“Labour” is aptly named, it is exceptionally hard work! it also seems to be one of those things for which experience doesn’t necessarily improve the process. But it is a marvellous miracle nonetheless!
I should probably start with a caution for the squeamish: parts of this discussion include descriptions of bodily functions which may be TMI for some.
I wish all my babies’ arrivals were as smooth as my 2nd full-term baby’s was: 2.5 hours of active labour during which only 3 of the contractions were truely painful, then 15min of pushing before our beautiful girl was lifted into my arms. However, my body promptly went into shock from it all happening so fast. My other deliveries have ranged from slightly harder, to painfully traumatic and requiring medical intervention, but (my miscarriages aside) all this effort was rewarded with the joy of meeting our newest little one.
Here I’ve documented things I found to be useful for labour and delivery…
Perineal Prep:
Beginning about three weeks before due date, eat a handful of dates daily (this encourages elasticity, thus reducing average labour times by several hours)
Also, rub a little of the following blend on the perineum up to three times per day: 5 drops each of Geranium and Lavender essential oils in 2 Tablespoons of a carrier oil such as almond or coconut oil.
Finally, consider trimming the pubic hair short: blood tends to clot stuff together, so some preemptive careful snipping with scissors can simplify postpartum hygiene.
Massage oil for Labor Pain: Combine a few drops each of any/all these essential oils:
Helichrysum
Fennel
Peppermint
Ylang Ylang
Clary Sage.
Dilute this mixture 50/50 with a carrier Oil. Massage into lower stomach and/or lower back during contractions.
Heat and movement for labour pain: A heat pack can be so helpful on the lower stomach, as can warm water from a bath or shower (depending on what positions are feeling best) Changing position and other movement can also be helpful: rocking, pacing, swaying, and vocalising can all help with attempting to stay relaxed through each contraction. Around transition I usually feel very hot, and although I keep applying a heatpad to my lower tummy through contractions, Hubby ends up wetting a face cloth under the cold tap and holding it for me to press my face into. I’ve used hospital heat pads and ice packs, but prefer to have my own thick cotton face cloth.
A drink bottle of fruit juice, or liquid chlorophyll for a slight energy boost now and then.
Throat lozenges: I’m very vocal in labour. I try to keep my sounds low pitched and relaxed like a whale song or lowing cow, but by the end of some contractions (despite my best effort) I’ve tensed right up - voice included, which leaves me with a sore throat.
Some of my mental prep before every labour is to look up an amazing visual explanation of what the uterine muscles are doing to efface the cervix during early labour, then dilate as labour progresses.
Search online for video “Balloon and ping pong ball labour”
Massage Oil for After Pains: I don’t remember this being an issue after baby #1, but with subsequent babies I’ve applied diluted Geranium and/or Lavender Essential oil to my tummy and sometimes also propped a hot pack on my lower tummy when feeding baby for the fist couple of days as the uterus clamps back down.
Perineal recovery: an ice pack slipped between knickers and maternity pad can soothe swelling and numb grazes/tears and reduce haemorrhoids. There is no other time in my life when I’ve been willing to put something so cold on such sensitive skin, but for about 48 hours following birth I use ice packs a lot.
Recovery Leggings: my Recovery Leggings from SRChealth.com are almost as valuable to me as their pregnancy support leggings. I use full length ones to support circulation as my spider veins and varicose veins slowly disappear, the reenforced crotch supports vulvar varicoses and keeps haemorrhoids in place, the abdomen support holds my diastasis recti closer together, also stops my umbilical hernia from popping out, reduces back pain, and as an added bonus - covers my belly when I lift my shirt up to breastfeed baby.
Some other things I make sure to pack for a hospital stay:
Phone and charger, I make sure to have on the phone an audioBible, soothing music, and some light interesting reading.
Snacks like beef jerky, honeyed nuts, dried apricots and prunes.
Toiletries, including toothbrush, shampoo, maternity pads, nursing pads, lip balm, and a roll or two of really soft toilet paper (Quilton Gold is good)
Claw clip or something to get hair up and out of the way.
Pillow, I can sleep so much easier with my own feather pillow rather than the hospital’s stiff ones.
Loose light clothes and warm socks.
Dressing gown or long blouse: There’s this floral blue blouse which comes halfway down my thighs which I’ve almost always laboured in and is much nicer to wear than the hospital gown I had to put on for one baby. Either button-down-front or wrap style with nothing underneath means easy skin-on-skin access as soon as baby’s born.
For taking baby home: singlet, onesie, hat, jumper, car seat
Further mental prep for each labour is that I review a couple of acronyms I found which nicely summarise my approach to childbirth:
Encourage, praise, reassure
Massage, follow her cues
Position, change around often
Open mind, labour can progress differently than anticipated
Walk, movement indoors and outdoors
Empty bladder and bowels, hourly is not too often
Refreshments, light easy food in early labour, fluids throughout
Breathing, deep breaths to relax tension and release muscles
Imagine, mental pictures of what is happening inside
Relaxation, as labour builds, low pitched moans and groans can keep the throat from tightening
Trust, your body is doing something it is beautifully designed to do
Honour the process
Surroundings, ideally a fairly private, quiet, dimly lit room with peaceful sounds and smells
ASSESSING INTERVENTIONS:
Benefits of whatever is being suggested?
Risks of whatever is being suggested?
Alternatives?
Alternatives?
Intuition - what is our gut feeling?
Nothing - what if we wait an hour? (Or more)
Finally, I thought I’d share my experiences with natural ways to encourage an overdue baby:
Raspberry leaf tea. Frankly, this doesn’t seem to have any inducing effect for me, but I’ve drunk bucketloads of it anyway over the years as tea made from the leaves is a uterine tonic which I often introduce around 30weeks, gradually increasing the quantity I drink. Except during the pregnancies I experienced extensive prodromal labour, at those times I decided I DIDN’T need to encourage by uterine muscles to do any extra toning work! If you have access to raspberry plants, pick a heap of leaves before the berries form and dry them in a really low oven for future use.
Nipple stimulation: this definitely strengthened my Brackston Hicks contractions, but never kickstarted real labour. Continuing the romance however, has been very effective for me - several times labour has started for real immediately following my first post-due-date-orgasm.
Pressure points: deep massage and/or infrared light on the appropriate pressure points seems to have encountered my most recent labours to start close to their due dates. My Chiropractor used infrared in my last week of pregnancy and at home we have used massage along the lines of the DIY tips here: https://www.momjunction.com/articles/how-to-induce-labor-with-acupressure_00119638/
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