How Does Labor Pain Differ From Other Types of Pain?
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Labor Pain has a Purpose
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Pain can come in many forms. Pain can be caused from an injury, medication, cancer, or medical conditions, among other things. Pain is brought about from nerve impulses and receptors that travel to the cells and send a message to our brain, which triggers the sensation of pain. The pain is usually caused from inflammation within the body, brought on by disease or injuries. In most cases, pain is our body's way of telling us that something is wrong. However, labor pain is the body's way of making progress. During a normal labor, a woman's pain will progress steadily over the course of a few hours or even days. The pain will start out to be very mild as the cervix dilates and effaces. After the cervix is dilated to 3 cm, the active phase of labor begins. Contractions will progressively get more painful and closer together during active labor. The most painful stage of labor is the transition stage which can last 20 minutes or a few hours. During transition, the cervix dilates from 7 to 10 cm. When the cervix is fully dilated to 10 cm, pushing can begin. While other pain is the result of inflammation, labor pain has a very important purpose which is to bring new life into the world.
A Different Kind of Pain
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Labor pain is quite different as compared to many other types of pain. Labor pain is not chronic like pain that comes on from a back injury, for example. Labor pain only comes about when a woman is in labor, so it is not considered to be chronic pain. Every woman has a different pain tolerance, and each labor is unique. When the baby is in an awkward posterior position, labor pains are often longer and more intense because when the baby is in this position, the cervix dilates much slower. The contractions tend to be less effective. There are breaks in between labor pains as the uterus rests in between contractions. However, pain caused from a chronic condition may be constant for long periods of time. Labor pain is over after the child is born which causes a huge rush of endorphins. Endorphins are feel-good hormones which the body also produces during labor. When the baby is born, a tremendously overwhelming feeling of relief and bliss is felt by the mother due to the endorphins.
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The Uterus is a Large Working Muscle
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Pain that is caused from a sports injury will affect a woman in a very different way as compared to labor pain. The muscles actually have memory cells which mean that, even long after the injury, mild pain can still be felt on occasion. The muscle and tendons will be sore in that particular area, and physical therapy may be required for a full recovery. However, pain caused from labor is actually caused from the uterus working by contracting to open the cervix and allow a baby to be born. The uterus is actually a large powerful muscle. Labor pain feels different for every woman, but it is often compared to severe menstrual cramps.
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