Do contractions hurt?
Do you want my honest opinion? Well…yes it does but it can be managed. As doula, that is one of the top 3 questions my clients asked when we first start working together: what do contractions feel like? My answer to that question usually is that it honestly feels like strong period cramps. It also comes like a wave where you feel it coming along, it reaches its peak, then it subsides.
The beauty is unlike pain if you break a bone, contractions naturally give you a break between the last and the next. The pain is there, but the intensity depends on how much you focus on it. The more you focus the wrong way, the more intense it will be. What you focus on, is what will manifest. You can either distract yourself or focus yourself away from it.
Focus on your breathing
Breathe through them, fully and deeply. You need to give not only yourself oxygen but also your baby. That is the reason, in the hospital, you see moms with oxygen masks because they are not getting enough oxygen to the baby. Breathing does two things, gives oxygen to your baby to go through their transition. Here’s a video for reference
Movements
I stress to do yoga during pregnancy and its benefits later in another post, but the key here is to understand that movement is your friend. Move to where you feel comfortable to get through your contractions that helps you.
Find your focus
Find your focus on a picture on the wall, your partner’s eyes or other birth partner, in your mind. Find a place to go to in your mind where you are not focusing on “the pain” but on your happy place. Simultaneously, you are focusing and distracting yourself on something other than the discomfort.
These are my little tips, please comment or reach out on my contact page for more discussion.
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