10/09/2023
Do you know this LABOR PAIN TIP?
The COMB Method! ✋
Some women welcome distractions during labor, while others need complete focus to cope with contraction pain...BUT a great distraction tool during labor is a comb!
Yeah! A comb, so easy:
Simply place a comb vertically in your hand and squeeze it tight during a contraction!
This works because of something called the gate control theory of pain:
All sorts of factors influence our experience of pain, including our thoughts and feelings. For example, you are probably aware that sometimes, even though you may feel pain, you are not aware of it at all (or only slightly aware).
You might experience this when you are absorbed in doing something interesting or facing a situation that demands all your attention.
A great example of this are the stories of wounded soldiers who, despite being seriously injured, will continue to fight and not really be aware of much pain until the danger has passed.
On the other hand, you will probably be aware that sometimes your pain can feel much worse. In fact, you may find that the more you think about your pain, the worse it feels.
The spinal cord is where the nervous system's first meeting point occurs. Imagine the spinal cord as a series of gates through which all signs of pain come.
Sometimes these gates can be much more open than at other times. This is important since they allow your body to communicate with your brain.
When the gates are open, a lot of pain messages pass through to the brain, and you are likely to experience a high level of pain. If the gates are closed, fewer messages get through, and you are likely to experience less pain.
The brain can only focus on a select number of sensations and because the nerve endings are closer on your hands they reach your brain faster, which can help close some of those gates, & distract you from the contraction pain!
📸: IG