What Shall I Do in Early Labour?
Adopting different positions can be useful in early labour. Find what is comfortable for you. Everyone is different and you may find changing your position regularly can help. Many women report lying on their back to be most uncomfortable and this may slow labour progress down. Instead try being on all fours, or lying on your side to rest.
Many women decide to use a birth ball during early labour as they find sitting on it comfortable and gently bouncing, rocking or circling your hips on the ball may help you manage the feeling of the contractions.
I just relaxed and followed what my body wanted to do and what positions felt good
I already had a gym ball so I pumped that up ready
I kept active where possible, changing position or location to keep comfortable, sofa to rocking chair to gym ball
I took some paracetamol and walked around lots, squatted at the end of the bed
Focusing on your breathing is one way of staying relaxed and managing your contractions. Rehearse these techniques before you go into labour. As your contraction starts focus on your “out breaths”, making them as long as possible, as you blow any pain away. Keep your body, shoulders and jaw as relaxed as you can throughout. Slowly counting in your head whilst you focus on breathing can also help.
Deep, slow breathing – concentrate on that!
Focusing on the plants in my room… helped me breathe through the contractions
I wish I had learned more about breathing techniques
(Before I went into labour) I had a breathing CD I listened to in the car
I did prenatal yoga and there were visualisation and breathing techniques that I practised
Mummy-natal classes helped me to learn breathing techniques and relaxation techniques
I went to pregnancy yoga classes which helped with breathing techniques
Many women find a relaxing warm bath or shower helpful. The warm water can help with contractions and is one way of remaining calm at home. A hot-water bottle can also be soothing to use for backache in early labour.
I was prepared with… a hot water bottle!
I wish I had my bath installed antenatally as I only had a shower at the time!
The bath may have been good – if it was bigger – so I could fit!
Sitting on the toilet and holding the shower head over my back with warm water coming out was good
TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. A TENS for use in labour is a battery operated machine, with a hand held remote control. Sticky pads are attached to your back and the machine sends small, safe, electrical pulses to the pads on your skin. This can feel like a buzzing or tingling sensation and the strength of the pulses can be adjusted to your liking on the controller. There is normally the option to boost the TENS output during a contraction. Many women find using a TENS machine useful in early labour. You may want to look into buying or hiring a TENS machine. The TENS machine should not be worn in or around water!
I was prepared with a TENS machine!
I have had 2 children and with both of them I hired a TENS machine
TENS machine – loved this!
If you hire a tens machine make sure you and your birthing partner know how to use it before your due date!
I practised with the TENS machine on its first setting a few times in the last few weeks. This meant I knew what to feel and my partner knew how to put them on
The TENS machine worked really well for me and was even more effective once I found the boost button
Finding ways to distract yourself in early labour may be useful. This can be anything! Dancing, reading, cooking or watching the television are good distraction techniques. Going for a walk can be a good distraction in early labour. Although remaining mobile and active can be good for encouraging your labour to progress, if it is the middle of the night, it is best to try and sleep. As your contractions become more regular, it may be more difficult to rest so make the most of any time you may have at the beginning of your labour to preserve your energy.
I bought some DVDs to watch (Sherlock in my case)!
(When early labour started) I walked to the pub for lunch!
I went into my lounge and turned the TV on
We like boxing and there was a big fight in Vegas – we watched it!
I went for a walk with my partner; we watched some films and played several games of Scrabble
Carry on as normal... for as long as you can ignore labour - it's exciting when it's your first, but it's usually a long slog and if you are paying attention to every twinge it will feel even longer!
(When early labour started) I went back to sleep as my contractions started at 3am. I wanted to have as much sleep as possible as I knew I would need lots of energy
Hypnobirthing is an increasingly popular antenatal education programme. It teaches women a variety of breathing, relaxation, self-hypnosis and meditation techniques to encourage confidence, positivity and calm throughout labour. You may decide to find a local hypnobirthing class to join antenatally but many women decide to read about the techniques and practice them with their birth partners without attending formal classes. You may find these techniques useful to try during early labour at home.
Hypnobirthing sessions made it easier to relax
I went on a course in Hypnobirthing and practised this at home with my husband