Vote: Do pain-coping mechanisms work?

"ted" wrote in message
om...
If you haven't taken medication (epidural etc) for labor pains,
instead tried other kinds of pain-coping mechanisms, could you specify
what they are (which method or book) Did you actually find it working
for you?


Penny Simkin has a lot to say about this and most of what she says is right
on. She focuses on "the three R's"....


What I did when labor was at its most intense but least painful (because the
coping was working):

I took one step at a time, during contractions. My head was tilted back
(many women say looking up rather than down makes it hurt less), and I was
breathing very rhythmically. Every step coincided with a breath and a
sound... I was trained to Lamaze *very* young, so my breathing fit that
general model, but deep, large breaths and big noises, no sissy whispered
"hee hee hoo" for me... it was more like HEEEEEE. (stomp) HEEEEEE (stomp)
HEEEEE (stomp) HOOOO (stomp) I took my breaks *between* contractions.
Probably looked pretty funny, thinking about it now, but at the time, it was
totally necessary. If I stopped for a moment, the whole contraction would
come crashing down and be impossible to deal with. As long as I kept
focusing on taking another step, I didn't notice it hurting.

The least effective thing I did was lying on the bed whining at my mother.
THEN it hurt like hell.

Jenrose

"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...

I think if there was any
"method" for me, it was in what I *didn't* do, rather than
what I *did* do. E.g., I didn't go to the hospital, I
didn't have an IV, I didn't stay in bed, I didn't get
dehydrated, I didn't put myself on someone else's clock,
I didn't have to play by someone else's rules, etc.



Excellent point...

Things I didn't do last time... I didn't stay in bed... I didn't let them
keep monitors strapped on me. I ignored them when they said "don't eat".

This time? I'm skipping the whole hospital scene and I couldn't be happier
about it.

Jenrose

If you haven't taken medication (epidural etc) for labor pains,
instead tried other kinds of pain-coping mechanisms, could you specify
what they are (which method or book) Did you actually find it working
for you?

Thanks.

I did have a natural labor with my second baby and studied the Bradley method
(just read the book, didn't take a course). The technique that worked for me
was the one where you picture yourself relaxing part by part or up on a cloud,
something to that nature.

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 3 years
Christopher, 14 months

"Melania" wrote in message
om...

What worked best for us in the first stages of active labour was
having DH do a move that the doula (who was an immeasurable help)
showed us: basically, he stood behind me while I leaned over the bed,
and he put his thumbs on my lower back (approx. where some people have
"back dimples", above the buttocks), and hook the rest of his fingers
around the front of my pelvis, and then kind of push in with his
thumbs and pull back and out with his fingers. Hard to explain without
a demonstration, but it relieved up to 75% of the pain. Acupressure
point, maybe?


Ooohhh, I forgot about that one. DH and my doula did that move, too. It was
terrific!

-Michelle

Hi Laurie,

How are you?

Wow, I can't believe Christopher's already 14 months!! The time sure does
fly!

How does Jessica like being a big sister? -- isn't 3 an amazing age? I find
Anthony has become his own little person - he's so independent and
inquisitive.

I've been lurking here occasionally over the past year -- but as much as I'd
like to post more often, I have such a hard time keeping up with all the
posts.

I hope all is well with you.

All the best,

Dee in Canada
Mommy to Gabriella (7yo)
and Anthony (3yo)


"laurie" wrote in message
...

If you haven't taken medication (epidural etc) for labor pains,
instead tried other kinds of pain-coping mechanisms, could you specify
what they are (which method or book) Did you actually find it working
for you?

Thanks.

I did have a natural labor with my second baby and studied the Bradley
method
(just read the book, didn't take a course). The technique that worked for
me
was the one where you picture yourself relaxing part by part or up on a
cloud,
something to that nature.

laurie
mommy to Jessica, 3 years
Christopher, 14 months

I put a small comb across the palm of my hand so the teeth followed the
creases. When I had a contraction I squeezed my hand shut. This is meant
to help your body release the natural endorphins which are the bodies own
painkillers. I can't say whether it worked or not but I had the comb all
the way through my labour and I didn't have any drugs and I am a real baby
when it comes to pain.

Good luck

Camille
Mum to Aiden - almost 3 months.


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In article ,
says...
If you haven't taken medication (epidural etc) for labor pains,
instead tried other kinds of pain-coping mechanisms, could you specify
what they are (which method or book) Did you actually find it working
for you?

I took Bradley classes, which I loved because I felt very prepared for
the birth and did not feel nervous about labor. Now, once in labor I
found it difficult to implement the Bradley relaxation as we had learned
and practiced it, but I relaxed as many parts of my body as possible
during contractions and utilized different positions - sitting on the
toilet was my favorite, but I also liked kneeling next to the bed with
my head on the bed. My dh was also a HUGE help and I feel the Bradley
classes helped him have a small clue as to how to help me during labor,
and he was very supportive. The only time I remember being in actual
pain such that meds would have been nice was the last 10-15 minutes of
pushing while the head was coming out, and by then it was too late
anyway, and I am glad that now I know what it really felt like to push
my baby out!

I will tell you that the most difficult things for me to overcome - even
more difficult to me than the labor pains - were the continuous fetal
monioring strip that I had to detach every time I got up and lost the
heartbeat everytime I moved from lying down, and the bitchy nurses who
kept coming in to fix the monitor.

-kim

Tori M. wrote:

I will keep this in mind. If nothing else maybe i will have my mom send me
a comedy dvd for watching.. hehe i am sure the nurses would love to watch
the Blue Collar Comedy Tour

Ooooh, bringing DVDs... Neat idea! Believe it or not, I hadn't thought
of that. I only thought of bringing my laptop for the purposes of
emptying the digital camera! ;-) My laptop plays DVDs too, so maybe
I'll bring a bunch. Yes, this is a great idea! (I only have two
batteries for the thing, though, and it tends to go through batteries
like nothing when playing movies, so I hope they don't mind if I find a
plug somewhere...)

Vicky Bilaniuk wrote:

My laptop plays DVDs
too, so maybe I'll bring a bunch. Yes, this is a great idea!

Lots of hospitals have TV and DVD/VCR players in the room - so check with
yours.

The distraction of the TV drove me nuts once serious labor began so I had to
turn it off - much to dh's dismay ;-)

--
Nikki

laurie wrote:

The
technique that worked for me was the one where you picture yourself
relaxing part by part or up on a cloud, something to that nature.

I found it very helpful to visualize the baby descending through, like the
head through a turtle neck sweater :-) It enabled me to work with and relax
through the contractions and to assure myself that my body was doing what it
was supposed to be doing.
--
Nikki