# How do you get your body to relax with an unmedicated birth?



## cahgirl87

I started reading a book on the Bradley Method and it says you need to relax your body as much as possible to help ease the pain and have your body to help itself along. I'm worried that while I'm actually in labor all of this will fly out the window. I mean I know sometimes I used to get REALLY bad period pains that tensed up my whole stomach -this also happens when my stomach is ill sometimes. And while I try to relax because I know it doesn't help to tense up, it's just difficult. 

I plan on having a water birth at a birth center with no other pain relief. I know women give birth naturally every day but I'm just worried with how I will cope with it. Generally when I'm in pain it can send me in to an anxiety attack. I don't like the loss of control feeling which causes me to freak out. I have a very supportive group of people and my hubby and mom will be there for the actual birth to help me through. Started to get worried about it :(


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## chuck

Breathe, breathe, breathe!

Too often you are in pain and you hold your breath.

Have you thought about getting some natal hypnotherapy CD's...you're at the right time to start!


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## bassdesire

Keep your voice low--like low and deep moaning during contractions. When your voice is high and your teeth are clenched you are not letting your body relax. A relaxed body can progress much faster.

We took the Bradley Class and have a beautiful completely natural intervention free birth. My doula reminded me to relax and keep my voice low to help bring the baby down. Water relaxes you as well so laboring in the tub or shower can be very helpful. You can also try some essential oils to help with relaxation. 

Visualization is a very helpful thing as well, whether it be a photo of your U/S, a photo of a place you love, a memory or something else you can focus on. 

Focusing on the pain will make it worse. Try all the other methods of distraction to help you.


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## ruby559

I've been reading Ina May Gaskins book which has relaxation techniques in it, its very good and I highly recommend it! She mentions making low moans to relax your throat and face, trying to keep your arms loose, laughing (if possible...) and being in a darkened room


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## tripletsOMG

i am gonna try hypnobabies and pool this timje good luck. in the past i used tub andbreathing hurt but its possible


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## Waiting4bb

ruby559 said:


> I've been reading Ina May Gaskins book which has relaxation techniques in it, its very good and I highly recommend it! She mentions making low moans to relax your throat and face, trying to keep your arms loose, laughing (if possible...) and being in a darkened room

I agree. This is an awesome book! I would recommend everyone read it if they are pregnant. It helped me so much just to understand how labor works and the body/mind connection.


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## JenStar1976

My pregnancy yoga teacher was always saying to us "if your jaw is relaxed, then your pelvis is relaxed". I kept saying this to myself during my labour and had a fantastic, quick home birth. 

If you relax your jaw right now, you'll feel your whole body start to relax - try it, it really works!! x


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## NaturalMomma

It is good to remeber that if you have, lets say a 20 hour labor, that not all 20 hours is going to be pain. For most of the labor it'll be like menstraul cramps, they'll be more annoying than anything else. It is normally during transition where they may be painful or intense. I didn't really find them painful, but I did find them intense. Closing my eyes, squating and swaying helped a lot. I just let my body lead the way in how it wanted to do things.


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## Summerkids

The water works a miracle. With both my births I used the pool to relax and as soon as I got into the water I was abel to relax, almost completly.


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## cahgirl87

The last 2 months of my pregnancy were so hectic I didn't get on here much at all. Thank you to everyone that replied! I didn't get the water birth I wanted but I did end up having an unmedicated birth and it was the most amazing experience of my life! I switched off between using a tens unit and getting on my hands and knees, rocking back and forth and letting the water from my shower beat down on me. I was in labor for 24 and a half hours total but only about 6 and a half of that was actually painful... Like a previous poster said, most of it was just like bad period cramps. Transition was very intense as some of my contractions came back to back but I only pushed 5 times before I brought him in to this world. I had such a good experience, although I am going to enjoy about 2 years before we start ttc for our second, I can't wait to do it all over again :)


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## stardust599

Wow, thank you hun.

Do you have any words of wisdoms or tips for relaxing and accepting the pain? I didn't cope last time despite being completely prepared and planned for a natural birth although I did have syntocinon and will be refusing this time xx


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## Jims_Girl

We've been doing the mongan method hypnobirthing... I am relying heavily in my husband to prompt me if he notices any part of my body that is not floppy... Also I have a little script in my head whilst doing my surge breathing to "look" at each muscle on my face and down my body to make sure everything is relaxed....


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## lynnikins

breathing is key i start with deep breaths and as i exhale i relax myself inch by inch from the top of my head to the soles of my feel working down my body relaxing everything as i go


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## special_kala

Try not to panic. I found it hurt alot more when i started to panic.

After a few contractions its easier if you tell yourself "ive handled the last contraction and this one will be fine too". It helped me so much to get in my own head and coach myself through. Concentrate with working with the pain rather then against it.


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## cahgirl87

stardust599 said:


> Wow, thank you hun.
> 
> Do you have any words of wisdoms or tips for relaxing and accepting the pain? I didn't cope last time despite being completely prepared and planned for a natural birth although I did have syntocinon and will be refusing this time xx

I posted my birth story in the Birth Stories and Announcements if anyone wants to read it... Just be warned, it is extremely long and detailed because I wanted to be able to look back and not forget anything :)

https://www.babyandbump.com/birth-s...going-home-unmedicated-birth-center-pics.html

In answer to your question, honestly water was my best friend! Getting on my hands and knees and rocking back and forth while the water beat down on me was what helped me deal the best. I had planned for a water birth and didn't end up getting it due to a lot of my contractions coming back to back during transition. I think if I had been able to labor in the tub when I got there that I would have been able to relax more as well.

Also I agree with another poster that said to remain calm... I was in denial through most of my labor (even when the pain got intense I didn't truly believe I was in real labor and only freaked out when we about to leave for the birth center). I stayed home for most of my labor (was only at the birth center for an hour and 37 minutes before I had him)- although I was told this was suprising because when I went in I was only 3-4 cm which meant I dialated pretty quickly.

Breathing as normally as possible helped me too... Every once in a while I wouldn't even realize it but I would hold my breath which tensed me up... Make sure whoever you have with you at the birth reminds you to take deep breaths to get through the contractions if they notice your breathing gets irratic or you start holding your breath.


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## Sam Pearson

I found the exercises in the back section of Face to Face with Childbirth with Julia Sundin really helpful for dealing with pain. Hypnobirthing is great. Water will be helpful. I recommend The Pink Kit for birth preparation.

It's vital to address you fears surrounding birth as much as possible during pregnancy. Fear creates adrenaline and the fight or flight reaction both of which reduce your natural body's pain releiving hormones.

Good support is also vital and having support people who aren't bringing their own fears into your birthing space.

I looked at it like this. I have taken 3 days to birth each time. However, I'm not in pain all that time but only for a minute every now and again for the first couple of days and nights then more often but each contraction doesn't last that long and you aren't in any pain at all inbetween them.

There are two things I don't like to birth without. Water and Clary Sage essential oil. I used this as a compress when I hit transition and felt overwhelmed by the pain. It reduced the contractions to manageable immediately and my baby was born shortly afterwards. The only thing is I can't really stand the smell of it as it reminds me too much of labour. It's a uterine tonic that works both directly on your body but also has an instand affect on the brain. It has to be the good stuff to work - 100% pure essential oil of good quality from a reputable supplier.


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