"She’s glowing” I said out loud in awe. It was the first time I had seen a pregnant woman since becoming pregnant myself.

I wonder if I’m going to look as elegant as her when I’m at that stage of my pregnancy.

Instinctively, I held my stomach and smile.

Is she feeling any pain? Is she just good at hiding it or is she really just relaxed and comfortable.

I want a smooth-sailing pregnancy, so I need to figure out how to get through it painlessly.

Do you think that you’ll need some pain relief when your contractions finally hit? If so, here are some of the things you may need to know

1. Warmth - Relax your aching and tense muscles: apply warmth to reduce the pain. Here

Relief using warmth:

• Wheat bag - A bag made of cloth with wheat husks inside. It shapes itself to fit a particular area of your body. All you have to do is put it in the microwave for a few minutes!
• Hot water bottle - Fill it up with hot water (not boiling) and then cover it with a towel or something soft so you don’t burn yourself.
• Warm flannel - This can actually be used when your newborn’s head emerges. This may bring more comfort and avoid severe tears.

2. Water - Labouring in warm water can make your contractions a lot more bearable. Using a bathtub filled with warm water is likely to help you cope with the pain.

3. Breathing - Focusing on your breathing to really ease the pain of your contractions. Here’s how:

• Breath in through your nose and out through your mouth, keeping your mouth slightly open.
• When your contraction starts to build up, make sure you concentrate on breathing. Do the same as it starts to go away.
• Don't concentrate on how deeply you're breathing, or for how long. Just try not to let the inhale become longer than your exhale.
• When the contraction is over, try to relax as much as you can.

4. Resting - In early labour, before contractions, make yourself as comfortable as possible in preparation to cope with the pain. Tuck some soft pillows around you, make your favourite drink and put on your favourite movie. If you practice relaxing in the earlier stages of labour, the painful contractions will be a lot more bearable.

5. Positions - Keeping upright and walking around can shorten your labour time. However, if you are tired, try not to lie on your back. Doing this can make your contractions slower and more painful.

If you need guidance, your midwife can help you try different positions. Lying on your side may help you during the later stages of labour. An experienced midwife will tell you which position is the best for your baby to turn.

Here are some positions to try out, see which one is comfortable for you:

• Lean on the bed or your partner.
• Kneel on a mat or pillow and lean on the seat of a chair or birth ball.
• Kneel with one leg raised to make room in your pelvis for your baby to come out.
• Get on your hands and knees to ease the backache. It's likely to be less painful for you and may also help your baby get into a better position for birth.
• Sit in a chair for a while or on a birth ball, then get back up and walk around.
• Rock your hips to help your baby to move down.

Massages - Massages can keep you calm and help you cope with labour. Where you want to be massaged depends on how comfortable you are. You may want to get your back massaged while having contractions or maybe your shoulders in between contractions. Let your partner or midwife know where you prefer to be massaged and give feedback. A slow massage will be the most effective.

Giving birth was truly one of the best experiences of my life. Yes, contractions and giving birth was painful but it was all so worth it. I felt as if I had found a strength in me that I never knew I had and it was an amazing feeling.

You're stronger than you think you are. Stay positive and belive in yourself.

References:

¹https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a546717/natural-pain-relief-in-labour

MAL.2022.33553.SIM -SMM.1