Questions asked about pain free labour

Questions asked about a pain free labour by women in my care as a midwife.

The first reaction women have when introduced to the concept of a pain free labour is disbelief. This is not surprising when you consider how society as a whole presents childbirth to us as an unavoidable, extreamly painful event. Once a beliefe system of this magnitude is in place it is almost impossible to erode or challenge. If anyone is brave enough, they are usually rewarded with ridicule and scorn. Little wonder women today are reluctant to even envisage the very idea of labouring during the first stage of labour without the sensation of pain.
The only concrete evidence I can give women with questions regarding beliefe is that I personally have experienced two pain free out of four labours - see posts in this blog The Second and The Fourth. Some women in my care in labour have also benefited from learning how to relax and so not produce adrenalin in labour. Adrenalin is bad cos of the negative effects it has on the labouring body - see the posts Why labour hurts 2 and 3.
I tell women that it is always beneficial to practice your relaxation method in the pregnancy so that you are used to it by the time labour day arrives. This way you can stay calm and start relaxing as soon as the contractions begin. So when women ask me if a pain free labour is really possible I say yes if you approach it with a birth plan that includes relaxation techniques.
We need more women to come forward after experiencing a pain free labour using coping strategies outlined in this blog. This will help chip away at the belief system that is painful labours. Feel free to leave messages on this blog to spread the word, my lone voice is just not enough.