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Presume you wish to avoid medical forms of pain relief and support the use of various natural or alternative methods to deal with the pain, unless medical methods are prearranged (gas or narcotics). In most cases you will have had many opportunities to discuss these strategies at length with them during the pregnancy. |
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Consider you and your support team as the 'driver' for implementing pain-relieving strategies, taking on an advisory role, providing that mother and baby are well. |
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Possibly favour (and prescribe) natural therapies for pain relief (such as herbal medicine or homoeopathy) for the labour pain, particularly if they have additional qualifications in these areas. |
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Possibly use acupressure points or reflexology for pain relief. |
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Tend to offer and fully support your own natural and alternative methods for pain relief. |
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Tend to encourage you to deal with the pain in your own way and to trust your instincts, giving encouragement and affirmations to help guide you when they feel you need it. |
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Offer you suggestions for various positions to use in the labour to help with pain management. |
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Give guidance for breathing through contractions - if a particular way of breathing is not working for you, or if your breathing is too fast and shallow (known as 'hyperventilating'). |
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Apply hot or cold packs if directed by you, or suggest getting into a bath or birthing pool (if you have one), or using the shower for pain relief. |
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Ask you during the breaks in the contractions "Is this what you really want?" if you request medical forms of pain relief during a contraction. |
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Try and gauge your real (rather than your perceived) need for pain relief, by talking to you between contractions and possibly attempt to compare your need for pain relief in the resting phases, to your articulated need during the last contraction. This can help your caregiver evaluate how you really are coping and if you genuinely wish to have medical pain relief. |
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Suggest waiting, should you request transfer to the hospital for pain relief. This request may not be addressed unless adamantly insisted on by the woman. Your caregiver may instead suggest other forms of pain relief such as a shower, bath, heat pack etc. before considering transfer. |
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Bring the gas cylinder to you, if you request gas and are in the bath, shower or on a mattress on the floor (and the gas is available). |
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Make sure you are using the gas mask or mouthpiece correctly and talk you through the contraction. |
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Tend to reserve the use of a narcotic injection for relaxation in prelabour or early 1st stage, to avoid the baby being affected once born (if available). |
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Offer you a vaginal examination before making decisions about transferring to the hospital for pain relief. |
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Discourage you from transferring to the hospital for pain relief if you are close to reaching the pushing phase, as the baby will be born soon. |
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Follow your lead unless requested by you and possibly address any attempts by your partner or support people to ignore your requests for pain relief if appropriate. |
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Arrange to transfer you to the hospital for pain relief, normally travelling with you either by car or ambulance and staying with you in the hospital (either as your caregiver or a support person). |