4 Things to Know About Birth Pains

Pain can be really scary — but birth pain is very different. Today, I’m going to tell you 4 things for you to understand about birth pain that will hopefully make it less scary!

Before we get going, I’m talking about BIRTH pain. Not PREGNANCY PAIN. There’s a big difference, and if you’re having pains in your pregnancy that is 100% worth mentioning to your provider. Here are a few common ones that might help you out:

• Bladder Infections in Pregnancy
• 5 Fixes for Groin Pain During Pregnancy
• What Does Round Ligament Pain Feel Like
• Sharp Abdominal Pain During Pregnancy
• 6 Easy Ways to Get Relief from Hip Pain During Pregnancy

Ok, here’s 4 things you need to know about birth pain:

As a reminder I’m not just going off my own birth experience. I’m going from the experience of helping thousands of women manage this on their own.

There’s Help If You Need It

I think that we all know this — there is something we can take to help with labor pains — but so often I hear people say that the pain of labor is the thing that is keeping them up at night

Personally, I think that’s effort wasted. The reality is that if the pain is too much you can request:

• IV Pain medicine
• The Epidural
• Nitrous Oxide (at some facilities)

BTW, want to know more about your pain management options I have a whole email I can send you with more info:

I know that a lot of people really WANT to avoid the epidural, but the reality is that it’s there, it’s likely offered (especially in the US) and it has been proven safe.

So, here’s something you can tell your worried self:

I am strong and capable, but if I need something for the pain they have something for it — it’s easy!

And, if you would like more info on the epidural check out my guide to the epidural.

I know it can be tempting to think that just because you plan on an epidural you don’t need a birth class — but I don’t think that’s true at all. I still recommend this one — if you’re getting an epidural, an induction, a cesarean or whatever birth you’re planning on.

It’s Helpful Pain

Labor pain is very different than other pain that we experience in our bodies.

I mean, if you’re having excruciating pain — you most likely have an issue and something needs to be fixed (aka, broken bone or an appendicitis) — but with labor we know this is going to happen and we welcome that pain (sort of — I get it, it’s tricky).

Remember, that labor happens with your:

• Mind says it’s OK to go into labor (things are safe — think about our early ancestors who didn’t need to be eaten by a tiger while in labor)
• Uterus triggers that it’s getting too full and this baby needs to come OUT
• Baby says — OK, I’m ready too!

Remember that I’m talking about TERM labor pains here. We really want to keep your baby inside you as long as we can prior to 36-37 weeks — so, if you’re having labor pains prior to that you need to contact your provider ASAP or go into L&D.

Ultimately, that baby can’t grow inside forever (thank goodness, right) — so it HAS to come out. Ultimately it’s helpful. Even if it sort of feels like your body is under attack at the time.

A good affirmation for this is:

My baby is ready to come out and I am ready to see them. I can’t wait to see what’s on the other side of this pain.

I really think understanding labor pains can help a lot. We talk a lot about that in here so you feel like good things are happening (rather than world war three).

You HAVE to Relax Into It

This is another REALLY weird one about labor pains.

If you clench tightly around the pain it can prohibit that baby from descending into the birth canal. Honestly, if your fear of the pain and what’s going on is so big you could maybe even prevent your labor from progressing (again — think about our ancestors trying not to get eaten by a tiger).

So, you have to relax into that pain. I have a few ways to help that:

Work on Opening Your Pelvic Floor:

I did a lot of prenatal yoga with my last pregnancy, one of my favorite exercises was getting into a deep squat and learning to relax our pelvic floor (think — how it feels when you pee — you relax all those muscles).

I think a lot of us think we need to build those muscles by doing Kegels — and while that might be true, it’s also very important to learn to relax those muscles as well.

As a labor nurse I can see people who can’t relax those or feel like they have to do Kegels in labor and I can verify that is NOT doing you any favors — so learn to relax it too!

Learn Breathing Exercises

Many birth classes are mostly about labor breathing, and while I think that is a vast over-simplification for what you actually need for labor I do think that those exercises can be very helpful to be practiced.

There isn’t particularly a magic to the breathing they teach in those classes. And yes, I teach breathing in here — because I mostly think it’s awesome to practice it, and having a plan helps with that. It’s mostly about breathing in patterns that allows you to relax that pelvic floor (see above).

Take one of those deep, cleansing breaths right now (I’ll wait).

Our body automatically just relaxes that pelvic floor when we do this — it’s really hard to do breathing exercises with a tight pelvic floor — so, that’s why breathing helps.

The little patterns we give you, I also think it just gives you something else to concentrate on besides the pain. Plus, it oxygenates you — so many big wins from one exercise!

Preparation Is Key

This is the thing — if you’re not prepared the “scares” of labor which may include:

• The admission process — the hospital is weird and it’s really annoying to get all those un-ending questions when you’re hurting
• The IV
• Worries about baby’s safety when 5 nurses run into your room
• How on earth you’re going to push that baby out

Can just add to the pain.

So, getting prepared for both the pain (by learning some natural pain management techniques) and be prepared for what’s going to go on is really the key to a great labor!

BTW pain management isn’t just about breathing, there’s a lot more to learn about it too (here’s a clip from this class)

I want to be really honest that often people get the epidural (or even request a cesarean) because they haven’t:

• Slept/rested during early labor
• They had NO idea how long labor (or their induction) was going to take
• Can’t cope with the fears about birth and the hospital

I really think that is why birth classes have been shown to reduce needs for:

• Induction
• Epidurals
• Cesareans
• Assisted deliveries (with things like forceps or vacuums)

I mean, the good news is that you have control over it — today is the day you can start the class and start getting prepared. You don’t have to wait for a spot at the boring hospital class — you can get started in here and get prepared for your upcoming birth today!

In fact, I want you to have this so much I’m giving you $20 off either class right now using code PAINMANGEMENT — the coupon is already applied to checkout right here.

Have other questions about your birth or pain at birth — let me know in the comments — I’m always wanting to know more about ways to help you guys. Wishing you the very best for your upcoming birth!