Handling pain during labour: General & Massage

How to handle pain during labour: General ways & Massages

Labour can last for many hours, and pain is inevitable. However, pain can be managed with non-medical techniques that help your body relax because when you are in fear, you would tense your muscles and cause more pain. Massage has been proven to decrease muscle tension, and provide distractions throughout labour.

How Does The Massage Help With Pain During Labour?

A study done on labour pain found that women who received massages reported experiencing significantly lesser pain and suffered less from postpartum depression. They also felt less need for medication and had average shorter labour by three hours.

Massages can help you cope with your contractions by reducing the intensity and making it more manageable, as it helps to stimulate the release of endorphins, a natural painkiller and mood booster chemical. Endorphins can also help you relax the muscles that are important in labour, so you feel less pain. With this release of endorphins, you are also more likely to feel happier and less anxious during labour.

Massages can also help you feel closer to the person who is massaging and taking care of you during labour. This is especially true if you like massages or your love language is physical touch, where you are comforted by touch. Some women have also reported feeling better when their partners massaged them, helping them feel comforted during contractions when they are tired or afraid.

You should speak to your partner or midwife before delivery if you want them to massage you during labour.

Can You Use Essential Oils?

There are essential oils that provide added benefits, such as lavender, which is known to help you relax and ylang ylang which has calming and sedating benefits.

While it is nice to use essential oils for massages during labour, you should double-check with your doctor to see if the oils are safe to use during pregnancy.

Where Are The Best Areas For Massage During Labour?

Shoulder

Relaxing your shoulder during labour will help you pace your breathing better. Rhythmic breathing is helpful to maximise your oxygen intake, providing maximum oxygen for you and your baby. Massaging your shoulder during labour can help relax your shoulders.

Back

Many women feel their contractions strongest in their lower back. Rhythmic slow and long strokes down your spine can be very soothing. It will be very helpful to massage your lower back during contractions to help you cope better.

Hand

If you opted for an epidural and are lying down, it can be quite difficult to massage your shoulder and back. The massage in this case would be hand massage. Your partner can gently tug on each of your fingers to release the tension and help you relax while holding your hand.

However, you might also feel that you do not want to be touched during your labour. Do communicate with your partner or midwife about your preference, because massage is useless if it is going to make you feel more tense or uncomfortable than your current situation.

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