GYN CHRONICLES
Pain Free Labor
Dr . Maureen Owiti
The world is full of many interesting phenomena and as a believer I often wonder on the birth of Christ Himself . We as Christians generally believe in the principle of divine conception though my friend Walong who does not profess the existence of a Supreme being would be very skeptical about this and had the virgin Mary appeared in any gynaecologists office we most probably would not believe that story .
The wonder I have is not on the divine conception but whether or not the virgin Mary had a normal labor with the excruciating pain most women undergo , or if she had a pain free labor ?
Some ladies are just sufficiently blessed and arrive with minimal pain to the labor ward and before you can say Jack Robinson , they have already delivered and are preparing to breast feed . In as much as I do not begrudge them God ’ s favor because that is the only way I can describe this relatively naturally painless labor , I however do question the wisdom of the punishment most women received in Genesis chapter 3 verse 16 : To the woman he said , “ I will make your pains in childbearing very severe ; with painful labor you will give birth to children . Your desire will be for your husband , and he will rule over you .”
Not wanting to sound blasphemous but for someone who has gone through labor and painful periods these are some of the questions I have for the Man Upstairs when we meet at St . Peter ’ s gate , hoping I have the opportunity of course .
So , for the rest of us who are not so fortunate , is there a way to have pain free labor ? Medically this is possible , but I will use this piece to talk on the various ways of pain management in labor .
It goes without saying that there are both medical and non-medical ways of controlling pain during labor . I will start with the non-medical ways of relieving pain .
Non-Medical Labor Pain Management
The first is use of relaxation techniques , which include use of music , meditation or
“
Water births have become more and more common for laboring mothers . But even in facilities that do not promote this , hot showers are available , which have been shown to minimize lower back pain in the early stages of labor . There is no evidence that this method works in established labor . incense . Some women like aromatherapy that involves massage and heating of essential oils to help the mother relax . Most hospitals will not provide this but would not object to the mother coming in with her chosen method and using it .
The use of acupuncture is growing in the country and especially with the rise of nationals from the far east in the local ecosystem . Again hospitals do not cater for alternative medicine . The catch is getting a qualified practitioner considering limited regulation to alternative medicine in the country .
Water births have become more and more common for laboring mothers . But even in facilities that do not promote this , warm / hot showers are available , which have been shown to minimize lower back pain in the early stages of labor . There is no evidence that this method works in established labor .
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation ( TENS ) is a method that can also be used . Like water immersion / baths it does have a role in early labor but has no proven benefit in advanced labor .
Active birth with exercise , dance or Lamaze can reduce the pain of labor . It has been shown that rocking the pelvis can help the mother cope with contractions .
Massage and hot packs can ease the pain of labor . Massage helps distract the mother from the pain . Heat packs can help the body release its natural painkillers - endorphins .
Sterile water injections can be given under the skin ( subcutaneously ) in the lower back . The exact mechanism of how this works is poorly understood but it appears to have some benefit .
22 MAL49 / 22 ISSUE