Natural Treatments to relief pain during labor

Par­tic­u­larly dur­ing early labor, hav­ing a part­ner mas­sage your lower back, thighs or hips dur­ing con­trac­tions can be a wel­come dis­trac­tion and relief. Use a mas­sage oil rather than bare hands-it is wise to have a fragrance-free option avail­able, as even a favorite scent may become nau­se­at­ing or over­pow­er­ing dur­ing labor. Aro­mather­apy oils may, how­ever, be effective-lavender is famous for its calm­ing effect. Aro­mather­apy oils are usu­ally diluted in a car­rier oil such as apri­cot ker­nel oil before apply­ing to the skin, for safety rea­sons. Your part­ner need not be qual­i­fied in mas­sage, although this is a bonus! Com­mu­ni­ca­tion will ensure that he or she is apply­ing pres­sure cor­rectly and at the right moments.

Apply­ing Heat Treat­ment Dur­ing Labor

A hot Nature Cre­ation Herbal Pack can be effec­tive in reduc­ing the pain of con­trac­tions. Women who turn to heat for pain relief dur­ing men­stru­a­tion are likely to find this method com­fort­ing. It is use­ful to have a part­ner on hand to reheat the bags or bot­tles as nec­es­sary! A long wheat bag (or rice bag), which is big enough to cover the entire lower back from hip to hip, is espe­cially use­ful. Wheat or rice bags have an advan­tage over hot water bot­tles in terms of safety-a labor­ing woman can lie on them, twist, squeeze or even bite them with­out fear of rup­tur­ing them!

Labor­ing or Birthing In Water

Labor­ing and even giv­ing birth in a birth pool or tub is becom­ing an increas­ingly pop­u­lar birth choice. Women have many rea­sons for choos­ing a water birth, but pain relief is often a major fac­tor in the deci­sion. Cur­rent med­ical advice sug­gests that a labor­ing woman not enter the pool until she is 5–6 cm dilated, in order to avoid the water stalling labor. While some women find that the water inten­si­fies their con­trac­tions, most report a sen­sa­tion of relief, weight­less­ness and calm upon get­ting into the pool. Other women, who choose not to use a birthing pool, find that labor­ing in the shower pro­vides a sim­i­lar level of pain relief. One advan­tage a pool has over a shower is the ease with which a woman can change posi­tions. Aro­mather­apy oils can also be added to a pool, although this is not rec­om­mended if the woman plans to give birth in the pool. Again, bear in mind that some scents may seem over­pow­er­ing or unpleas­ant while in labor.

Using TENS Machines for Labor Pain Relief

A slightly higher-tech method of pain relief, TENS machines involve apply­ing elec­trodes to the lower back, which send elec­tri­cal sig­nals to the brain, inter­rupt­ing the pain sig­nals of labor. Mixed results have been reported with these machines; how­ever, they have the usual advan­tages of drug-free pain relief options, in that they are safe for mother and baby.

Using Rasp­berry Leaf Tea to Shorten Labor

Red rasp­berry leaf tea is a uter­ine tonic, often rec­om­mended for preg­nant woman dur­ing the third trimester to pro­mote Braxton-Hicks con­trac­tions and strengthen the womb in prepa­ra­tion for labor. Although no sci­en­tific stud­ies have been done, many women report that a large, strong brew of rasp­berry leaf tea at the onset of labor quick­ens labor and helps dimin­ish the pain expe­ri­enced. Rasp­berry leaf tea can be drunk sweet­ened or plain, hot or iced. The tea can also be sipped through­out labor, to keep hydrated.