What is a Labour Comb?

As the name suggests a labour comb is a comb identical to what you might use on your hair.

It is held in the palm of your hand during labour to assist with pain management. Often birth combs will have a rounded edge on the teeth so as to not enforce injury to the hand.

There are several theories as to why the birth comb may actually help to support pain relief in labour.

1.         It offers a very easy way to distract the labouring mother from the pain associated with a contraction.

2.         By gripping the comb in your palm teeth facing into the palm sitting just underneath where the fingers would meet your palm, the teeth of the comb hit certain acupressure points in the hand which assist to relieve pain.

3.         Gate Control Theory. Ok this is where it gets a bit technical. So here’s a very untechnical way of explaining it (Remember I’m not a health expert so please do your own research). Gate Control Theory centres around the idea that as pain messages get sent up the spine to be processed in the brain it may be possible to block these messages via the pathway before they reach your brain. In order for us to actually receive the pain signal and thus interpret the feeling of pain, the pain signal must pass through the dorsal horn of the spinal cord. This acts as a ‘gate’ that has the ability either stop or let through nerve impulses (i.e pain signals) to the brain therefore disabling or enabling us to actually feel pain.

Pheeeew. Are you still with me? That was a lot to take in. So when we look at labour and Gate control theory, by offering an additional stimuli such as a labour comb, we may have the ability to effectively close off the ‘gate’ thereby blocking the pain from being received and most importantly ‘felt’.

 

So why would I use a comb and not a TENS machine?

Well you can actually use both. A TENS  (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) Machine uses a low voltage electrical current that delivered via the skin on or near the nerves to block the transmission of pain signals.

TENS Machines have been well known to offer pain relief during labour but they do have their limitations. For example they cannot be used for water birth or labouring in the shower. So this is where you’re Comb comes in.

 

A good quality comb such as the one made by Seasons of Mama is sustainably made and water proof (i.e. not made from wood) so it can be used in water. A longer comb such as this can be gripped with both hands if preferred. You will notice that the teeth on a birth comb are also much more rounded than a regular hair comb. This is important as it ensures that you don't cause any unnecessary trauma to your hand from gripping the comb

 

If you find yourself in the position of having an emergency C-section the comb can be used to hold as a distraction and to reduce stress prior to and during the birth.

 

A birth comb also makes a beautiful keepsake for storytelling with your child or simply to hold on to memories of your birth. And last but not least the comb can always be used as a standard hair comb if desired. Perfect after all the huffing and puffing from labour.

 

So there you have it. As always please speak to your health care provider to learn more about pain management during labour and to determine what is best for you based on your individual circumstances.