12 Ways Doulas Help Moms to Manage Labor Pain Naturally

"Pain is the body's signal to move. When we are uncomfortable sitting, we readjust our posture without giving it much thought. We may uncross our legs or even stand up. This natural response to discomfort in our daily lives is the same one we use during labor and birth. If you are confined to bed during labor, it will increase your pain level -- thus, potentially creating a need for pain medication, when movement would have sufficed to reduce your pain to a manageable level. Movement also shortens the length of labor. So, get up and move as your body tells you. You will feel better for it."

-- Deena Blumenfeld, ERYT, RPYT, LCCE, FACCE, Shining Light Prenatal Education

"I work through the five senses with my clients to determine what can help make them feel the most comfortable at each stage of labor. For example: visualization, focal pictures, eye contact; ice pops, teas; soothing music, sounds; oils, candles; and gentle massage with hands or tools." 

-- Robin Sheldon, CD (DONA), LCCE

"Birth is like a dance, which makes movement in labor essential to helping baby navigate down the birth canal. Amazingly, as much as movement is super helpful to baby, it is also one of the easiest ways to reduce pain! Ask if you can have intermittent fetal monitoring or even use a telemetry (a mobile monitoring device) so that you can move around your labor and delivery suite. The birth dance will open your pelvis and make you feel in control of your body, which will make birthing seamless and so much less painful."

-- Becky Leonard, CLEC, CD (DONA) 

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"Doulas can encourage moms to ask their providers what unique non-pharmacologic pain relief methods are available at their hospital. Different hospitals have different options, including the shower or birthing tub, the option for sterile water injections, the availability of a telemetry monitor to allow for ambulation in labor or various other equipment like birthing balls or birth stools. Not all expectant mothers are familiar with every tool available, but an experienced doula can encourage them to fully explore their options."

-- Allie Sakowicz, doula and member of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine research team at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine

"Water is an amazing pain reliever. Many women want to be in a tub of water, but I've found that women get better pain relief from a shower because the sprayer can be used on the back or front and can move to where the pain is. Your body acclimates to the tub pretty quickly and the pain relief is short-lived."

-- Tracy Hartley, bestdoulas.com

"Food equals energy and hunger is pain. It's an added stressor on your body to go without food when you are working hard. Labor is hard work. By eating small amounts throughout your labor, not only will you feel better physically, but you will also be able to better cope emotionally with birth."

-- Deena Blumenfeld, ERYT, RPYT, LCCE, FACCE, Shining Light Prenatal Education 

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"Eat six dates a day for the last month. I know this sounds crazy, but I've seen more six- to ten-hour first births in the past year, since I started recommending dates to my clients, than I did in the entire 19 years before I started to recommend them!"

-- Tracy Hartley, bestdoulas.com

"Creating a space that feels loving, warm, and safe allows our bodies to progress through labor in a less stressful way. With this peaceful environment, we lower our anxiety and adrenaline, which allows our bodies to feel less pain. An amazing way to create a peaceful birth environment is to place flameless candles around the room, dim the lights, and bring your own special pillow and blanket so that the room feels and smells like your space. Bring some essential oil -- especially lavender -- and have it diffusing in the room. Also, bring your iPod filled with relaxation music. It will make your labor room feel like a spa, and your pain will melt away."

-- Becky Leonard, CLEC, CD (DONA)

"Staying well hydrated during labor and emptying your bladder frequently, and changing positions often during labor helps both with pain management and helping to keep labor moving forward and not stalling."

-- Tracy Hartley, bestdoulas.com 

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"Things you can and should do ahead of labor that will help during labor include chiropractic care to make sure your pelvis is flexible and the baby is in the right position."

-- Tracy Hartley, bestdoulas.com

"Counter-pressure is one important tool doulas have in their arsenal. My favorite example of this is the double hip squeeze, which is where the mother is in the hands and knees position, and the doula or birth partner rotates her hands inward on mom's hips to apply pressure. This can be especially helpful for moms with lower back pain in labor, perhaps because the baby is in the occiput posterior position (sunny-side up)."

-- Allie Sakowicz, doula and member of the Maternal-Fetal Medicine research team at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine

"Alternating heat packs and cold packs help with back labor or back pain during any labor. They both work best when applied during a contraction and then removed when the contraction is over so the body doesn't get used to the heat or cold as quickly and it works better and for a longer time."

-- Tracy Hartley, bestdoulas.com 

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