Coach Smith here again.

Not all pain is created equal. There's pain of extreme muscular work, pain
of skin stretching, and joint pain caused by unusual external (or in the
case of labor, internal) pressures or postures. Other kinds of pain are
usually NOT a part of normal labor, including the pain of injury, and pain
from infected and inflamed tissue.

Most of the pain in labor and birth is caused by the first three in my list
above. Labor is primarily physical activity  - that's why it's called LABOR,
not "baby falling out." There's a LOT written about this in midwifery,
childbirth education, sports medicine, and physical therapy literature..
Non-pharmaceutical pain relief techniques are well-documented and very
effective. Now, don't jump all over me - this statement is not meant to
minimize the unique and profound emotional and psychological aspects of
birth!  I've been a childbirth educator for 23 years, and understand the
birthing process almost as well as I know breastfeeding.

One last point - interesting though this thread may be, let's save it for
private posts unless it's relevant to breastfeeding.

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre www.bflrc.com
6540 Cedarview Ct., Dayton, OH 45459-1214 USA
(937) 438-9458 email [log in to unmask]

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