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From the biblical curse to painless childbirth
For centuries, women have given birth to their children in pain. Terrorized, they suffered this pain without really trying to fight it, like a sort of fatality, a curse: “You will give birth in pain” says the Bible. It was only in the 1950s, in France, that the idea began to emerge that you can give birth without suffering, you just need to prepare for it. Dr Fernand Lamaze, midwife, discovers that, well accompanied, a woman can overcome her pain. He developed a method, “Obstetric psycho prophylaxis” (PPO) which is based on three principles: explaining to women how childbirth takes place to remove fears, offering future mothers a physical preparation consisting of several sessions on relaxation. and breathing during the last months of pregnancy, finally set up a psychic preparation in order to reduce anxiety. As early as 1950, hundreds of “painless” deliveries took place at the Bluets maternity hospital in Paris. For the first time, women no longer suffer the pain of childbirth, they try to dominate and control them. Dr. Lamaze’s method is the origin of the birth preparation classes that we all know today.
The epidural revolution
The advent of the epidural, known from the 20s, was the real revolution in the field of pain control. This technique of indolization began to be used from the 80s in France. The principle : numb the lower part of the body while the woman remains awake and fully conscious. A thin tube, called a catheter, is inserted between two lumbar vertebrae, outside the spinal cord, and an anesthetic fluid is injected into it, which blocks the nerve transmission of pain. For its part, the spinal anesthesia Also numbs the lower half of the body, it works faster but the injection cannot be repeated. It is usually performed in case of cesarean section or if a complication occurs at the end of childbirth. Pain management with an epidural or spinal anesthesia concerned 82% of women in 2010 against 75% in 2003, according to an Inserm survey.
Softer pain relief methods
There are alternatives to the epidural that do not take away the pain but can decrease it. Inhaling pain relieving gases (nitrous oxide) at the time of the contraction allows the mother to be momentarily relieved. Some women choose other, gentler methods. For this, a specific preparation for the birth is essential, as well as the support of the medical team on the D-day. Sophrology, yoga, prenatal singing, hypnosis… all these disciplines aim to help the mother to have self-confidence. and achieve letting go, through physical and mental exercises. Allow her to listen to herself to find the best answers at the right time, that is to say on the day of childbirth.