Labor Massage Techniques for Couples
Summer Greenlees and Stacy Wooster share with us some labor massage techniques for couples during active labor.
The labor massage techniques introduced here are used by couples for pain and stress management during active labor. Active labor is when a woman’s cervix begins progressively dilating from 4 cm until the transition phase of labor. Dilating at a rate of 1 cm per hour, this phase can last 6-8 hours and may last twice as long for the first time mom. Contractions will become more frequent, coming as close to 2-5 minutes apart, lasting 45-60 seconds, meaning they’ll be more intense with less time to rest than the infrequent contractions during the earlier stage of latent labor.
Knowing how to apply labor massage techniques will focus the birth couple's energy on what works to comfort the laboring mom.
Touch comforts the laboring mom and specific touch hold massage techniques can be used as an effective tool by the birth partner to buffer anxiety and pain during each contraction. One study showed that even 5-10 seconds of reassuring touch given every time a mom showed anxiety during labor benefited the birth outcome. For 30 years researchers have known that “the presence and involvement of partners who touch the women during labor have been significantly correlated with less need for drugs, shorter labor, fewer perinatal problems and more optimal maternal interactions” (Sosa 1980). Amazingly, moms who receive supportive companionship show more bonding behaviors – making more eye contact with their baby, talk to the baby and touch their babies more. Labor massage classes offer the mother and partner training in effective massage techniques to lower maternal stress, anxiety and pain during active labor.
The relaxation techniques in your birth plan, such as breathwork, music and visualization, would be working for you during the latent phase. But what if now that the cervix is actively opening with intense involuntary contractions of the uterus, you’re not feeling relaxed or the techniques are not supporting your comfort? Oh $#@%! You will start grasping for more support, conjuring the iconic image of a white-knuckled grip on your birth partner!
Principles layer the qualities of touch for the laboring mom:
1. Find your comfort. Turn towards the supportive feelings of your body, whether you are the laboring mom or the concerned birth partner. What feels supportive and comforting? It would be better to focus on what feels good than the discomfort. The more supported you feel the better you will be able to receive and process strong sensation. Discomfort does pass. The birth partner can play a very practical role in facilitating what feels good to the senses.
2. Be steady and relaxed. When applying a touch hold labor massage technique, hold consistent pressure for the duration of a contraction and communicate about what works. After the contraction, let go, release, relax and rest. Labor can last for hours, so pace yourself. If an active labor for first time moms lasts 8 hours, we can estimate that you will have close to 200 intense contractions in the active phase.
3. Love the baby out. Be in your heart with each other and bring that loving, patient, sustaining and sensual energy to your touch. Through the medium of touch and the energy of your heart, your partner’s up on how you feel whether it’s stated or not; this is where it is important to have a sense support around the birth so that even birth partner feels supported. What helps you feel more connected to each other? What might you need to forgive in order to be present with each other? Speak of love to each other and the baby. Be your best self. When your heart is behind your touch, you’ll understand the qualities of touch your partner likes.
4. Anchor to going down and under. Relinquish yourself, open, surrender, let go of anything that absolutely doesn’t need doing now. Offer no resistance so everything can flow. Nothing to do except yield your weight to gravity. Exhale through the mouth, drop your weight to the relationship to earth, let your voice go low, widen your stance, get down. When the crescendo starts to rise go even lower. If the intensity and pitch rises get underneath. Nothing matters – Get out of your head and deep in your body – down down down. Your touch communicates your rootedness so anchor to the core of the earth.
The following overview of labor massage touch hold techniques includes pictures and descriptions of what might typically be covered in a labor massage class.
The focus of the Supported Squat is to open the pelvic floor and energetically puts you in a grounded position where the breath, the body, and the baby are aligned with gravity to move downward and out.
1. Supported Squat
How to do the Supported Squat: Utilizing the basic principles of touch during labor, stand behind your partner. Scoop your hands under your partner’s underarms in a gentle hug from behind.
Remain focused on your partner’s center of gravity as you slowly sit down, lowering your partner into a comfortable squatting position. The laboring woman may need a firm pillow to sit on for support. Keep the focus on your partner’s center of gravity as you return to standing.
The Sacrum Press Touch Hold can be used for back labor relief, general contraction pain, relaxing the lower back, grounding, and feels good to the laboring woman.
2. Sacrum Press Touch Hold
The Sacrum Press Touch Hold can be done on hands and knees, with the support of a birthing ball, in a side-lying position or in other positions explored in a labor massage class.
How to do a Sacrum Press Touch Hold: Place your feet on either side of the mother’s legs. Find the sacrum at the base of the spine and place your hands, one on top of the other, on the sacrum. Apply pressure to the sacrum towards the tailbone and feet. Do not press the sacrum towards the head. Variations may include rocking with the breath. For example, on the inhalation pressure is released and you may rock gently forward together. On the exhalation, rock gently back towards the mother’s feet, increasing pressure.
3. Pelvic Press Touch Hold with Knees
Pelvic Press Touch Hold with Knees
Use gentle compression to relax muscular tension throughout the pelvis. The mother focuses on opening through the base of the pelvis and relaxing into her support. Use an exercise ball, the bed, even a coffee table to take the weight off the mother’s hands and arms. The doula guides the birth partner as needed.
How to do a Pelvic Press Touch Hold with Knees. Be advised Birth partner to give your hands a break- this could go on for awhile. Stand with your feet close on either side of the mother’s knees. Bend your knees slightly and place the insides of your knees into the soft indention on the sides of the mother’s pelvis. As you straighten the legs, gently squeeze the knees together. This action creates space forward and down in the pelvis helping align the baby with the direction of movement. The variation on this is done with hands.
Back Labor Distraction Pressure Point - Use this distraction technique for back pain during contractions.
4. Back Labor Distraction Pressure Point
How to do the Back Labor Distraction Pressure Point. With the laboring mom in a supported side-lying position, (use pillows to raise the top knee to hip level as demonstrated in the photo), find the lowest part of the valley between the hip and ribcage. Press into the muscle directly towards the spine and ask your partner for feedback. The mom communicates what feels relaxing to the lower back. Because of the design of different nerve sensors the pressure signal from the firm touch travels faster to the spinal column than the sensation of pain, effectively blocking or limiting the pain sensation in the lower sacrum.
The labor massage techniques outlined here are staples to use during birth. Learning these techniques only takes a few hours and numerous studies show massage therapy benefits laboring moms whether or not they take pain medication, significantly reducing the need and requests for medication as touch buffers the stress and anxiety of birth.
To learn more about how to apply these techniques skillfully, consider going online to http://www.youtube.com/summergreenlees, take one of the introductory labor massage class listed in the http://www.mommy2baustin.com directory, and ask your doula, midwife or care provider if they offer massage therapy during labor and birth.
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About the Authors:
Summer Greenlees, LMT, CYT, CIMI, & Star-Doula, and Stacy Siler Wooster, LMT, CYT & Doula, provide holistic touch, movement therapy and birth-education in a professional setting. With 20 years combined experience, their massage and yoga practices nurture moms and birth partners for the continuum of needs throughout the child-bearing years promoting bonding, health, and wellness. Certified in Bodywork for the Child-Bearing Year by Kate Jordan.
Visit: www.summergreenlees.com and www.whitedaisybodyworks.com
