2024-04-03 11:24:26
My husband and I are planning a pregnancy. What scares me most about childbirth is the pain. I read that when a child is born, a woman experiences such pain that a man could not withstand. And all my friends also say that it is very painful.
What can you compare the pain of childbirth to? Is it possible to somehow fight it? Is there a chance that childbirth will be painless or with a minimum of discomfort?
Extensive evidence suggests that almost all women experience pain during childbirth. Its strength depends on the characteristics of the body and the pain threshold. Some compare the unpleasant sensations of labor with the nagging pain during menstruation, while others call the pain all-encompassing, as if a train had run over it.
I was lucky: the contractions were quite tolerable – for example, renal colic was much more painful. And the attempts generally seemed painless. But even if your experience is different, there are ways to relieve the pain.
Go to the doctor
Our articles are written with love for evidence-based medicine. We cite reputable sources and seek comments from reputable doctors. But remember: responsibility for your health lies with you and your doctor.
We do not write prescriptions, we give recommendations. Whether you rely on our point of view or not is up to you. Consult with your OB/GYN before delivery to find out what pain management options are available for you.
Why is childbirth painful?
There are many reasons that can provoke pain during childbirth. I will list them.
The muscle fibers of the uterus are located in three layers. During labor, they contract in three different directions, creating a sensation of intense spasm.
Pressure on the cervix. The baby passes through the cervix, which has no pain receptors, but does have receptors that respond to pressure and stretch. By the end of the third trimester their sensitivity reaches its maximum.
The processing centers for different sensations are close to each other in the brain, so if the stimulus is very strong, the brain may perceive the sensation of pressure and dilatation of the cervix as pain.
Stretching of the birth canal. There are many pain receptors in the vagina and perineum. They contribute to labor pain when pushing begins: at this point, the cervix is fully dilated and the baby begins to come out. In most cases, pushing lasts only a few minutes. Much less often – few hours: This happens if a child is born not with the head, but with the buttocks forward.
If the baby is large, ruptures in the birth canal may occur or see a doctor I have to have an episiotomy – an incision with medical scissors in the place where there is about to be a rupture. During pushing, a woman may not feel this due to the pressure exerted by the child. More often, the injury makes itself felt after childbirth.
Referred pain. As a rule, during childbirth, pain occurs not only in the lower abdomen: discomfort can be felt in the lower back, sacrum, and thighs. The fact is that the nerve fibers that receive signals from the uterus are close to the fibers that transmit signals from the lower back and sacrum. When a signal from this area reaches the brain, it perceives the information as if not only the uterus, but the entire lower back hurts.
Fatigue. Often the cause of pain is not the contractions themselves., but that they last for several hours and become more frequent as labor progresses. There is less and less time for rest, so the body does not have time to relax – it becomes harder to perceive a new portion of pain.
Nocebo effect – This is the opposite of the placebo effect, which is based on the expectation of unpleasant consequences from a medicine or procedure. If a woman expects labor to be very painful, she may experience severe pain that is comparable to her expectations.
What does labor pain feel like?
- spasms, as during diarrhea or menstruation – painful, unpleasant, but such sensations cannot be called unbearable;
- compression – as if the stomach is being squeezed into a lump or someone is squeezing the insides into a fist;
- dull blows that cause air to escape from the lungs and make it difficult to take a new breath;
- sharp blows – as if a knife is slowly piercing the upper abdomen and extending to the pubis;
- waves of pain that cover the stomach – slowly but tolerably;
- burning – there is a feeling of heat that flares up and gradually fades in the stomach.
When pushing occurs, most women in labor feel relief: contractions stop, and the desire to push is rarely accompanied by pain. More often than not, women describe this moment positively: it becomes clear that labor will soon end. In addition, if contractions cannot be controlled, then the woman actively participates in pushing – this distracts from unpleasant sensations.
How to assess labor pain
For the latter, the question is: on a scale from 1 to 10, rate how well you cope with the pain of labor, where 10 means I can cope completely, and 1 means I can’t cope at all. During childbirth, you should check this scale several times: as the baby moves through the birth canal, pain sensations may change.
How to independently reduce pain during childbirth
To make childbirth easier, you can do without medications. Such methods do not eliminate pain, but they make it easier to bear – these are the most popular and safe:
- walking;
- fitness ball hikes;
- touch and massage, including acupressure;
- warm or cold compresses on the lower back;
- warm shower or bath;
- audio therapy.
Doctors note that one of the main methods of overcoming pain is support. A family member may be present at the birth – often the husband or mother of the woman in labor. At the discretion of the maternity hospital staff, a formal stranger, for example a friend or doula, can be admitted. The main thing is to warn the obstetrician-gynecologist at the antenatal clinic about this: the doctor will give a list of documents that will be needed.
How doctors can help
If it is difficult to cope with pain during contractions on your own, you can ask your doctor for anesthesia. Pharmacological pain management methods relieve pain but cannot reduce anxiety or stress. Therefore, it is more effective to use them after non-pharmacological ones or in combination with them.
Basically, doctors offer two types of anesthesia for pain relief:
For spinal anesthesia, the anesthetic is injected slightly deeper than for an epidural.
Can childbirth be painless?
It is not known for certain how often childbirth occurs without pain. Most scientific articles talk about 1% – and the links lead to for the 1996 studyin which many women were given painkillers.
A 2013 survey of French midwives foundthat about 0.3% of women can experience an orgasm during childbirth that covers the pain. Doctors believe this could actually be happening. The reason is the increased production of the hormone oxytocin, which increases the sensitivity of the nipples and genitals, as well as the pressure of the baby’s head on the vaginal walls and clitoris. But no high-quality research has been conducted on this topic.
Most women experience labor pain to some extent. Painless or orgasmic childbirth, if possible, is extremely rare – you should not hope for it.
It’s better to study in advance the available ways to cope with unpleasant sensations during childbirth: movement, massage, warm shower or bath. If you know that you have a low pain threshold, or the pain becomes unbearable during contractions, discuss anesthesia options with your doctor.
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