Sutra I:7 PRATYAKSANUMANAGAMAH PRAMANANI

“The sources of right knowledge are direct perception, inference, and scriptural testimony.”

I teach women how to use Whole Way birth skills in Prenatal Yoga Class and in my Labor & Delivery classes. You can read about them in my blog posts.

I know that these skills will help women alleviate the suffering associated with labor pain because I have seen it first hand as a Birth Doula.

I also know this to be true because of the many women who have contacted me after their birth to tell me about the elements of The Whole Way that really worked for their particular experience.

You can choose to blindly believe me… you can infer that if it worked for other women it will work for you— BUT until you have direct experience—only then will you know the truth. 

And when you know something to be true, you can trust it, and you will be more likely to remember and use these skills during labor.

This why I teach labor skill drills in my Yoga classes. I feel that there are two categories to these simulations. One category mimics uterine muscle contraction and the other mimics nerve pain.

Squats & Arm Extensions VERSUS Ice Cubes & Clothespins—they both teach valuable lessons about coping with Labor.

I teach these skill drills because truth must have the possibility of verification—remember Yoga is something you do—not just believe. I need to demonstrate that these birth skills when applied with focus actually work.

The method to my madness— both holding your arms out and squatting quickly turn difficult, but as such they are an accurate mimic of uterine pain.

All are the result of the healthy activity of a healthy muscle working, with all sets of pain coming simply from Ischemia or muscle fatigue. Legs—Arms—Uterus.

The method to my madness-TAKE TWO—both holding an ice cube and pinching your skin with a clothespin quickly turn difficult, but as such they are an accurate mimic of other pains you may experience during labor—pinching, burning, pressure, to name a few.

All these sensations are the result of the birth muscles steadily moving the baby down through the pelvis, the cervix, the birth canal, and the vaginal opening. Learning how to correctly identify the source of your discomfort and pain will allow you to swiftly apply correct and appropriate action. 

Normal uterine contractions, pressure, burning and stinging while quite intense can generally be mastered by various coping strategies and comfort measures.  A primary objective of this blog is building a strong base of "right knowledge" and providing the skills and mind set for their mastery.

All these sensations are a normal and healthy part of your body working to expel your baby. We will call this "healthy pain", you can work with this type of pain, if you so choose.

"Not Normal" pain is sick pain, the type that comes from breaking your leg, getting the flu, burning your finger, getting stabbed or shot or eaten by the T-Rex. Pain that makes you suffer and almost always deserves medical attention and pharmacological pain relief.

Work with what you can and accept help for that which you cannot. Have the wisdom to know the difference. So what does "sick pain" translate to during your birth experience?

Nerve impingement and Pitocin induced contractions are just two examples of pain that is "not normal".

Nerve impingement pain usually stems from the baby's position before and/or during labor,  or "sick pain" can stem from a previous injury.  It is rare but a baby can also do damage to your tailbone. Missing your due date and "failure to progress" are just two of the numerous reasons you might find yourself hooked up to a "drip of Pit". 

This level (type) of pain if left unaddressed can quickly become overwhelming, causing mental anguish as well as more physical pain--in other words suffering. Medical help can work wonders in this type of situation and put you right back on the path to a calm positive birth experience.

Learning how to physically cope with the physical sensations of labor will in turn allow you to cope with your emotional response to your birth experience.

You chose how to respond.

Knowledge replaced my fear of pain and my suffering diminished.

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