Page 16 - The Doula Hub - Flip book_Neat

P A I N V S U F F E R I N G

• Pain in labour is a side effect of a normal process

• There are lots of examples of pain that we are not fearful of, like physical exertion. We accept those,
labour is the same. Look at the word labour ‘make great effort’

• Pain doesn’t have to rule the labour – when medical providers take away the pain there is

interference with the hormones and the labouring woman’s body in getting ready for the baby.
• Pain is a unpleasant physical sensation, can be damage or physical exertion.

• Suffering is a feeling of being overwhelmed, out of control or helpless. You can have suffering
without any pain e.g. emotional suffering.

Some women suffer in childbirth because of the way they are treated, respected and due to feelings of
being alone. This can turn the pain into suffering. Pain is present but should be manageable. If it’s not
then there are several tools available to them including pain medication to help. If a woman crosses from
pain into suffering then we have failed her. Having a code word is a great way for the woman in labour to

communicate when the pain has changed to suffering so that her support team can intervene and get her
the help she needs.