Westchester NY Moms
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Blog
    • Blog Topics
  • Things To Do
    • Indoor Fun
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Camp
  • Love Local
    • Be Prepared
    • Give Back
    • The Towns of Westchester
  • Resources
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Music
    • Fitness & Health
    • Shopping
    • Beauty & Fashion
  • Contact Us

Blog

How to ‘Laugh Off’ Labor and Other Ways to Challenge Pain

2/25/2020

 
Picture
No birth is completely pain free, but luckily there are many options available today for women to manage discomfort during labor. Whether your preference is to go as natural as possible, or to opt for the peace of mind of safely monitored medication, consider these methods:

Breathing and meditation techniques. Going drug-free during labor may be the most painful, but bounce-back is quicker for the drug-free mom and there are no side effects to worry about. Consider a prenatal class that will review the pros and cons of the different pain management options available in case you find yourself changing your mind in the thick of it (it happens!). A prenatal yoga and meditation class can prepare your body physically for birth through a variety of stretching and strengthening poses, as well ways to help you use breathing techniques and visualizations to relax and calm the mind during labor. 

Nitrous Oxide. Yes, laughing gas! When mixed with oxygen at lower levels, nitrous oxide has analgesic and anxiety reducing properties that can distract you from the pain of childbirth. It’s safe for both mother and baby to use. It’s more common in Europe, but White Plains Hospital is one of the few hospitals in Westchester that offers this option to women. “It takes the edge off, helps to relax you,” notes Kerry Dineen, the hospital’s OB Navigator. “It works well for patients who don’t want pain medications, and those who labor so fast there isn’t time to administer an epidural.”

Analgesics. These drugs lessen pain without the loss of feeling or muscle movement. Typically narcotics, these drugs are usually given intravenously, and usually not an hour before you give birth because the side effects could make you groggy and your baby sleepy, making it more difficult to breastfeed – and look perky for those Insta snaps!

Epidural/Anesthesia. Administered via injection (usually around the spine) for the purpose of blocking nerve sensations, anesthetics prevent pain in one area of the body. They usually target the nerves that carry feeling to the vagina, vulva and perineum. There may be some loss of feeling in the lower part of your body, but you will remain awake and alert during the birth. 
It’s common to use a combination of the above during delivery. Working with your doctor, both before and after the birth, you can create a plan and outline what you are willing or not willing to be open to when the situation arises. Or, when you find yourself in the moment, you can do a total 180. As long as you are in a hospital with a skilled and compassionate labor and delivery staff, that honors your personal preferences, and uses evidence-based procedures, you and your baby will be in good hands no matter how you decide to help him or her enter the world.

Picture
The White Plains Hospital Maternity Program  is the regional leader in maternity and neonatal care. In fact, nearly 99 percent of maternity patients surveyed said they’d recommend the hospital to deliver their friends babies. For more information, visit our maternity program. In addition to a staff of Magnet nurses, the NICU has been awarded the Beacon Award for Excellence, in part for the special care it gives expectant mothers through high-risk pregnancies, as well as the Women’s choice Award for America’s Best Hospitals.


Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    About Us
    Art
    Beauty & Fashion
    Business
    Camp
    Career
    Community
    Creativity
    Education
    Fitness & Health
    Food
    Give Back
    Hea
    Home
    Indo
    Indoor Fun
    Mommy & Me
    Music
    Outdoor Fun
    Pare
    Parenting
    Real Estate
    Shopping
    Things To Do
    Virtual

Connect With Us
Home
About
© 2022-2023  Westchester NY Moms & Strategic Joy Communications LLC. This website includes paid advertising and endorsements.
Photos used under Creative Commons from Clotee Pridgen Allochuku, Kofi_MT, mrsdkrebs, jsax2015, Jeff Sandquist, Israel_photo_gallery, gabrielsaldana, Thanks for over 2 million views!!, Castles, Capes & Clones, Ted Drake, Kurt Magoon, CS_McMahon, chrismetcalfTV, Soren Wolf, Baker County Tourism, The Chapman Cultural Center, John Drake Flickr, photoverulam, 7263255, IQRemix, Art4TheGlryOfGod, Joe Mabel, Mike Miley, ell brown, tedeytan, Rob.Bertholf, flickingerbrad, MoToMo, Larry Lamsa, DieselDemon, Bobolink, Richard Ricciardi, gabrielsaldana, Montgomery County Planning Commission, beaucon, Jorick77, Still Vision, Vironevaeh, RLHyde, wuestenigel, mliu92, jennisweat, Larry1732, Michael Bentley, USDAgov, Tim Evanson, Karolina Kabat, deejayqueue, Strelka Institute photo, JohnSeb, Base Camp Baker, Dance Photographer - Brendan Lally, Fibonacci Blue, Larry1732, daryl_mitchell, Miroslav Vajdić, Peter O'Connor aka anemoneprojectors, susivinh, Larry1732, dancingnomad3, sarahstierch, Base Camp Baker, A J Thackway, hoyasmeg, Salvation Army USA West, quinn.anya, CapCase, Kirt Edblom
  • About Us
  • Calendar
  • Blog
    • Blog Topics
  • Things To Do
    • Indoor Fun
    • Outdoor Fun
    • Camp
  • Love Local
    • Be Prepared
    • Give Back
    • The Towns of Westchester
  • Resources
    • Education
    • Parenting
    • Music
    • Fitness & Health
    • Shopping
    • Beauty & Fashion
  • Contact Us