Alternative methods of pain relief for Birth

Birth is a normal, healthy part of a woman's life. Many alternative methods of pain relief are available that are safe and inexpensive. Whether a woman is actively seeking a natural, drug-free childbirth experience, or simply wishes to minimize the amount of medical interventions and their possible negative impact on her labor, she may want to try these methods during some or all of her labor. The following is a survey of the most common and effective strategies and techniques currently available to birthing women in Houston.
The amount of pain a woman experiences during her labor is influenced by many individual, physical, emotional, and environmental factors. Some of these factors can be anticipated and actively controlled by the woman and/or her support team with preparation and information. Relaxation skills and accurate knowledge about the birth process give a woman confidence in her ability to work with her body. These skills, ideally, should be learned before labor begins by attending childbirth education classes.

Breathing and Relaxation — These are perhaps the most familiar forms of alternative pain coping methods. Commonly referred to as "Lamaze Breathing", which uses learned breathing patterns to aid the woman's relaxation efforts, as she consciously releases any tension in her body, allowing her uterus to do its work without any added effort or waste of energy. The ability to quickly relax under stressful conditions such as labor is an acquired skill that improves with practice.
Hydrotherapy — Showers or baths in labor use water to provide comfort to a laboring woman. Numerous studies have shown that hydrotherapy, when used correctly during labor, is safe, reduces pain, enhances progress, and reduces the likelihood of tearing. A shower is beneficial almost anytime during labor. A bath (immersion in a deep birth pool or tub of clean, warm water) may speed labor along if it is used in active labor (greater than 5 cms). Women should limit their time in the tub to about 1/2-2 hours for maximum benefit and keep the water temperature under 100 degrees. Studies show that a tub bath is safe even with ruptured membranes since water does not travel up the vagina.
Sterile Water Block is a new technique for non-narcotic pain relief originally developed to relieve the pain from kidney stones. With slight modifications for labor, it uses four tiny (0.1ml) injections of sterile water under the skin around the sacrum or lower back. These sting initially then cause numbness in the area which lasts up to 2 hrs. and can be repeated as often as needed. This technique is easy and safe and is very helpful for back labor.
TENS — Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation uses electrical current to numb areas of the body. These soothing pulses, which travel across the surface of the skin and along nerve fibers, prevent pain signals from reaching the brain. They also stimulate your body to produce higher levels of endorphins.
Acupuncture — Ancient practice that involves the placement of needles in certain points in the body which, when stimulated, read more