Making Your Labor EasierSeptember 09, 2020

For first-time moms, or women who are having a vaginal birth for the first time, trying to imagine the sensations that your body will go through in labor is something that is on the top of the mind for most. I believe that labor and birth is something that you can’t quite wrap your mind and body around unless you’ve experienced it yourself. That being said, I think that being as prepared as possible for the sensations in labor and birth is a great idea. And, that is possible even if you’ve never given birth! There are specific techniques and skills you can practice prior to birth-day, that will help you to mimic what the body will do.

1. Manage your emotions

This could be one of the most important aspects of labor and birthing. Your mindset and emotional state are so connected to how your body is able to respond to the sensations you’re feeling. If you’re scared, stressed, or feeling rushed and pressured, the chances are it could interrupt the labour progress. Alternatively, if you feel like you’re free to labor at your own pace if you are comfortable in your space, and if you’re able to focus inwards on your body, you’ll have a more successful time at allowing your body and baby to do what it needs to do. This goes for everyone in the room/space surrounding you during labor. Although you might get to a point where you don’t notice anyone or anything, there will likely be many times where you’re feeding off the energies of others. This can be fantastic if those people are helping you to feel as comfortable as possible, encouraging you, and helping your focus. Don’t be timid or nervous to speak up if they’re making you feel any more stress.

This is your birth and you deserve to feel supported in it.

2. Breathe your baby down

If you’ve seen babies being born on TV or in the movies, you’ve likely seen some interesting breathing techniques being used. Lol. Breathing is integral to birthing. Focused breathing can really help you. Practice Pranayama. It is a breathing technique used in Yoga for centuries. The more the Oxygen you get into your system, it will help you to relax. Manage sensations of pain. Bring yourself back into your body and into the moment, helping labor progress and will affect how the core and pelvic floor muscles are able to generate strength, plus how they’re able to relax.

3. Push when you feel ready

A mom should push when she feels the sensations and overwhelming need to push, not purely when she is told the time is now. But, how will you know when you’re ready to push? All  can be said is,“You’ll know.”There’s an undeniable response from within the body that you’re ready, that you need to, that you can’t hold back from pushing now.  There should be no forcing of pushes, or pushing time. Not only may these pushes be ineffective (exhausting!), but they may do more harm than good to the pelvic floor .

4. Pushing is not the same as bearing down on the pelvic floor

Essentially, the uterus is extremely strong and will be contracting to move the baby down. It’s almost like labor progresses in a “two steps forward, one step back” scenario. Through a contraction, the baby moves down, and then in the rest time between contractions, the baby moves back up slightly but stays a bit further down than it was previously.Avoid continual straining or bearing down on the pelvic floor, as it can put undue stress on your perineum and pelvic organs. You need to will the perineum to stay open, to stay yielding to the pressure. Instead of straining down on your pelvic floor, doing the effort while the pelvic floor can relax. You may also want to change the language around “pushing” for yourself if that helps you connect to your body, yet not bear down on the pelvic floor extremely hard.

5. Try different positions

Well, labor and birth often do NOT happen in this manner. In fact, lying on your back can be incredibly uncomfortable and an ineffective birthing position for many women. Birthing on your back is often described as trying to ‘push your baby up a hill’. Essentially, the pelvis is in a tucked under position, mom is fixed on her back so the pelvis is unable to shift or move, and baby is unable to really use the forces of gravity to help themselves move downwards.

Other, effective positions you can try in labor and birth:

• Side-Lying
• Hands and Knees: you can rock your pelvis back and forth
• Squatting
• Leaning Forward
• Seated

These positions might work best at different times while you’re laboring and in birth. Test them out. See what feels best. Keep your pelvis moving and it can help baby move and shift into a better position in your pelvis.

6. Do your core and floor training during pregnancy

This is an incredibly important point to make. During pregnancy, you should be doing exercises that train the core and pelvic floor. Practicing core and pelvic floor strengthening and relaxation throughout the pregnancy make a big difference in how effective a pregnant ladies can push during labor. This doesn’t mean crunches, leg raises, sit-ups, and a million planks. This means exercises that:

• Teach you how to breathe properly.
• Teach you how to generate tension in your pelvic floor muscles and abdominals.

Teach you how to allow the abdominals and pelvic floor muscles to release tension (so important for baby to be able to move and shift).

7. Postpartum Care

All women and their families need to be aware of danger signs during the postnatal period. Review the emergency plans they made during pregnancy and see whether they are still valid. The postpartum period involves your moving through many changes, both emotionally and physically. You are also learning how to deal with all the changes needed with becoming a new mother. This is where My Womb Maternity Care can help.  Our professional & experienced Post Delivery Caregivers will walk the mother through the postpartum period. Customized massage & bathing techniques help to reduce body pain and relax the body. It improves sound sleep for the mother. No more horror postpartum stories. Our Post Delivery Care services are available all across urban parts of Kerala including, Cochin, Ernakulam, Edapally, Kakkanad, Kaloor, Aluva, Thripunithura