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Until you experience labor contractions - you cannot understand pain from them.
It starts with pains that resemble period pains, but as you get closer to the birth stage, the pains get worse.
Labor contractions are an expression of the contraction of the uterine muscle intended to direct the fetus towards the birth canal.
Why are they so painful?
The reason for this is not clear and may depend on several factors:
A decrease in the level of oxygen to the muscle.
The process can be compared to the chest pains that appear during a heart attack, when there is a blockage of blood vessels and a decrease in the supply of oxygen to the muscle.
Pressure exerted by the muscle fibers on nerve endings in the area of the cervix and in the lower part of the uterus.
This is the most accepted theory, given the fact that local injection of anesthetic reduces labor pain.
Stretching of the cervix during the opening.
Stretching of the peritoneum (the membrane that covers the walls of the abdominal cavity and organs in the abdominal cavity) in the upper part of the uterus.
Its irritation, as in the case of appendicitis, can cause severe abdominal pain.
move.
In asymmetric movements/ShutterStock
What will you feel when you have contractions?
It is difficult to miss contractions, even if this is the first pregnancy.
In real contractions, you feel a regular rhythmic hardening of the uterus every few minutes with a relaxation between hardening and an increase in the frequency of contractions.
Sometimes the stiffness is accompanied by back pain or pressure in the lower abdomen, and sometimes the feeling of the axis can start from the lower back towards the abdomen and downwards.
Labor pains do not go away if you change position.
Labor begins with contractions and contractions will continue throughout, but there are three indicators that will change as labor progresses:
1. Frequency of contractions - how often will a contraction appear?
An objective data that can be measured in the early stages of labor. The contractions will be distant and appear in irregular rhythms, but every few minutes.
This is what is called: "irregular contractions".
Little by little the contractions will get closer and the intervals between them will decrease and become "regular contractions".
In the advanced stages of labor the contractions will decrease to a state where a contraction appears once every 3-5 minutes.
2. How long does the axis last?
An objective data that can be measured, the contractions start with a length of about 30 seconds and usually stabilize at a minute on average.
3. How strong is it or how painful is it?
A subjective figure that varies between different women, this is actually also the intensity of the pain.
The more powerful the axis, the more it will be accompanied by a stronger sensation and will eventually include a feeling of pain.
And we will detail it in the article.
The three criteria are gradually built up throughout the birth process, in a relatively linear curve: as labor progresses, the frequency increases, the duration of the contraction lengthens, and the strength of the contraction strengthens as labor progresses.
Sometimes it can take hours or even days until we reach the exact dose in each of them.
Their combination together is what will lead to birth itself.
When do you start trying to relieve labor pain?
When the contractions are felt and the feeling is unpleasant to the point of being painful, it is advisable to start with methods to relieve the pain and promote childbirth, and as the contractions increase - you can intensify the methods and add additional methods for natural pain relief.
Here are a number of tools that you can use during labor.
Use them during the axis itself.
It is advisable to combine the methods and apply them together at the same time.
Take a shower:
using a lot of water can ease the feeling of contractions.
As soon as labor starts to hurt, you can enter the shower and use a stream of water directly on the lower abdomen, on the back or in painful areas, the contact of the water stream with the skin helps to reduce the painful feeling of labor.
There is no limit on the use of water in the shower, as long as the water is at body temperature.
Too hot water is not recommended.
Breathe:
be sure to breathe proactively and efficiently during the cycle.
Inhale for 4 seconds through the nose - and exhale for 8 seconds through the mouth.
Instruct the attendant in advance to remind you to breathe during labor, because breathing during pain is not always intuitive.
Scream your soul:
as the birth progresses and the intensity of the pain increases - make a sound!
Making a sound helps women in labor deal more effectively with the pain.
Bass sounds, sighs, moans or sounding the letter S loudly.
Move:
Be sure to be in motion during the axis itself.
The movement helps to reduce the pain, and also helps the fetal head to properly screw into the pelvic inlet as it is pushed in as a result of the contraction.
Be sure to be upright in vertical positions and thus you will use the force of gravity in favor of promoting the birth.
Give up lying down, labor pains are stronger in this position.
During the movement incorporate asymmetric movements of the pelvis, the asymmetry can be increased with the use of elevating one leg on a chair or even a step at home.
You will receive a massage:
instruct your attendant in advance to assist with a lower back massage.
A deep touch above the coccyx (right where the buttock line begins) while combining a circular movement with the wrist can bring a significant sense of relief during labor.
Equip yourself with a TENS device:
an electric device from the worlds of physical therapy that can also help with labor pains.
The device sends electrical pulses that disrupt the transmission of the pain message to the brain, which will choose to feel the sensation of the tension over the sensation of the axis, since this is a more tolerable sensation for it.
Just like feeling a little pain from a sting that is very itchy, or rubbing hard on a blow that hurts, there are certain sensations that we prefer over others.
This is provided by the tennis device.
It is advisable to use the device, which can be purchased or rented, right from the first contractions at home.
Its intensity should be increased gradually as the intensity of the pain during childbirth increases.
It is better to use a TENS that is specifically designed for childbirth and can provide a different frequency during labor.
The writer is a certified midwife and instructor of childbirth preparation courses
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