8 Tips to Labor at Home Longer
True or false: Going to the hospital when you immediately feel contractions is the necessary thing to do once labor starts. False! There are many misconceptions surrounding women in labor and this is one of them. Many women who have decided on birthing in a hospital setting are opting to labor in the privacy of their own homes in favor of arriving at the hospital during the transition phase when they would be ready to start pushing. It is no secret that women labor best where they feel the most comfortable.
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Make Laboring At Home Part of Your Birth Plan
A birth plan is a working document of how you would like your birth experience to go. Birth plans are unique to every individual and no plan is right or wrong. Just like you would include such desired outcomes such as denial of episiotomy , delayed cord clamping, and skin to skin it is important for you to have a conversation with your provider about your wishes to labor at home for as long as possible. This conversation should begin during your prenatal visits so that your doctor can keep you abreast of what is happening with your body and baby and can inform you of any potential risks to birthing at home with specific regard to your pregnancy.
Many women are opting to build a relationship with a doula in order to help them prepare and assist them with laboring at home. Doulas are wonderful assets for pregnant families to consider as they provide educational resources, provide assistance in self advocacy, and are a stable emotional and physical support for a birthing woman and her partner. They know tips and tricks to make labor more comfortable and data has shown that working with a doula can lower the necessity for medication during labor and also lower the rate of cesarean section.
Whether you are home with your partner or have the added benefit of a doula, if you feel like something is off or you have a question. Please reach out to your medical provider immediately. Your provider or the on call resource personnel will be able to assist you in anyway that they can. There may be instances where you may have to arrive at the hospital sooner rather than later and that is okay. One should never feel disappointed in modifying their birth plan in order to do what is safest for them self and their baby.
Automate Things so You Can Focus On Yourself
The day your labor kicks in it will be super helpful to have things set into place so that you can automate your life and not get stuck worrying about the little things. Make sure to have your house stocked with your favorite food staples. It is important to continue to nurture your body and sustain your energy by allowing yourself to eat when your body calls for it. If you are not in the mood for a heavy meal foods like fruits, party veggies, nut bars, and protein shakes are good snacks to have on hand. It is also a great idea to prepare some home made foods in advance, and keep them in the freezer so that way you don’t have to worry about cooking once the baby has arrived.
Utilize a smart home hub like the echo plus in order to voice activate Alexa compatible devices and appliances. For instance if you are in a kneeling position and don’t want to break your flow or your focus you can say something like, “Alexa turn on the lights”, or “Alexa turn on the diffuser”. Support your smart hub by using smart plugs which are wifi enabled to connect to other devices such as charging your phone.
Make sure to have your bags packed and in a place that is easily accessible so that when it is time to leave the house you can just get up and go. My husband and I were told we were going to need an induction but our son had other plans very early in the morning 5 days before the induction date. I labored at home for four hours while my husband was sleeping. When the bloody show made its appearance and my body started to progress rapidly I woke my husband up and the both of us scrambled like a bunch of chickens with our heads cut off trying to pack our bags with what we needed before we left for the birth center. In our haste we left a bunch of things behind. As a result of this experience I always recommend for birthing people and their partners to have their primary essentials packed ahead of time.
Create A Relaxing Atmosphere
It has been found that babies generally like to make their way into the world in the middle of the night or in the wee hours of the morning. The maternal circadian rhythm is a real thing, a study printed in the 1994 European Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology suggested that the fetus of a primate mother sends out information via the mother about ambient lighting during the day signaling to a woman’s body the most favorable time of the day to deliver their babies. It’s best to birth your baby in a room with ambient lighting which can help the body stay relaxed as you focus on your labor.
Stay ahead of the game and set the mood by installing color changing light bulbs into the sockets of the room (or rooms) that you plan on laboring in the most. These coloring changing light bulbs can be used to create ambient lighting which can create a comforting mood and environment. They easily connect to a home device like the Amazon Alexa or Google Home Assist so that you can verbally make your request for dim lighting by saying something like, “Alexa set room to blue” if you want to birth in an atmosphere reminiscent of being underwater, or “Alexa set room to orange” if you want to feel like you are sitting fireside. Equipped with transition effects you can control your soft lighting by scheduling times for your lights to fade on and off.
Aromatherapy is another technique that can aid in creating a relaxing and calming environment. A scent like lavender is known for having calming properties that reduce stress and anxiety when diffused in a diffuser like this one. Scents like Rosemary and Clary Sage should be avoided during pregnancy due to their propensity to cause uterine contractions however, during labor and delivery Rosemary and Clary Sage can be diffused in order to support contractions.
***A note about scents: During labor as your hormonal response fluctuates your sense of smell can become heightened and you may become less tolerant of even your favorite smell. Make sure to do a trial sniff of whatever scent you are using. If you feel relief and are inclined to use the scent do so, but if you take a whiff and you want to wretch you can then put the scent away and use it another time rather than blindly placing it in a diffuser where an undesired scent can circulate the environment causing a negative experience.
Essential oils are very potent essences and should never be used directly on the skin as they can cause irritations. If you are inclined to use essential oils on your skin, use a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil to dilute the essential oil to prevent a negative reaction.
Use Gravity to Help Create Space In Your Body for Baby To Move Down The Birth Canal
What is up must come down-eventually. Your lovely little bundle of joy has finally decided to make their appearance and although they enjoyed the buoyancy of floating in the amniotic fluid within your womb they are now looking for the nearest exit so they can enter your loving arms and explore what the world has to offer them. Utilizing your own center of gravity during the labor process works two fold; it can be more relaxing to be in a less rigid state such as laying down and it can create the space in the pelvis that the baby needs to get through the birth canal.
Contrary to popular belief that women should labor in a supine position (i.e. laying on your back) standing, squatting, and kneeling are all great positions to help you during your labor. As a birth doula, I tell most of my clients that when they feel the early stages of labor come on, that they should walk around and distract themselves by getting things done within the house. Get your body moving by going on a walk with your partner, doing the laundry, and putting the finishing touches on the nursery. By moving around and doing the light daily activities you would do on a normal basis your body is allowing the gravity of the baby to transfer so that it can continue descending while distracting you from the discomfort of the surges your body is experiencing.
If you are at home you can utilize a birth ball like this one, to bounce and move around in a sitting position which can also relieve tension created by surges. Have someone stabilize the ball for you so that you can sit on the ball. If you are alone, stabilize the ball by leaning it next to a couch where it can not roll back. Once you sit on the ball imagine your body is sitting in the middle of a clock and place your feet at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock, having your legs open while you sit mimics a squatting position and is beneficial because it allows your pelvis to open nice and wide. Remember comfort is key, you want to keep your body as relaxed as possible which means it may take you a little while to find your groove while sitting on the ball. You can place your palms on your knees in order to rock yourself in clockwise and counterclockwise motions. If you get tired you can also kneel and lean against the ball placing your hands and elbows on the ball for support. When you feel comfortable you can lean into the ball and let your belly hang. This is a great position to allow the baby some extra room within your belly giving them an opportunity to get into a good position for their upcoming delivery.
Whether you are walking, dancing, sitting on a birth ball, squatting, etc. if you have a normal typical pregnancy movement is your best friend.
Stay Tuned into Your Body
Activity trackers are great to monitor your steps, calories burned, and setting reminders but did you know that they can be a great tool to help during labor as well? An activity tracker or a smart watch like the Apple Watch can come in handy during your labor. If you chose to use movement and gravity to get through your labor the pedometer feature will count your steps and dictate how many calories or how much energy you are burning. You can also install a contraction counting app that is compatible with your device to keep track of the number, duration, and length between contractions. A contraction counting app will help you stay ahead of the game by helping you determine the consistency of your contractions and help you decide the appropriate time to head to the hospital if that is your chosen delivery place.
Activity trackers or smart watches can also help you stay in tune with your body by monitoring your heart. Heart rate notifications can inform users if their heart rate has gone above or below a set number of beats per minute (BPM) and can also detect an irregular heart rhythm. Keep in mind that the technology used on smart devices are only gauges and are not to be compared with the reliability of hospital grade technology. Using such devices should be done so with the understanding that they are elective and do not promise nor should be used as a substitute for hospital grade heart monitoring.
A contraction counter is a great tool to help you determine the frequency, duration, and length of time between contractions. When you feel a contraction coming on simply press the button to start the contraction and then once more once the contraction has come to an end. If you have a smart watch like an Apple Watch an application like Contraction Timer-Time Labor can be installed onto the watch interface for ease and accessibility.
If you do not have a smart watch, you can use an app called Contraction Timer & Counter 9m on your smart phone to help you count your contractions. This app keeps track of your contractions and also provides you with insight about the stage of labor you are in and when you should head to the hospital if that is your chosen birth place.
Relieve Pain Naturally
A heating pad can be a comforting way to relieve pain during labor and can be placed on the back, the neck, and the pubic bone to alleviate pain and encourage relaxation. This heating pad is filled with organic flax seeds and contains a super comfortable double sided outer shell that utilizes cotton on one side and fleece on the other. A sensation that can become heightened during labor is the sense of smell, certain smells can be unpleasant even if they are your favorite scent on a regular day. This heating pad is free of essential oils and herbs, allowing you to bask in the comfort of the heat without having to worry about your sense of smell being assaulted by undesired scents.
Sitting on the toilet with your legs open is also a great way to utilize gravity during labor. Like with a birth ball; imagine your body is the center of a clock, place your legs at 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock. It is okay to lean against your knees and let your belly hang. If you want some more support you can sit backwards on the toilet and lean your arms against the tank. If you feel inclined to do so you can continue to rock your body from side to side or back and forth. Pressure from the baby descending into the birth canal can often make women feel like they have to go to the bathroom more than usual, this is totally normal and is a great sign that your labor is progressing. Sitting on the toilet has the benefit of allowing you to relieve yourself whenever you need to without feelings of embarrassment. It is a good idea to monitor the color of your urine and to note if there is any discharge or bloody show.
As discussed above, using your body’s center of gravity is a great way to alleviate pain naturally. If you are looking for a more soothing way to combat pain taking a warm shower is a great method to aid in the reduction of pain. A combination of the water pressure (think of a gentle massage) and the warmth from the water can aid in relieving tension, feel soothing to muscle, and can ease the mind. Standing in the shower helps you capitalize on allowing gravity to assist in guiding baby on their birth journey. You can also utilize the space in the shower to move your body into positions that are more comfortable for you such as squatting or being on your hands and knees. During labor I placed 2 drops of Rosemary oil like this on the shower floor (remember when it comes to essential oils less is always more). The warm water brings out the scent of the essential oil as steam rises throughout the shower. With the help of a shower rail or your partner you can squat in the shower, which allows your hips and pelvic muscles to open. You can also place a rolled up towel under your knees and rock on your hands and knees. If you have a detached shower head you can place the warm water wherever your body needs the most comfort. Remember to always use precaution and practice anti slip safety.
Embrace The Mess
As your body goes through the stages of labor you may feel uncomfortable due to surges in the back and/or in the front, you may experience hot or cold flashes, and as your body is preparing to give birth you will dispel a lot of discharge ranging from clear to red. That’s ok, this is totally normal! When my clients tell me they feel a lot of fluid coming out of them, I always have the same reaction, “Great, that’s exactly what I want to hear”. Once it becomes normalized, discharge is nothing to be embarrassed about: you are amazing and you’re having a baby come out of you for goodness sake! To avoid the mess, get yourself a pair of disposable underwear like these, I know what you are thinking (No Way!) but hear me out. It is hard to feel comfortable moving around if you feel like every time you move you are leaking. Disposable underwear are made to be discrete and won’t have you feeling like you are wearing a diaper. You can put them on and trust that you aren’t going to have an embarrassing moment of leaking through your clothes onto your floor or furniture. Plus it allows you to monitor the fluid that is coming out of you so that way if you have any cause for concern you can call your doctor and consult about what you are seeing. Disposable underwear are also great to have around after you give birth so you can worry less about postpartum bleed through laundry and more on your baby.
Comfort is everything during labor and delivery, a maternity night dress like this one can be helpful in allowing you the flexibility and modesty to do whatever your body needs you to do. Pressure on your pelvis and frequent fluid intake can make you feel like you have to go to the bathroom more often, a free flowing nightgown doesn’t have restrictive waste bands or zippers to fumble with, because you know when you gotta go you gotta go. Maternity nightgowns are also great because they have the added benefit of buttons in the chest area to allow more accessibility for breastfeeding.
Mindfulness Matters
When it comes to labor having a positive mindset can make or break your birth outcomes. Birthing from a place of fear can cause feelings of panic and anxiety leaving some people with feelings of loss of control, elevated heart rate, trembling, hot/cold flashes and can cause individuals to tense their bodies which often causes a hyper awareness of pain during labor.
Practicing mindfulness techniques like stating positive affirmations and listening to meditation mp3s like this one can help you channel your energy in a more positive direction so that you can focus on relaxation and allow your body to do what it is physiologically made to do. Listening to guided meditation allows you to stay in tune with your breath and can assist with taking your focus off of your contractions by redirecting your focus to the instructional practices of the listening content.
If you are finding that there is too much stimuli in your birth environment, you can cancel the noise by electing to wear noise canceling headphones like these that will allow you to stay focused on calming music or guided meditations. You can also use these headphones if you are utilizing the services of a doula so that you can stay connected and listen to the valuable labor coaching and advice that they would provide to you prior to their arrival.
Labor and delivery should be a beautiful experience that can be just as memorable as the birth of your baby. The surges and changes that you feel while in labor are a positive affirmation that your body is doing it’s job in taking care of you and your little one. Laboring at home longer allows mothers and their partners to stay connected and be more comfortable by remaining in an environment that they love and trust. As always one should always take precautions and include their care providers in their labor planning, to ensure that all safety measures are covered so that every moment from now on will be a Mommentous Moment!