05 Sep A Different Kind of Labor Day

Adoption Choices of Arizona wished you a safe and healthy Labor Day.
Reaching out to expectant mothers, we share a different kind of labor day…

“They don’t call it labor for nothing, but there are more ways than ever to manage that pain. And it’s a good idea to explore them before you’re in the throes: “If anything is predictable about labor, it’s that it’s unpredictable,” says William Camann, M.D., director of obstetric anesthesiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. Know your options and keep an open mind…

Relief without meds:
Relaxation: “The most important thing to try and keep relaxed during labor is your mind,” says Stacey Rees, a certified nurse-midwife in Brooklyn. When you fear pain, you tense up, which makes the pain worse and causes you to tense up even more.
Moving around: walking, swaying, changing positions, and rolling on a birthing ball can ease the pain and help labor progress by putting the force of gravity to work on your behalf. “If you have back labor, for example, you’ll probably find your way to your hands and knees, which can relieve pain by getting the baby to rotate,” says Eileen Ehudin Beard, a certified nurse-midwife and senior practice advisor for the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

Breathing: Whether you’re hee-ing or haa-ing, panting or inhaling deeply, as long as you focus, you’ll find relief.

Massage: applying gentle counterpressure on your back, rub your swollen feet, or massage your temples to distract you.

Hydrotherapy: birth pools, big tubs that allow you to immerse yourself, are more and more common in birth centers and hospitals alike. The warm water is soothing. “And the buoyancy helps lighten the pressure,” Rees says. “We call it the midwives’ epidural.”

Labor is different for every birth and often quite different than your expectations. Our counselors are going to be with you every step of your journey and make your experience as comfortable as possible.