How Can I Prepare for Early Labour?
Women and their birth partners who prepare for early labour tend to have better experiences. Preparation may help manage expectations of what it is going to be like to be in early labour.
One great way of starting to prepare is to begin to pack your birth bag. Whether you are planning to have your baby at home, at a birth centre or at hospital, getting a bag together means you do not need to try and find things whilst you are in early labour. Aim to have this done about a month before your due date so you can relax knowing everything is organised.
See packing list exampleA good way of preparing your home for early labour can be to create a comfortable and relaxing environment. Your home is likely to provide these things already but ensuring you have enough pillows, soft mood lighting and any other home comforts can help you feel calm in early labour.
Preparing some playlists to listen to at home in early labour can be useful. Music can be a good distraction and may also make you feel positive, happy or calm.
Some women find creating a “birth board” before labour can help give them confidence. Your birth board should be individually tailored to you and if it is transportable, you might like to take it from home to your chosen birth place. Things that can be useful on your birth board are visual aids to help you remain positive, calm and confident. Some women find positive quotes, symbols and images about birth useful to look at whilst in early labour. Sometimes something as simple as your baby’s scan pictures can give you the boost you need to cope in early labour at home.
I also purchased some beeswax candles to burn and massage oil
I made sure I had a space in the house where I was going to feel comfortable during early labour
I did some emotional preparation too
I read lots of information about labour and asked my friends who had given birth about their experiences
Another way to prepare for being at home in early labour is to stock up on snacks and drinks. It is important to keep hydrated and energised as you will need energy for the rest of your labour and birth. If possible, small, carbohydrate rich, regular meals will help you keep your energy levels up but many women find it difficult to eat meals as their contractions progress. If this happens, high energy snacks are useful to have in the house.
Snacks such as fruit, nuts and seeds, sweets, cereal bars (and even a little chocolate!) is a good way of maintaining your energy levels. Drinking plenty of water or isotonic sports drinks is also really important to stay hydrated.
I read a number of books about labour (to learn) about the different stages of labour which I found really useful
As time ticked away we lit candles to help keep the environment calm and a nice place to be
Ensure you have paracetamol at home. This is safe to take in labour (unless this is not normally something you take). Make sure you always follow the manufacturers’ guidance to ensure you are taking them correctly. Paracetamol can help with backache and help ease the pain associated with your early labour contractions.