Your Labour Coping Techniques « Back to Group Discussions

[travelmumma]

Hi Mummas!!

I have had a few lots of Practise Contrax now and it has got me thinking-

How are YOU planning to cope through labour? 

Anything from "breathing through them" to "Epidural" welcome :)

We are planning a home birth so this is what is on our list

-Rhythmic slow breathing

- Focused relaxtion

- Ignoring Contrax until I cant ignore them any longer

- Bath/Shower/Tub

- Walking

- Yoga Ball

- Leaning against/over walls, benches. DH etc

- Sitting on the toilet

- Focusing on the breaks in between contrax

- Massage

- DH reminding me of quotes eg "Let your moneky do it"  "One closer to meeting our baby, honey!" "Let go in your shoulders, jaw, hands and legs" etc :)

- Humming/Moaning/Vocalising

What are YOU planning on doing? :) I am going to write these all down for me and Hubby to remember in labour :)

[annaka]

Great ones! I'll add one that worked for me for my 2nd, and I plan on doing it for my third coming soon:

Accupressure. From as simple as sqeezing a comb in the palm of my hand, to my awesome hubby pressing certains spots on my back, calves, and feet. The comb really helped me. It releases natural endorphines which help a person relax and seemed to take away some of the pain.

[Lilac11]

Love the brainstorming!

What worked the first time:

- HOT bath in birthing tub right up till the end

- Focused relaxation - especially hands, feet, face, forehead, jaw (makes ya look silly tho!  )

- Concentrating on slow breathing

- DH would squeeze out a cold washcloth onto my forehead - felt great!

- At the end: singing - but it was really just my midwife and DH LOL I couldn't manage to sing, but it gave me something to concentrate on

This time, just in case the tub is not available I want to practice some good 'land' positions, and massages for DH to do, and visualizations like the pain of the ctx moving and flowing through me (not stopping).  Also remind myself what a happy joyful moment it is and not scary.  "My body and my baby know exactly what to do" sort of things.

Going to read Ina May Gaskin's book again, but not till closer to due date time.

Keep the great ideas coming!

[cieloazul]

Annaka, could you please describe the comb thing more? That sounds interesting and easy.

What I found helpful last time...

• A special photo focal point with spiritual significance to me
• Music, music, music; songs I could sing to and that again had spiritual significance to me
• Clary sage essential oil
• Changing positions like getting on all fours, standing with my arms leaning against the bed so belly hung down, and sitting on the toilet (relaxes the pelvic floor)
• When my doula reframed my statements of "I can do it" into "I *am* doing it!"
• Low, guttural sounds
• DH and doula on either side of me pushing the top of my hips together to help them open below
• My pillows from bed
• Lots of perineal massage while I pushed at my own pace for a couple hours (no tears!)
• Closing my eyes and imagining myself jumping into the very center of the sensations if that makes any sense. Also, visualizing a web connecting me to every other woman in the world who was laboring right then. I didn't see DS crown or emerge, which I would have liked to, but going inward was an amazing source of strength especially at the very end.

I'll add that a lot of what I expected to do/use never came up, and a few things that I knew about but never imagined doing turned out to be very valuable. Fill the toolbox then use what you need.

[annaka]

Sure! Just find/buy a cheap small comb, like the kind a man would carry in his pocket. ;) Hold it in your palm with the teeth pressing right in the crease. Then just cup it and press it in whenever a ctx comes on or whenever you'd like. It is easy, and it helped me! I still remember how the tingle would seem to go up my arm and help me relax my tense areas: mostly for me my shoulders and jaw.

[Lilac11]

Originally Posted by cieloazul 

I'll add that a lot of what I expected to do/use never came up, and a few things that I knew about but never imagined doing turned out to be very valuable. Fill the toolbox then use what you need.

So true!

So many good ideas here!

Annaka that sounds great - I'm putting it in my toolbox! 

[cieloazul]

Thanks, Annaka!