20 Natural Pain Relief Options for Labor

Whether you want an unmedicated birth, a medicated birth, a home birth, a birth center birth, or a hospital birth, every expectant mother needs to have some ways to keep herself comfortable while in labor, even if it’s just for the early labor part. (Hospitals won’t typically admit you until you are in active labor, so you’re on your own in the beginning.)

This is why it’s essential to understand what natural pain relief options are available to keep yourself as relaxed and comfortable as possible and avoid going to the hospital too soon (they’ll usually send you home). Some of these options are obvious, while others are not so apparent. Below are 20 natural techniques that can make labor feel more manageable.

As a certified birth doula who has supported hundreds of families, I’ve seen how much these natural techniques can truly help during labor.

Natural Pain Relief Options to Use During Labor

These natural techniques can ease discomfort and help you cope through each stage of labor.

1. Massage

Massage can ease tension, reduce pain, and make contractions feel more manageable.

Touch is incredibly powerful to the human mind and body. Studies show that women who received physical touch—such as massage—compared to women who didn’t during labor had 56% fewer c-sections, an 85% reduction in the use of epidural anesthesia, 70% fewer forceps deliveries, 61% decrease in the use of oxytocin, a 25% shorter duration of labor, and a 58% drop in neonatal hospitalization.¹ That is amazing.

Additionally, touch releases oxytocin, known as the “love hormone,” to help alleviate stress and fear in the laboring mother. It also helps turn off your pain receptors when in labor, so you don’t feel as much pain as you do without it. I honestly can’t recommend massage enough.

2. Aromatherapy

Essential oils have been used during labor for centuries. Some have proven beneficial during labor to help relax the laboring woman, relieve stress, act as a uterine tonic, stimulate circulation, and much more.² To learn more about using essential oils during labor and delivery, read our OB/GYN-reviewed article about the best essential oils to use for labor and delivery.

3. Cold & Hot Compresses

Cold and hot packs can reduce pain and increase comfort during labor and childbirth. Here’s how to use each during labor:

Cold

Place a cold washcloth on the face, neck, and upper chest. This helps to refresh and relax the laboring mom.
If she is experiencing nausea, place a cold washcloth across the back of the neck to help reduce the sensation.
Placing a cold pack on the lower back can help with back labor or back pain.
Place ice packs on the perineum immediately after the birth. This will help reduce swelling.

Hot

Warm, wet towels, a hot pack, a hot water bottle, or a heating pad placed below the pregnant abdomen provide comfort in labor.
Right before pushing, place a warm, wet washcloth on the perineum to reduce perineal discomfort and encourage softening and stretching of the perineal tissues in preparation for birth.
A hot water bottle or hot pack can be applied to the back for back pain during labor.
After birth, during breastfeeding, it helps to have a warm pack or a heating pad on the belly to help alleviate the cramping sensation when the uterus is shrinking back to its original size.³

4. Hydrotherapy

Warm water can provide deep relaxation and meaningful pain relief as contractions intensify.

Hydrotherapy is the use of water for physical or psychological benefits. It is something that all women enjoy once they are in labor. The shower and tub are both fantastic. Here are some of the physiological and psychological benefits:

Ease of movement with greater mobility due to buoyancy (when in the tub)
Relaxation during and between contractions
Safe and effective pain management
Reduction of blood pressure
A sense of control as the mother occupies her warm, private space
It can help with cervical dilation

5. Music

Music is a wonderful tool for pain management. It helps distract the woman from pain and can create a relaxing experience. When music is playing, it helps a laboring woman breathe rhythmically with the music. It also gives her something to focus on rather than focusing on the contractions. Distraction is key when in labor. Check out these 100+ songs to put on your birth playlist.

6. Focused Breathing

Hopefully, your instructor will discuss breathing patterns during labor in your childbirth class. Breathing can help you focus and work with each contraction. Here are some benefits of practicing patterned breathing during labor:

The mother remains in a more relaxed state and will respond more positively to the onset of pain.
The steady rhythm of breathing is calming during labor.
Provides a sense of well-being and control.
Increased oxygen provides more strength and energy for both the mother and baby.
It brings purpose to each contraction, making contractions more productive.⁴

7. Counter Pressure

This hands-on technique relieves back labor and gives partners a concrete way to support you.

Most laboring women enjoy counter pressure since it relieves back labor and other area-specific discomforts. To do it, apply heavy pressure on the painful lower back areas or where you feel the contraction. To learn more about this technique, read how counter pressure can help during labor and how to perform it effectively.

8. Acupressure or Reflexology

We use acupressure to relieve pain, increase contractions, among other things. It’s non-invasive and does not produce any undesirable or potentially harmful side effects that pharmacological pain relief can. You can treat various conditions by applying pressure on specific points with your fingers, elbows, palms, or blunt-tipped instruments.

The primary goal of acupressure is to relieve pain and discomfort, but it can also be used to help babies descend and engage, dilate the mother’s cervix, naturally induce labor, and strengthen contractions in slow, non-progressive labors. Additionally, it can help alleviate nausea, combat fatigue during prolonged labor, and assist posterior-positioned babies in turning to an optimal anterior position for an easier birth.

9. Focal Point

A great coping technique for labor is to have a focal point and look at it. One of the wonderful things about focal points is that you don’t have to practice using them. When contractions get intense, you look at something and focus on it — a crack in the wall, a button on your support person’s shirt, or even one of your ultrasound pictures.

Focal points work to alleviate pain in accordance with the Gate Control Theory.⁸ The brain processes the information you’re seeing, leaving less brain activity to process the pain you are experiencing. Since your brain’s not processing the pain, you’ll feel less of it.

10. Visualization

Visualization can help you focus inward, release tension, and work with your contractions more intentionally.

The opposite of using a focal point is using visual imagery. Visualization during labor is a highly effective technique for managing pain. For example, when you close your eyes and imagine a relaxing place—a sunny beach, a fireside, a bubbling brook, or a pristine lake surrounded by mountains. You can use some pictures from your favorite vacation spots to help you transport your mind there. Laboring women can visualize other helpful things, such as their cervix opening, their baby descending into the birth canal, or their breath as it enters and exits the body.

11. Position Changes

Movement and frequent position changes support your body’s natural labor rhythm and can make contractions feel more manageable.

There are many benefits to changing positions throughout labor. Different positions can aid labor progress and reduce pain sensations by increasing the pelvic opening. Staying in one position for too long can stall the labor progress and make the contractions more painful over time. Make sure to change your position every 30 minutes, or at the longest, every hour. Try these different positions for each stage of labor:

12. Vocalization

When we experience pain or discomfort, it’s normal to use our voices to help with the pain. For example, we all make noises when we stub our toes. Vocalization is a powerful tool. A birthing woman may choose to moan, softly sing, chant, or grunt. She needs to follow her body and understand that making sounds is a good, natural, and helpful thing to do. No apologies are necessary.

13. Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy can be a fantastic tool during labor. With some practice throughout pregnancy, women can learn to become deeply relaxed and free of fear so the uterine muscles can work with minimal pain. Classes, videos, and audio tapes help women learn a conditioned reflex that enables them to create their own state of profound mental relaxation, physical relaxation, and concentration. Two different options available are Hypnobabies and Hypnobirthing.

Related: The Birth Prep Challenge

14. Birth Doula

Women need the information to have a better birthing experience and physical and emotional support. Studies have shown that women supported by other women, like a doula, experience more positive, less complicated births and report more satisfaction with their birth experiences.⁵ They also show less use of interventions during birthing and quicker recoveries.

15. Dimmed Lights

The majority of women go into labor in the middle of the night. This is no accident. Our melatonin levels increase at night, which helps our bodies relax and may start the labor process. When we are exposed to light in labor, it has been shown to slow contractions or even stop them altogether. A study at the University of Florida found that shining blue-green light in a pregnant woman’s eyes at night—similar to staring at a phone or computer screen—can suppress contractions.⁹ Turn the lights out, and you will be more comfortable, and it will help your labor progress.

16. TENS Unit

TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) therapy has been around for years and is a tool women have used during labor as a natural pain reliever to keep them comfortable. It’s a small, hand-held machine that uses a mild and painless electrical current to relieve pain. It’s most commonly used for reducing back pain.

17. Birth Ball and/or Peanut Ball

Birth balls and peanut balls offer gentle support and can make it easier to stay comfortable and relaxed as labor progresses.

A birth ball is simply an exercise ball that comforts and strengthens your lower back when sitting on it. Your pelvis is also better supported and symmetrical, which provides more comfort to laboring women.

A peanut ball is an exercise or therapy ball shaped like a peanut. A recent study found three noticeable benefits in women who used a peanut ball during labor: it shortens labor, reduces the pushing phase, and has helped decrease the number of C-sections.⁶

Women often become tired during labor and may need to rest by sitting or lying down. A birth ball or peanut ball can help them do just that while remaining comfortable and helping the labor progress.

18. Eat and Drink

Women have not been allowed to eat or drink during labor for years, with some hospitals still continuing this today. However, a study by the American Society of Anesthesiologists suggests most healthy women would benefit from eating a light meal during labor.⁷ They concluded that moms in labor need the same kind of energy and calories as marathon runners. Shocking! You are working so hard, and you need the fuel to continue and remain strong and comfortable. When you don’t have that fuel, it can reduce your contractions, resulting in a longer labor. So have light snacks and fluids to keep your energy up.

19. Use the Restroom

Using the restroom and emptying your bladder will help you feel more comfortable, but it will also ensure that your bladder is not holding your baby’s head up, pressing on your cervix, and helping you dilate. Having an empty bladder will allow you to progress better. Going number two is also a good thing! It’s clearing everything out and making room for a baby to get through. Also, squatting on a toilet and relaxing your bottom is excellent for every mama in labor.

20. Walk or Move

It’s incredibly uncomfortable for a laboring woman to remain still while experiencing true labor contractions. The more you walk, move around, and are upright during labor, the more you encourage your baby to descend into the birth canal. Additionally, you’re doing everything possible to keep yourself as comfortable as possible throughout the process. So get up out of that bed and move!

Always talk with your provider before trying any pain relief techniques if you have complications or a high-risk pregnancy.

Every labor unfolds differently, and having a variety of natural comfort tools can help you feel more in control and supported throughout the process. Choose the options that feel right for you, listen to your body, and work closely with your provider or birth team. However your birth unfolds, you deserve to feel safe, cared for, and empowered.