Birth Comb

Using a comb in birth during contractions has become SO popular because it has some pretty incredible results! Holding a comb with the teeth pointing just below where your fingers meet your palm can help provide a distraction during labor, helping take away the pain. The comb and the sensation of it on your hand can act as a focal point during labor and is something to concentrate on. The pressure signals the brain to release feel good hormones and relaxes the nervousness system. The comb links into the gateway control theory where the brain can only concentrate on one sensation at a time. Squeezing the comb distracts the brain away from the intensity of the contractions! 

TENS Unit

The TENS unit was introduced into maternity care in Scandinavia in the 1970s, stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Non- pharmacological, inexpensive, and controllable pain relief option for labor. The unit is a hand held device, connected by wires to electrodes that stick to the skin typically applying on your lower back. It works by sending electrical nerve stimulation through these electrodes. It feels like a tingling or buzzing and helps release extra endorphins at high intensities. Unfortunately it doesn't take away the contractions, but it essentially interrupts pains and signals your brain is receiving so that your brain can't process all of them due to the gateway control theory of your brain only being able to process certain amounts of stimuli at once. I love that you can control the device on your own, which can even lead to lower pain levels due to the control feeling itself! Mobility is not limited when using the device and can be used with other medicinal and or/non-medicinal pain relief options. 

When not to use it:

-in the water

-if you have heart conditions or pacemaker

-if you simply don't like the feeling

-if you have preeclampsia 

-before 37 weeks without permission from a care provider

Rebozo

“Rebozo” means “shawl” in Spanish. The Rebozo is a special woven cloth, woven by indigenous weavers generation after generation. The Rebozo is a cultural emblem as well as an artifact of women’s ceremony and daily life. It’s so important to honor and acknowledge the ancient cultures and its traditions in pregnancy and birth. It is a multifunctional tool used before labor, used to help when laboring and used for carrying your baby around after birth! One of the many uses of the Rebozo is to sift or jiggle the pregnant abdomen or pelvis. Vibration is a technique to improve fascia function to help pregnancy comfort and birth ease. The Rebozo relaxes your tight and large uterine ligament, including abdominal muscles. Helps your baby rotate, and descend. Also can help ease surges and help you relax during surges.

During labor using a rebozo wrapped around your midsection can make it easier for you to squat in labor and can help you conserve some energy for things to come. Squatting can help move the baby down and open the pelvis for labor. The rebozo wraps around your back while a support person stands in front of you and holds the ends. This helps take some of the weight off so you can squat longer.

Tiie a knot in one end of the rebozo and throw the knotted end over the top of the door, then close the door tightly. Then you can hang off of the rebozo and use it for support, remaining upright so that gravity can help while keeping the pelvis loose.

“Sift” the birthing person in labor. You assume the hands and knees position and the rebozo is placed around your belly. Grab the ends, holding it up at their waist level, and "jiggle" the belly by shifting back and forth. This helps with a baby that may need a little position adjustment. 

During birth the rebozo can be used to play “tug of war” with a partner or support person during the pushing stage, with you holding on to two ends and your partner holding the rebozo in the middle. This provides resistance to help direct your pushes down and move the baby out. This technique can be used even if you are laboring with an epidural, as it really helps focus the pushing efforts.

It is helpful to practice some of these positions and techniques in advance of using them so you are comfortable. There are many websites and YouTube videos that offer demonstrations and information on how you can use a rebozo for pregnancy and baby-related purposes.

Peanut Ball

It’s exactly how it sounds, an inflatable ball (like a birth ball) that is wider on the ends and narrower in the middle.. Like a peanut! Because of the shape of the ball, it’s easy to get into different positions to open up the pelvis and create space for your baby to move through the birth canal. It’s also useful to allow the birthing person to rest all while passively opening up that pelvis. They are mostly used when lying down on a bed or are under an epidural. The ball is most commonly placed between the knees when on your side or placed under one leg with the other resting beside the ball, however there are many positions you can adopt using the ball.

Why is this tool so useful?:

-can increase the pelvic outlet

-reduces cesarean birth rate

-encourages your baby's head to move down through the pelvis

-encourages position change and mobilization 

-encourages baby to adopt an optimal position for birth

-decrease the length of both 1st and 2nd stage of labor

-increases satisfaction and birth experience 

Peanut balls come in different sizes, suitable for different heights:

-40cm- those under 5’3

-50cm- those 5’3 to 5’6

-60cm- those 5’7 or taller

Water

There are so many benefits of using water with your birth! Getting into the water allows spontaneous movement that instantly increases comfort and relief from baby bump. This movement is incredible relief to the pelvis allowing it to open and create more space for the baby. 

Why is this useful?:

-speeds up labor by dilating smoother and sooner

-reduces blood pressure

-reduces perineal trauma 

-reduces the need for intervention, especially episiotomies and cesareans 

- relaxing, which allow oxytocin levels to rise, leading to increased endorphin levels which together provides best pain relief

-stressful hormones are less likely to attack the brain as water reduces the sensory stimulation in the room

-gives baby a gentler passage into the world

Water during birth doesn't have to look like a birth pool!! Having a bath, shower, or using warm water compress on certain parts of your body can have the same effects!

You may find yourself using all of these tools or none of them. It’s all about what brings you comfort and helps you during labor. Your doula can help you learn how to use these tools, and when the best time to use them. Often times your doula has these things available to you in their “toolboxes”.