Some of My Labor Tips

Something that makes this post difficult to write is that every woman's labor is so different, and even the same woman's labor from baby to baby can be very different. You really never know what to expect. I've known people who've had labors that last days, and then others who go into labor all of a sudden and then have their baby three hours later. Both of these are extremes, and the more common scenario is that you would have a longer early stage of labor, followed by several hours of more intense labor, an hour or two of pushing, and then the delivery. I believe the average time for a first labor is about 12-24 hours. My first was 24 hours long almost exactly, and my second was 7 hours. But it tends to be better to psyche yourself up for a fairly long labor, and to be prepared for the long haul. So, here's some tips...

For early labor:

*Try to eat if you can, and eat foods high in energy and easy on the stomach. Some good ideas are energy bars, yogurt, and honey.
*Take advantage of this time and get things ready to go to the hospital before it is too late and you are too out of it to pack a bag. Also, take a shower, which will make you feel better and can help your labor progress. You can also get in the bathtub as long as your water hasn't broken.
*Walk around, but also conserve your energy. You may have a long road ahead and should stay active, yet take time to rest in between.
*Drink lots of water

As the labor picks up:

*You can begin to walk around more if you have enough energy, it can really help your labor to progress
*Drink lots of water (especially if you want to avoid getting an IV)
*Use a variety of laboring positions, such as:
--sitting on a "birth ball" (one of those big inflatable exercise balls)
--leaning against a chair or bed
--on your hands and knees on the floor or on a bed
--on the toilet
--leaning against your husband or other labor help (you can do this walking too)

Try these different positions throughout your labor and you'll soon find one or two that work the best for you. But try to change positions and get up and walk a little every 30 minutes or so. This helps progress your labor and also helps get your mind off of the pain.

*Use pain relief techniques, such as:
--breathing deeply and slowly, deep moaning
--rocking your hips back and forth
--the hip squeeze (have your husband or labor helper squeeze your hips together from behind) -- this especially helps if you're having back labor
--rocking forward and back either on the birth ball or on your hands and knees

For Pushing:
--remember to breathe often during this stage, you can use both quick short breaths during pushes, and then in between contractions, take longer, deeper breaths

I'm going to add more to this soon!