The importance of pain histories for latent phase labour.

Abstract

Latent phase labour has been identified as a challenging time for women (Cheyne et al 2007, Barnett et al 2008, Hundley et al 2020) and midwives (Cheyne & Hundley 2009, Hanley et al 2016). A key question is how best to support women during this period without increasing their risk of unnecessary interventions; managing labour pain is an important aspect. In this paper we suggest that midwives can draw on lessons from the field of musculoskeletal conditions, where it is well-acknowledged that there are multiple factors that contribute to constructing perceptions of chronic or long-term pain across the lifespan. We draw on knowledge around a woman’s previous pain experiences and how this may contribute to perceptions of labour pain. We propose that midwives have an early discussion with women about their previous pain experiences. This paper is presented as one of two papers aimed at ‘unpicking’ elements of pain perception in labour.