"Is there anything you can do to help with the pain?"

The short answer is yes. Whether you are birthing at home or elsewhere, I’m going to offer you some thoughts on minimizing pain during labor and birth. 

So home birth is really appealing for a lot of people these days, but one of the things that prevents people from jumping in is the fear of not being able to handle the pain. I’m not going to lie, labor and birth are really hard work. There is an intensity to it that is quite unique to giving birth. And also, not sugar coating, it is manageable. It’s really hard for awhile, and then it’s over and gone. I have seen people roar, shout, hum, growl, rock, dance, laugh, and breathe their way through, but I have never once had anyone tap out of home birth during labor because of the pain. Not that there would be anything wrong with that at all, but in those moments at home, people seem to just handle it. 

I’m going to give you some reasons why I believe that labor pain is more manageable at home:

• You’re at Home!: Where do you want to be when you feel completely awful? At work? Someone else’s house? A hospital? No! We want to be at home, because home is our comfort and our calm, and in our homes we are free to be completely ourselves. Crawling into your own bed is some sort of magic when things are hard. Being in your own four walls is familiar and safe. Do you know what happens when you feel comfortable and safe during labor? Endorphins flow which are our bodies’ natural pain killers. Oxytocin flows in a setting of trust which helps facilitate steady labor contractions. Based on my own experiences and observations, home, in and of itself, minimizes the pain.
• Freedom of Action & Movement: When you’re in your own home, you instinctually move where you want to be. You don’t feel the need to ask if you can go down the hall or to get a drink or to get out of bed. You don’t feel like you have to be quiet or civilized. It’s your domain, and you will move in it how and when you want to. Free movement facilitates a more comfortable labor. Being stuck in bed or in a small area does not easily and freely facilitate the sort of movement you need to better handle labor. During labor there are some positions that will feel excruciatingly wrong and some that will feel way more right. At home, you can be however you want to be and wherever you want to be, and that goes a long way in minimizing pain.
• Waterbirth: Laboring in the water at the most difficult and intense parts of labor is an amazing relief for a lot of people. Most home birth midwives are supportive and comfortable with both laboring and birthing in the water. I have heard many say the water was way more effective at providing relief than they had imagined.

Being at home in general lends itself to a more comfortable birth. There are also plenty of things you can do to help you cope during labor at home or in any setting:

• Childbirth Classes: As a midwife, I see the preparation of childbirth classes make a huge difference in how someone moves into and through labor. Knowing what to expect and being able to release some fear about labor through the learning you do in childbirth classes helps make a big difference. Classes give both you and your partner or support person tools for how to help you cope when labor becomes more intense. When your support people have tools, they are confident and can help keep you calm during labor. Childbirth classes help relieve stress about the labor. While calm helps endorphins and oxytocin flow, stress does the opposite and it can make labor more difficult! So get yourself a good childbirth class that teaches labor coping methods.
• Hire a Doula: Doulas are amazing at supporting and helping keep you comfortable and calm. They know how to provide counterpressure that can make contractions feel better, they know the words to keep you calm, they know when to put a cold cloth on your neck to cool you down, and they know what positions might better facilitate the process. They are worth their weight in gold. 
• Breathe & Relax: Easier said than done, right? But breathing deeply during every contraction and mentally making an effort to soften and release every part of your body will help your labor be easier and more comfortable. The deep breathing keeps you from going into fight or flight mode and the relaxing of your body allows your uterine muscles to do their job without resistance. Tension in the body is literally working against the labor process making it lengthier and more painful. 

So is there really anything that can be done to minimize the pain in labor? There is no magic bullet in unmedicated birth. No one can take the intensity away, but you can be supported through it by preparing yourself well. The choices you make leading up to labor and the team and location you choose are what can help you have a labor that is more comfortable and manageable.

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