Childbirth is maybe the one of the most amazing things that will happen to a woman in her lifetime. But why does it have to hurt! The truth of the matter is, and I would guess this is the same for majority of women, labor pains do hurt. The more advanced the labor, the greater the pain. There's nothing that we can do about it, only put our trust in medicine and hope for the best.

Maybe there is more that we can do about it. You don't have to have medical drugs to ease the labor pain. Unfortunately I didn't realise this until after the birth of my babies, but I wish I had!

There are natural methods of pain relief for labor. You don't have to just rely on gas & air, pethidine and epidural. As good as these drugs are, have you looked at the side effects that they can have on you and your baby?

If pethidine is given too late during labor, then it can cause problems to your baby's breathing, although there is an antidote that can be given, do you really want your baby subjected to so many drugs within minutes of being born?

Epidural is the one drug that I wanted, but never managed to get. The first time my midwife talked me out of it, the second I was just too late. Looking back now I'm pleased that I managed without it. An epidural means that you may have a catheter fitted during the birth, and the side effects aren't pretty either. Months of backache and headache can follow the easier and pain free birth that this method of pain relief provides.

So what natural methods of labor pain relief are available?

• Tens is a semi-natural method. Under your control - you release tiny electrical impulses into your nerves just under the skin. Although this worked for a while, it wasn't enough for me when things really got moving!
  
  
• Aromatherapy. Most women love being massaged by nice smelling oils. If carried out by a professional during labor, this can be very relaxing.
  
  
• Active birth. You will attend classes before the birth that will teach you breathing exercises and certain positions that can be used to ease labor pain during childbirth.
  
  
• Acupressure, This method has been used by millions of women for thousands of years! In Asia and surrounding area's women swear by this method of labor pain relief. Why haven't we heard of this before? Because it's only just starting to be recognised as a serious contender against our medical drugs. It's only now that women of the western world are starting to put trust in alternative natural remedies for a multitude of everyday problems.
  
  

Acupressure can be easily mastered by your birth partner and put into practice in childbirth. Certain pressure points on your body, if manipulated correctly can cause the release of a natural human painkiller.
Acupressure can also be used by women who's baby's are overdue to naturally induce labor.

To find out more about using acupresse for labor pain, join me - Julie at :


Or to find out about acupressure to induce labor: