At Central Maine Healthcare, we know that every birth is unique, and every woman has different needs. That’s why we’ve expanded our comfort options to include additional supportive resources for those who would like access to them.
A Full Range of Comfort Options
To make your birth experience more relaxing, our hospitals offer various alternative therapies including:
- Acupressure: Gentle pressure is applied to strategic points to help relieve pain during childbirth. This ancient practice, also called Shiatsu, is related both to massage and acupuncture.
- Aromatherapy: The careful use of essential oils has been shown to reduce many women’s pain and anxiety during childbirth. Scents like lavender and rose have even been shown in some studies to reduce the need for pain medication.
- Birthing balls: A large, bouncy therapy ball can help a birthing mother get into a variety of positions that are more comfortable than lying in bed. Sitting or leaning on a ball can help a woman maintain a squat that is helpful for labor. It also makes it easier for her support person to offer a back massage.
- Hydrotherapy: Hydrotherapy is just as it sounds: Laboring moms soak in a tub for part or all of labor. The warm water from the tub or a shower promote relaxation and reduce pain for many women.
- Music therapy: Your favorite music can provide a distraction from the pain of childbirth and create a more relaxed environment for everyone involved.
- Doulas: A doula is a non-medical person trained in the art of supporting a woman through the experience of giving birth. She acts as a labor coach and as an advisor and resource for the woman and her partner and family before, during, and after delivery. We don’t have doulas on staff, but we are supportive of patients who hire doulas to help them.
Most families only stay with us for a couple of nights, but every effort is made to make this time a positive and memorable experience. Let us know how we can make your birth experience more comfortable.
