The language of labour pain: Understanding how words influence women’s experiences

Therapeutic communication with women in labour is a potentially simple, cheap and effective way of improving health outcomes. There is an urgent need to improve approaches to supporting women through childbirth. This study aims to identify the types of language used by caregivers while caring for women in labour and assess potential effects on women’s experiences of pain, confidence to cope and decisions regarding pain management. This study will identify ‘supportive’ and ‘harmful’ language used by caregivers with a view to develop an inventory of phrases that are likely to improve women’s birthing experiences and health outcomes.