Back labor refers to the intense lower back pain that many women feel during contractions when they're giving birth. Although most women will feel a degree of achiness or slight cramping in the back at some point during labor, about a quarter of all women report experiencing severe discomfort in the lower back that is most intense during contractions and often painful between contractions.
Back labor can often be accompanied by an irregular contraction pattern, labor that is slow to progress, and a prolonged pushing stage.
Techniques to help improve fetal position:
- Walking
- Squatting and lunging
- Sitting on a birth ball
- Using a rebozzo or sheet to shift the pelvis
- Pelvic tilts and hula-hoop dancing
- Hands and knees and/or open knee chest positions
- Sitting backwards on a chair or the toilet
Techniques to ease discomfort:
- Hot or cold compresses applied to the lower back
- Strong counter-pressure
- Hydrotherapy using a shower, warm bath, or birth pool
- Heated rice sock
- Applying pressure with something that rolls down the back such a water bottle, beverage can, tennis ball or hollow rolling pin.
Using a combination of techniques for positioning and the comfort measures increases the chances that the woman experiencing labor will get some relief from her back pain. Taking a comprehensive childbirth class in advance of labor and/or having professional labor support by a doula can also be very beneficial.
A short video that describes techniques for coping with back pain during labour. Some techniques discussed include the double-hip squeeze, the knee press, and using hot or cold compresses.
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