I was terrified of labor. I was worried about how I’d handle the pain and expected that I’d likely opt for an epidural. What I didn’t realize is that you have to wait a while before you can get an epidural. I had to wait until I was 4 cm dilated to get it – and that took 12 hours!!
So I had no choice but to endure 12 hours of contractions without any medication. I tried several different techniques to manage my pain but only 3 things helped.
1. Breathe through contractions
Breathing is the most important way to get through your contractions! I had tried to practice a few breathing exercises during pregnancy and I remember thinking that it probably wouldn’t help that much when the big day finally arrived. Boy was I wrong! I figured out the best breathing techniques in the moment based on what worked for me. But I basically just inhaled deeply and then harshly expelled air through pursed lips as I exhaled. It was important to exhale slowly. I promise you’ll figure out breathing in the moment but it certainly can’t hurt to practice ahead time, if you’d prefer.
2. Apply counter-pressure during contractions
The next most helpful thing to manage my pain was applying firm counter-pressure on my lower back with each contraction. I was able to do this on my own by rubbing my fist against my back but it wasn’t very comfortable. Instead, my husband became my massage guru during labor and rubbed my back until his hands ached. He enlisted my mother-in-law’s help too since my contractions were coming every 5 minutes for many hours.
I also noticed that it was easier to apply counter-pressure when I was standing. So I was standing most of the time which seemed to help. I was pretty unhappy when they did the routine fetal heart monitoring every few hours. I had to be on the bed to this. My contractions were worst when I was on my back. Luckily, I was able to convince the nurse to let me lay on my side so my husband could massage my back during my contractions.
3. Use a birth ball
The last thing that helped me was sitting on a birth ball. I used this later in labor and wished I had tried it out sooner! I sat on the ball and rocked from side to side and forwards and backwards. Somehow, my contractions felt less intense when I was on the birth ball.
Once I was dilated enough, I got an epidural and my son was born a few hours later. The epidural didn’t numb me completely though (and I still felt some contractions) but it definitely made the pain much more bearable. Know that you’ll get through the pain mamas. You can do it!
What helped you manage your labor pain, mamas?
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