We all know how uncomfortable birth can be, and for first time moms, it’s usually the pain that scares them the most. So I thought I would put together a little blog post to share 5 pain management skills that you can use without an epidural. Or maybe you’re considering getting an epidural but not until later in your labor so that you can give your body the chance to move around as much as possible. Either way, there are little tricks you can use to shave some sensation off the contractions to make them more manageable.

The brain receives and processes pain and pleasure sensations through nerve gates, but the brain can process only one emotion at a time (either pain or pleasure) so what we want to do is try and trick the brain into feeling pleasure instead of pain. We do that by flooding the brain with pleasurable sensations, and there are several ways to do that:

1. Breathing - specially when combined with smelling pleasurable things. Remind yourself to take deep purposeful breaths. Now imagine combining your favorite scents to your breathing exercises; your brain will be focused on processing these smells instead of the pain sensations. You can bring your favorite essential oils and either diffuse them in the room, or just keep the bottles near by. Some examples you can use are lavendar (calming) peppermint (good for nausea) clary sage (helps with uterine contractions) jasmine (lovely floral smell) or maybe even a citrus scent. Bring a bunch of options with you and see what feels best for you.

2. Visualization or Focal Points - you can take a point and just focus on it intently, either a spot on the wall or someone’s eyes or a meaningful picture, anything that will keep you distracted as you ride the waves of your labor. Visualization is more of an internal image you are creating in your mind where you can focus on all the aspects you want to recreate in your mind (think of all the five senses) and that way your brain is focused on recreating that image in your mind instead of processing any painful sensations.

3. Music - not only is this fun, it’s motivational and can encourage movement which is essential for encouraging baby to get into the most optimal position in order to pass through the birth canal.

4. Touch - relaxing, soft touch sensations, counter pressure, it may or may not work, specially a bit later in the process when the sensations intensify, but try it and see how you feel. The other option is to use hot and cold packs and use cool wash clothes to put on your head and shoulders, and warm packs on the back or any tense muscles.

5. Water - this one is my absolute favorite. You can jump into the bath or shower. The sensation of water trickling on your body will distract your brain from the pain. This helps you feel less overwhelmed and can be so soothing. Water is so powerful, and specially when your labor is established, it can help you progress quickly.

I hope you found these tricks useful! Let me know if you try any of them.

About Salam Birth Services

Hey there, I'm Lana, the human behind Salam Birth Services! I'm a Chicago-based birth photographer, doula and childbirth educator covering mainly the Western, Northwestern and Southwestern suburbs, but feel free to reach out if you live outside those borders to enquire about my availability.

You can find me on Instagram , or you can get in touch here by sending a message!

Morning sickness is the absolute worst, isn’t it? And if you’ve been pregnant and lucky (or unlucky maybe?) to have experienced morning sickness, then you know that it’s not just a “morning thing”. Morning sickness can happen throughout the day as well. Oh boy. If you want to learn how to get a handle on this “fun” pregnancy hiccup, so you can fully enjoy the excitement and joy that pregnancy brings, then read up.

1. Eat small meals frequently throughout the day, nausea is at it’s absolute worst first thing in the morning when your stomach is completely empty, so have some crackers on the side of your bed for when you first wake up and then eat small, frequent meals throughout the day. Be careful not to overeat and get overfull because that can also have the same unintended side effect of feeling nausea as well.

2. Make sure you take your prenatal vitamins on a full stomach. It might be even better if you take your prenatal vitamins at night before you sleep, so check with your healthcare provider on what the best options are for you.

3. Eat what you are craving, and stay away from foods you think you must eat but cannot tolerate.

4. Sip your water slowly and try not to chug it. It’s the absolute worst feeling when you drink too much water too fast, so imagine adding nausea right on top of that? Recipe for a quick throw up session!

5. Take advantage of acupressure. There are points on our wrists that can help alleviate nausea, and bracelets like the Sea Band Mama can really help!

6. Ginger everything! When I was pregnant, I had ginger chews with me at all times, and I swear I could definitely feel the difference. But if you don’t want the chews, you can just make yourself some ginger tea or chew on some fresh ginger, whatever works mama!

I hope these 6 tips have been helpful for you! Do you know any other tips I can add to the list? Has anything else worked for you before? Let me know!

About Salam Birth Services

Hey there, I'm Lana, the human behind Salam Birth Services! I'm a Chicago-based birth photographer, doula and childbirth educator covering mainly the Western, Northwestern and Southwestern suburbs, but feel free to reach out if you live outside those borders to enquire about my availability.

You can find me on Instagram , or you can get in touch here by sending a message!