8 Natural Ways Women Can Manage Pain During Labor (PHOTOS)

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by Sasha Brown-Worsham 9 hours ago

The pain of labor is something that we have been trying to manage for women since the dawn of time. Whether it was cool rags on the forehead of a laboring woman or a stick to bite down on, helping women ride the contractions and make it through to the other side when they are holding their baby has long been the subject of research.

For many women, pain management really just means getting the epidural as soon as humanly possible. And that's fine. But for others who want to experience all the pain of labor without medication, there are other ways to manage and mitigate it without the use of drugs.

The Stir spoke exclusively with Lacreshia Laningham, a massage therapist and doula, as well as Jenny Skoog, who is a pre- and postnatal fitness trainer, birth coach, childbirth educator, and star of Pushing It. See their ideas for natural labor pain management for women below:

How did you manage labor pain?

Image via eyeliam/Flickr

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TENS Units override the pain signal to the brain through electrical impulse. The results are immediate, and yes, some women use them in labor. With most, the woman controls the pulse width, pulse rate, and intensity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sasha Brown-Worsham

can't decide whether she is a mother, writer, or runner, but is usually all three at some point each day. She has written for dozens of print magazines, newspapers, and websites. She rarely ever writes on bathroom walls.

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