5 Tips For Labouring At Home

If you’re birthing in one of our Winnipeg Hospitals, (or the Women's Health Clinic Birth Centre!) chances are that you’ll be encouraged to labour at home until labour is very established. Usually this means that unless your water has broken or there are other medical considerations, you will want to labour at home until contractions are about 3-4 minutes apart and one minute long, and you’ll want this pattern to have continued for one hour. Typically waiting until this point makes it much more likely that you will be 4-5cms dilated or more— and that they will admit you and get you settled into a room at the hospital, rahter than send you home to wait some more!

One of the most disheartening things in labour is to go to the hospital only to be told that you’re not far enough along and they are sending you home. Following these tips can increase your chances of staying comfortable at home long enough to only have to make ONE trip to the hospital, and not go home until babe is in your arms.

1. Familiarize yourself with what normal birth looks like and how it progresses.

A common problem is thinking that once contractions start and get hard— it’s time to go to the hospital. For some birthers, this is true— things get hot and heavy really quick! But for most, labour will ebb and flow for many hours (and sometimes days) before it gets intense enough that you need to hit the road.

Knowing about this and having a plan for early labour can help you to hold off on too-early hospital visits. A major part of this is having trust that the labour is progressing normally- that everything is alright. This is where familiarity with the birth process helps you stay in the right frame of mind.

Contractions aren’t a walk in the park- some of them are downright painful. But being able to recognize the productive sensations as something good and welcome is a great start to breezing through early labour.

2. Acknowledge the early contractions, notify your partner and doula or birth photographer to give them a heads up, and then IGNORE IT.

Early labour contractions are often just strong enough that you stop and notice them, take a few breaths and then continue on with what you were doing. This is a great thing! I highly recommend to my clients that they “Do Life” during these early contractions, and continue on with whatever they would normally do- shower, eat, run errands, do some (light) house cleaning. Sit on the couch and enjoy some guilty pleasure tv with a good snack.

Labour requires good doses of oxytocin to get productive contractions going. This oxytocin is often called the love hormone— it is encouraged by things that make you feel calm, secure and loved. And it is disrupted by things that make you feel anxious or stressed. Wanna know one thing that makes you feel anxious? Looking at the clock for each contraction and focusing on how many of them are happening or how long you’ve been ‘in labour’.

By avoiding this focus on each early contraction, labour can seem (and be!) a lot shorter. It’s not uncommon for an entire labour for a first time birther to last up to and beyond 24 hours. However -active- labour, the progress from about 5-10cms, is usually closer to 8 hours. Wouldn’t you want to ignore and skip through 16 hours of contractions if you could?

So take a moment, get excited that this is it— and then continue on your day. Pause for a contraction and send it on its way.

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3. Use water

Drink it, listen to it, soak in it, let it run over you. Water can be an amazing comfort tool during both early and active labour, and it’s one of the easiest ones to use at home. The first past is the easiest. Any athlete will tell you that a hydrated body copes better, and this stays true in birth too. Keep a water bottle close in hand and take a sip after every contraction.

Once you can no longer just ignore contractions, use water to cope. A hot shower is a good first step- enjoy the sounds, the privacy and use the water to distract from the labour sensations. If you have a removable shower head, water on your lower back or stomach can feel amazing, but if not, the heat and water pressure can still go a long way!

If a shower isn’t working for you, a bath is a great next step. Immersion into water is often referred to as an “aquadural” and the buoyancy, heat and pressure from the water helps many women to deal with labour contractions, right from early labour through transition. If you’re birthing at the hospital or birthing centre, you probably won’t have a birthing pool at home, but even a normal bathtub can give you some relief.

4. Encourage touch

For most birthers, reassuring touch helps them stay relaxed through labour contractions. The type of touch you need will likely change during labour, but try different types at different times and see what works for you!

Soft, fluttery, constant touch where a partner rubs lightly on your neck, back, arms and legs can help to produce oxytocin and encourage relaxation. This can be done with light butterfly style finger flutters or just a light hand dragged over the skin.

When contractions intensify, a firmer touch is often needed. Using strong hands and massage techniques with someone you love or trust helps you relax in between contractions so that you’re ready for the next one.

Counterpressure. Counte-what? It may not be familiar but you’ll likely fall in love with this by the end of your birth and it’s a great thing to get started with earlier in labour. Once contractions are strong and you’re finding you really need to work through them, having your support person provide steady, strong pressure with the heel of their hands into your lower back can be pure magic. This gives you something to relax against when your instincts are to tense up with the pressure. Especially if you are experiencing back labour, counterpressure is your friend!

5. Get your body moving!

Once those contractions are rolling into active labour, keeping moving is key! Movement keeps your body from tensing up, makes it easier for baby to find their path down the birth canal, and sends endorphins through your body that help to temper the pain.

Your movement can be as simple as walking around the house, doing stairs or swaying slowly with a partner. Or get your groove going and dance out those labour tensions! Many a viral video have started with a good beat and a labour mama working to cope with contractions. So put on some encouraging tunes and dance that pain away.

However you choose to cope during early labour, surround yourself with positive people and things that will encourage you. If you haven't hired a doula yet, that's a great first step! A doula will help to remind you of many of these tricks during your early labour and can give you guidance if you're feeling a little lost.

For more information about Winnipeg doula service, click through to my doula page. Or drop me a line below and we'll set up a time to chat in person!

And stay tuned for a list of what I keep in my at home "Labour Bin" for my own births-- a great collection of both practical and comfort items.

5 Tips for Labouring At Home