Coping Scale vs Pain Scale
In a Nutshell
People, especially during intense times such as birth, are easily influenced by words and actions. Sometimes when words like “pain” are used, the word can cause you to focus on your sensations as pain instead of “intensity” or “pressure.” When your birth team asks you to rate your “pain,” it can pull you out of your laboring, intuitive brain. Asking "How are you coping?" focuses on the internal and external resources you are using instead of physical sensations. This philosophy is commonly used in childbirth preparation methods using hypnosis such as HypnoBabies™ and HypnoBirthing®.
Dig Deeper
A great alternative is to use shift the wording from "pain scale" to "comfort scale" or "coping scale."
Coping scale was created by Penny Simkin and ranges from: - No need to cope - Easy to cope - Coping well (you can still use the Three R's: Rhythm, Relaxation, Ritual) - Needs a lot of help coping - Not coping
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Your Selection
Prefer to use "Coping Scale"