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Home › Articles › Labor Preparation › Labor Strategies

Labor Strategies

5 Ways to Make Labor Easier

By Melinda Copp

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Women in labor have a number of pain management options, including everything from acupuncture and hypnosis to IV pain medication and epidurals. Many start with breathing techniques, such as Lamaze, and then opt for medication as labor progresses.

According to Dr. Merrill-Nach, an epidural, the most popular pain management procedure is a mixture of pain and numbing medications administered through a catheter inserted through the skin of the back and into the space outside the spinal column. The medication is fed through a small pump, which administers the medication steadily over a long period of time.

When Tamisha Mason of Philadelphia, Pa., had her labor induced, she opted for an epidural to manage her pain. "It worked like magic," says Mason. "Once I got that epidural I could relax a little and concentrate on the task at hand instead of focusing on the pain."

However, you shouldn't rely solely on an epidural to manage your pain. Instead, it should be used when your pain becomes unbearable. "Know what's available, but have other coping skills, such as breathing techniques, to help with the early stages of labor," says Dr. Merrill-Nach.

Make Your Delivery Easier
Delivering a baby is never easy. But prenatal classes help reduce your anxiety, and creating a birth plan allows you to decide what is important to you before you go into labor. Choosing support people who will attend to your needs throughout your labor will make you feel more comfortable. Staying on your feet puts gravity in your favor. And when your pain becomes unbearable, an epidural will make you feel better when it comes time to push. When you use these strategies for making your labor easier, your childbirth experience will be memorable for all the right reasons.
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