The pain that occurs during childbirth is often referred to as the strongest possible pain. However, the perception of pain can vary greatly from woman to woman, so that each woman experiences childbirth as differently painful. In general, childbirth pain is not comparable to other pain caused by physical damage (injury, accident), as it is a desired reaction of the body to expel the unborn child.
Birth pain also has a protective function. Pain of all kinds is intended to warn the body of tissue damage so that the person affected shows a corresponding reaction that reduces the pain and thus the risk of injury (e.g. pulling the hand away from the hot stove). It is similar for birth pains.
The pain signals potential tissue damage through the pressure that the child exerts on the pelvic floor. The woman instinctively assumes positions where the pain is most bearable. These are usually at the same time positions in which the pressure on maternal organs or even the child’s body is at its lowest, so that the birth is performed in the gentlest possible way. According to this, the pain of childbirth has a certain protective effect.
Causes
Birth pains are primarily muscular pains, as they are caused by strong contractions of the uterus. These pressing movements serve on the one hand to open the cervix and on the other hand to position the child towards the pelvic outlet. During birth, prostaglandins are released.
These are pain messengers that irritate free nerve endings and thus lead to pain development. In addition to muscular pain, stretch pain also plays a major role. The cervix is enormously dilated by the entering child.
The same applies to the entire pelvis, the perineal region, the connective tissue and the skin. The surrounding musculature is also greatly stretched. This also leads to the development of pain.
Due to the strong stretching, an perineal tear can also occur during birth. The pain is intensified by strong tension of the woman giving birth. Fear of childbirth and also fear of the pain of childbirth lead to subconscious muscle cramps and thus further increase the pain.
As a result, the birth usually lasts longer and the pauses between the individual contractions, which are actually intended for short-term recovery, provide less relief. The intensity of the pain also depends on the woman’s individual perception of pain. Every woman has her own pain threshold and is therefore either more or less sensitive to pain than other women.
All articles in this series:
