience severe pain during labor, changing your posture can help. Just try out what is most comfortable for you and how you can relieve your body by changing position and thereby alleviate the birth pains. You can read more about this topic in our article “ 5 birth positions: sitting, lying or standing? “ read.
L like flaxseed to relieve birth pains
Flaxseed stimulates the mucous membranes of the vagina to improve mucus production if you use this remedy correctly in the weeks before birth. This can also relieve the pain of childbirth, because you can speed up and facilitate the expulsion phase . You can find out when and how exactly you can use flaxseed to prepare for the birth in our article “Prepare the birth gently with flaxseed ”.
M for massages to relieve birth pains
Your partner can gently massage and caress you during labor to ease your labor pains. Especially massages in the sacrum area, the foot reflex zones and the back can give you relief. These massage techniques are often practiced in childbirth preparation courses, but your midwife will also be able to master some of the moves. But it can also be the case that you do not want to be touched because of the birth pains.
N for natural aromatherapy to relieve childbirth pains
You can also indirectly relieve the pain of childbirth with essential oils. The scented oils do not have a pain-relieving effect, but they can help you to relax and reduce anxiety. This contributes to an uncomplicated birth. It’s best to try out in advance which scents you like. You can have yourself massaged with the oils or set up small bowls or fragrance lamps so that the scent spreads pleasantly throughout the birthing room.
O as in Optimistic Thinking to Ease Birth Pains
Every woman experiences childbirth pains differently. How badly you feel the birth pains depends very much on your attitude towards the situation. Try to think positively during the pain, you should remember that the birth is a beautiful moment. After such a long wait, your child is finally born. This posture also makes the pain of childbirth easier to bear.
P like PDA to relieve birth pains
The strongest painkiller for relieving childbirth pain is the so-called epidural anesthesia (PDA). Your pelvis and abdomen are locally anesthetized by injecting a drug into the outermost protective covering of the spinal cord. The drug blocks the nerve impulses that cause labor pains. You can find out how the epidural works and when it is used in our article ” Epidural: birth without pain? “ read.
Q like nonsense to relieve birth pains
A little nonsense and jokes can also help you to relieve the pain of childbirth and approach the birth in a relaxed manner. Laughter is known to be healthy and releases happiness hormones in the brain, which, as natural, endogenous painkillers, relieve the pain of childbirth. Try to take the situation with humor and look forward to the fact that it will soon be over and you can hold your baby in your arms.
R for Calm Atmosphere to Relieve Birth Pains
In order for you to be able to relax as much as possible during the birth, it is important that your surroundings are as quiet as possible. The people who are in the birthing room should talk as little and as quietly as possible. Because a pleasant, calm atmosphere can help to reduce stress during childbirth and thus alleviate the pain of childbirth. You can also read your favorite book or listen to music, for example, if that helps you to calm down.
S for seated steam baths to relieve childbirth pains
Sitting steam baths with hay flowers shortly before birth are particularly recommended for first-time mothers because they loosen up the pelvic floor. When you give birth for the first time, the tissue is very strong and not very flexible. A soft, loose pelvic floor makes childbirth much easier. You can find out exactly how you can use this method to relieve birth pains in the article ” Hay flower sitz baths loosen the pelvic floor “.
T like tea made from raspberry leaves to relieve childbirth pains
Raspberry leaf tea relaxes the pelvic muscles, cervix and womb. It also has an antispasmodic and calming effect, so that you can approach the birth more calmly. Women who use raspberry leaf tea in the weeks leading up to childbirth report that their labor is less lengthy, painful and stressful. In our article ” Raspberry leaf tea makes childbirth easier ” you can find out how the tea is prepared and how it can relieve birth pains. Or convince yourself and try pregnancy tea with raspberry leavesadvertisement.
U like exercises to relieve labor pains
You can also relieve your birth pains with certain exercises. It is often helpful for women to make room in the pelvis for the baby during childbirth. You can do this by sitting with your legs apart on a chair or an exercise ball, or by getting on all fours and lifting one leg bent to the side. But mental exercises can also relieve birth pains. Try to imagine that each contraction brings you closer to your goal.
V for preparation with hypnosis to relieve birth pains
A method of relieving childbirth pain that is not yet so widespread is childbirth under hypnosis. If you are interested in it, it is best to attend a corresponding course in preparation. The methods you learn there will help you to overcome fear and tension during childbirth, which will enable you to better cope with and even reduce birth pain. The effectiveness of hypnobirthing has now been scientifically proven.
W for water birth to relieve birth pains
A bath in warm water relieves the pain of childbirth because it has a relaxing effect. Your muscles are less cramped and the pelvic floor and the birth canal in particular become more elastic and softer, which makes birth easier for you and your baby. The risk of a perineal tear is also lower with a water birth because most women feel less urge to push when they are in warm water during the expulsion phase.
X like extra painkillers to relieve labor pains
A doctor can give you certain medications to relieve labor pains, such as opioids. A pudendal blockade, in which the pudendal nerve in the area of the vagina and perineum is numbed with a drug, can also give you relief during the expulsion phase. However, you should keep in mind that all of these medications can also cause side effects, such as nausea and fatigue, and also affect your baby.
Y like yoga to ease the pain of childbirth
Certain yoga exercises can help you relieve labor pains or at least make the pain more bearable. Yoga is an ancient and proven technique for meditation and relaxation that you can also use during childbirth to release tension and focus better on yourself. You can learn which exercises are suitable for this in special yoga courses for pregnant women. In our article “ Yoga in Pregnancy ” we introduce you to some exercises that you can do to prepare for the birth.
Z as in between warming or cooling
Heat has an anticonvulsant effect, stimulates blood circulation, is relaxing and beneficial for body and soul. Your partner can treat areas of your body that are particularly painful, such as your back, with heat during the birth and thereby relieve birth pain. A cherry pit pillow or a hot-water bottle is particularly suitable for this. However, you may also find it more comfortable to put a cooling compress on the affected areas.