Did you really *relax* during labor? - Page 2

[Catherine12]

I did relax during contractions (up until pushing stage). I had taken a Bradley class before our first was born, so I had practiced relaxing a lot. Sometimes I would want to be more active, so I would walk around, but I still mostly managed to keep the muscles I wasn't using for walking relaxed, especially abdominal muscles. I think it really helped with the pain.

One thing that helped me "learn" to relax was to practice doing it during perineal massage in the weeks leading up to the birth (since perineal massage can be pretty uncomfortable).

[zoebird]

i found it possible. my whole birth was pleasurable. DS was posterior.

[Right of Passage]

I stayed very relaxed during labor. I focused on keeping my jaw, mouth, hands, and feet loose and soft. A doula had told me, while I was pregnant with my second, that a loose mouth and jaw makes for a loose bottom and that it also helps to keep your hands and feet relaxed. It helped with DS2's labor, and it did the trick again with DS3's labor. I tensed up once during my last birth and that was when I realized I HAD to push and couldn't not push, I took a deep breath, let go of my mind, and did what my body wanted. When I tensed up it was the only pain I felt the whole labor.

[Peony]

I had no problems relaxing during DD1 and DD2's birth, I even fell asleep during a portion of my labor with #1. It hurt certainly but I could tune it out during times. Not the case with DS, my third child. He was OP and a 4.5 hour labor, I just felt like I got hit by a train and I was struggling the entire time to get ahead but never could. I knew the tricks, had all the tools, nothing helped. It was a night and day difference in pain, if you had told me that I was going to die then I probably would of believed you. Honestly, that was the worst experience of my life, I don't look back at that day with joy like I do with my other children, all I remember is lots of overwhelming intense pain.

[Sudonk]

I used self-hypnosis as others mentioned. It took some work to stay relaxed using the limited education I got the first time around from HypnoBirthing, but once I learned Hypnobabies, it was easy. I think the difference was that Hypnobabies teaches a technique that allowed me to move around really easily while remaining very relaxed. The first time around, I had to fight my body's desire to move into better positions, because I couldn't be relaxed and mobile. But with my Hypnobabies births, I could move normally, get into whatever position my body wanted, and remain very relaxed. One of those births was 24 hours with a malpositioned baby who didn't drop until 6 minutes before birth, and the other was an intense 3-hour birth.

One thing I really liked about the Hypnobabies skills was that it taught me to relax all my muscles AROUND the uterus and allow all my strength to concentrate in my uterus, so it could work very efficiently. That image really resonated with me, and made me feel like my relaxation directly influenced how powerfully by body was able to move through the stages of birth.

[SeekingJoy]

I was for the second completely. For my first, I was able to until the crappy nurses started yelling at me and pulling me out of the shower. Live and learn.

[an_aurora]

I was definitely very relaxed for my 2nd birth (1st homebirth). I was so relaxed that my arms and legs were floating in the tub. I did vocal toning (basically vocalizing low sounds) and it was wonderful! With DS, it was a little tougher because he was bigger and I definitely could tell while I was birthing him! I was still pretty relaxed but I had to do some funky hip motions to work him through my pelvis.

[Plummeting]

I had a relatively short, uncomplicated OP labor with DD1. It was just under 5 hours and I was able to relax for about the first 3 of those. After that, no way.

With DD2, I had a VERY short OA labor. It was under one hour from the first real contraction and I could never relax. It was way, way, way too intense.

Based on my own personal experience, I think that whether or not I personally am able to relax has to do with how intense and how painful it is. There comes a point where it's just TOO MUCH for me to relax. It doesn't happen anymore.

[phathui5]

I was able to relax during labor, though I've never tried having an OP baby. The best I remember was when dh and I were watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and eating snowballs.

[RedOakMomma]

I've never beeing through a posterior positioned birth, but with my other births I was able to relax completely. The only times I lost that relaxation when when I got distracted or had to come out of my mental space to do something (climb up on a bed, move between rooms, go to the hospital, etc.). Even then, a long as I could stay in that place long enough, I could readjust.

I did a lot of Bradley techniques and Ina May (Guide to Childbirth) techniques. Keeping my body and mouth relaxed, down to even my toes, was important and worked SO WELL. If I felt I needed pressure or to tighted muscles, I leaned on something instead (a wall, a table) and concentrated on making the rest of my body as supple as possible. I also worked on relaxing through contractions.

In both labors, I reached a very meditative place during transition. In my first birth (3.5 hours of pushing) I was that way during pushing, too. I even fell asleep between contractions. I think staying relaxed, knowing what my body was doing, trusting my body, and not allowing fear in were all important.