Non-Medical Pain Management Options for Labor

Pregnancy Podcast

Vanessa Merten

Kids & Family, Parenting

4.5 • 970 Ratings

🗓️ 28 September 2025

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Labor can be intense, but you have many alternatives to cope with pain beyond the medical options your doctor or midwife offers. You can use non-medical pain management strategies on their own if you plan to avoid medical interventions, or alongside tools like an epidural. This episode explores a range of non-medical pain relief techniques, including TENS units, breathing exercises, massage, acupressure, hydrotherapy, movement, and upright labor positions. Hear about the research on the risks, benefits, and effectiveness of each method so you can make informed decisions about which strategies to incorporate into your birth.

Full article and resources for this episode: https://pregnancypodcast.com/nonmedical/

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You are listening to the pregnancy podcast with Vanessa Merton.
0:10.3	Hello, thank you for tuning into the pregnancy podcast.
0:15.7	In today's episode, we're talking about all of your options for non-medical pain management. Labor can be intense,
0:25.3	but the good news is that you have a lot of alternatives to cope with pain way beyond the medical
0:31.9	options that your doctor or midwife offers. You can use non-medical pain management strategies on their own if you're
0:40.2	planning to avoid medical interventions, or you can use them alongside tools like an epidural.
0:48.0	In today's episode, we will explore a wide range of non-medical pain relief techniques, including tense units, breathing exercises,
0:58.8	massage, acupressure, hydrotherapy, and water birth, movement and labor positions, and more.
1:06.8	Hear about the research on the risks, benefits, and effectiveness of each method
1:12.0	so that you can make an informed decision about which strategies to incorporate into your birth.
1:19.2	You can find the full article and all of the resources that accompany this episode
1:25.2	at Pregnancypodcast.com slash non-medical.
1:32.9	You are on the public feed of the podcast, which gives you access to add supported content for
1:38.8	the last year. Become a pregnancy podcast premium member to access every single episode of the podcast and all of the content is ad-free.
1:50.7	No matter what topic you're looking for more information on or what questions you have about pregnancy or planning for your birth,
1:59.3	there is an episode of the pregnancy podcast that
2:02.4	has all the information you need. Check out pregnancy podcast premium at pregnancy podcast.com
2:11.8	slash premium. As the number one baby monitor brand in North America, VTech is trusted by millions of families
2:20.9	to deliver crystal clear HD video, reliable performance, strong night vision, and convenient
2:27.7	smartphone access. The smart HD Plus is designed for families that want flexibility and peace of mind at home and on the go.
2:37.3	It has full high-deaf video on a 5.5 inch parent unit or your smartphone with no monthly fees.
2:44.5	Check out the VTech Smart HD Plus at Pregnancypodcast.com slash HD Plus and save 20% with the code VT Podcast 20.
	...

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