Why are the contractions so painful? | Pain in labour

Why are the contractions so painful?

Pain of a very high intensity sometimes occurs during birth. But why is this so? Contractions during birth cause very intense pain.

The reason for this is highly intensive muscular contractions. The pain is therefore a muscular pain that comes from the uterus. It is similar to the period when the uterus contracts to push off the old mucous membrane.

Another component of the pain is the stretching pain, which is caused by the movement of the baby in the uterus during labour. Furthermore, the child must move in the pelvis. There it comes to a strong stretching of ligaments and tendons, and finally other tissue and muscular structures in the vagina. The stretching of the cervix is also painful. In addition, hormonal factors also seem to have an influence on the pain in labor and its nature.

How can labor pains be relieved?

Pain in labor can be alleviated and improved by various measures. A very important and good way to relieve the pain of the contractions is to breathe correctly. Regular and calm breathing helps to better manage the pain and stay calm.

If the pregnant woman becomes hectic and panicky, this also has an effect on the pain. Above all, hyperventilation, i.e. fast and shallow breathing, should be avoided, as this can also lead to dizziness and nausea. Warm baths and acupuncture can help to relieve contractions in the run-up to birth, but these measures are no longer effective immediately before birth.

There are also various medical measures to relieve labor pains.

  • This includes the administration of painkillers.
  • Painkillers such as morphine or pethidine are sometimes mentioned on the Internet for pain relief, but this does not reflect clinical reality.
  • Although morphine and pethidine are adequate for the pain of labor, they have undesirable effects on newborns. They are therefore not used and are not recommended.
  • They are only used in exceptional cases, for example, when the mother is dependent.
  • One possibility of pain relief – analgesia – during birth is nitrous oxide sedation. However, there are still insufficient studies on this type of sedation, which is why most clinics prefer the classic epidural – peridural anaesthesia.
  • However, the study situation for this type of sedation is still insufficient, which is why most clinics prefer the classic epidural – epidural anaesthesia.
  • However, the study situation for this type of sedation is still insufficient, which is why most clinics prefer the classic epidural – epidural anaesthesia.