The culture we belong to, or have been brought up in, can play a large role in how women approach or deal with their labour pain. Cultural and religious beliefs can colour the perception and interpretation of a woman's pain and dictate how she should (or should not) behave during her labour, as well as the 'acceptable' choices she makes about her pain relief.
Some Christians believe that the labour pain can be viewed as 'the way God intended'. This may encourage the woman not to accept pain relief, trusting their experience as being part of 'God's plan'.
In cultures (for example from the Middle East and Mediterranean areas) where emotions tend to be expressed with great outpouring, the woman is expected to scream and cry uncontrollably, although this does not necessarily equate to a need for pain relief. This is an expression of her labour pain and a message to her support people that she needs love and sympathy.
Other cultures (for example Japan, where the expression of emotion is generally conservative), the woman may not externally express much distress in her labour. It may be that she appears very calm and composed, but could politely tell her caregiver after the birth how distressingly painful the experience was.
Western culture today often sees labour pain as something that should be 'fixed or stopped', in many cases embracing medical pain relief. There is though, a growing trend to try using natural therapies to minimise or negate the woman's need for pain relief (with their possible side effects) and incorporate this with 'hands on' physical and emotional support from the partner or chosen support people.
Cultural influences on labour pain can take many and varied forms. Some of the following examples were practiced in the past, while others are still embraced today.
Some past and present cultural beliefs surrounding labour pain are:
Counting the stars
Special breathing techniques
Silence
Suffering
Birth noises