Pregnancy and Birth

I'm a young mom, I've been pregnant with my first child. My baby girl is now 1 year old.
For new moms to be, being in labor is an unknown experience.
I myself had no idea I've been in labor, until my water broke.

I've put this details together to give you an idea for the things to look out for when you near the time of giving birth.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I’M IN LABOR?

Many women say that telling the difference between Braxton Hicks contractions, stomach cramps and the real thing is not always easy. But there are ways and means...

Clues that you are approaching labor:

• Diarrhoea that comes and goes at regular intervals

• Dull backache that reappears at regular intervals

• Low nagging period-like pain, which moves up and becomes abdominal pain

• Definite and regular tensing and tightening sensations in the abdomen that may not be painful, but which indicates contractions of the uterus
  

• An intuitive feeling that something is going on, even when there seems to be nothing happening
  

• Nesting (Keeping busy) or hibernating (taking things very slow)

• Feeling of pressure deep and low in the pelvis as your baby’s head presses against the cervix
  

• Pain on the front, outside and inside of the thighs

• Feelings of being in an altered state, making it hard to focus and concentrate
  

THREE CLASSIC SIGNS OF LABOR:

These are signs that it’s all happening and birth is the forgone conclusion.

• A show - (the appearance of a plug of mucus, which seals your cervix during pregnancy – often streaked with a little blood), which may or may not be noticed.
  

• Wait for something else to prompt you, as lovemaking or a doctor’s internal examination may dislodge the plug and cause it to come away. This is no cause for alarm
  

• Contractions – that get your attention and become progressively more intense and painful
  

• Breaking of water – (rupture of membranes)

You know you are in labor when your contractions:

1. Become longer, stronger and closer together, i.e. progress
2. Become intense, whether you sit, stand or take a bath
3. Build up to peak and then gradually ease off
4. Seriously get your attention!!!

You are probably not in labor when your contractions:

1. Are irregular
2. Don’t become more intense
3. Don’t become more frequent
4. Die down in your walk, take a bath or rest
5. May be lessened by a change of position
   

TIMING CONTRACTIONS

To measure how far apart your contractions are, you need to time the period from the beginning of one contraction to the beginning of the next one.
This will give you the duration of the contraction as well as the interval in-between. If the contraction lasts 60 seconds and 4 minutes follow before the start of the next contraction, the contractions are said to be 5 minutes apart.

WHEN LABOR STARTS:

Once labor has started in earnest, don’t start anything strenuous. Pace
yourself and rest as much as you can. Eat small “snacks” high energy fruit and carbohydrates.
Drink enough water. When resting focus on relaxing and breathing deeply as you start to tune into your body.

As labor progresses, eat lightly and sip clear fluids. Rest, sit in a rocking chair, or take a slow walk. Distract yourself between contractions by reading, talking, listening to music or making phone calls.
Conserve your energy.
Deal with one contraction at a time! Each contraction is one step closer to seeing your baby. Relax as much as possible between contractions to conserve your energy for pushing. Pant or blow if you feel the urge to push before it’s time.

WHEN TO GO TO HOSPITAL

It may be confusing to know when to go to hospital since there is so much variation among women in the way labor starts. Some women prefer to stay at home as long as possible and others feel more secure being in a hospital environment.
If you are insure how to interpret the signs you are experiencing or just feel confused and anxious, don’t hesitate to call for guidance as to what is happening. You should always report any warnings signs such as a severe or persistent headache, dizziness or light-headedness, blurred vision, fever, severe abdominal tension, bleeding, sudden change in fetal movement, pain and any other unusual signs.


COPING SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES

1. BREATHE WITH FOCUS, PURPOSE AND INTENTION
Breathing with awareness will help you decrease your pain perception.
Breathing well will ensure that you oxygenate your baby as well as the uterus, which is a good idea as the pain receptors in the uterus do not like their oxygen supply diminished.

2. POSITIONING AND MOVEMENT
Change positions constantly during labor. Movement dissipates pain and will change your perception. Stay as upright as possible and use the force of gravity to bring your baby down and to open up your pelvis.
Rock, sway, squad and lean forward. Use of a labor ball also helps. Make noise during labor. Moaning and groaning helps with the release of endorphins that will benefit your baby as well.

3. EMPTY YOUR BLADDER OFTEN
A full bladder can be extremely uncomfortable during labor and can hold up the process and increase your pain.

4. GET INTO WATER
Water has amazing pain-relieving powers. Can be used at home or in hospital. Use water to soothe and settle you before and during labor and for pain relief. A powerful shower head directed onto your back can ease backache in labor.
Make sure the bath is deep enough to make you feel buoyant. The deeper you are in water, the higher the level of pain relief.

5. KEEP WELL HYDRATED
Labor is like running a marathon, you need to replenish your energy levels. Eat light snacks and sip energy drinks and water throughout to help ease the painful contractions.

6. REMEMBER YOUR BABY HAS A PART TO PLAY TOO
An active baby helps herself get into the world. Nudge your baby every now and then and remember that she is using her body to work her way into the world. Whatever you do affects her, so breathe, move, sing and relax. This releases those endorphins that she will also benefit from.

7. MUSIC
Music has the ability to transport you to another place and time. Music distracts and relaxes you.

8. DEVELOP A BIRTH OUTLINE
A good birth experience is about feeling that you are in control of the situation and are involved and consulted in decisions regarding your health during pregnancy, labor and birth. You need to feel as if you are central to what is happening. This ensures that no matter what the outcome, you will feel positive about the experience.

9. USE AROMATHERAPY

Aromatherapy oils induce a calming effect and can change the smell of a sterile labor room to a more soothing environment that eases your tension. Oils such as Lavender, Chamomile and Frankincense have a wonderful soothing effect on the psyche and the body. Can be rubbed onto
the body or inhaled from a drop poured on a tissue.

10. TOUCH AND MASSAGE
The power of touch should never be underestimated. Although many women love being touched in labor, some don’t. They way you want to be touched during the different phases of labor will change from soft and sensitive to a harder, more pressurized type of touch.
Hard firm pressure on certain parts of your body will change the way you perceive pain. Studies have shown that touch and support lead to reduced perception of pain.

11. EMOTIONAL SUPPORT
Having a partner, or other people that care about you, rooting for you, encouraging and praising you, will help you get through the hardest contractions of labor. Positive encouragement and belief in your abilities is more important than you realize.

12. HIRE A DOULA

A Doula is a woman who gives companionship and support to a laboring woman. She supplies continues physical, emotional and educational support before, during and after birth. Her greatest asset is in the way she touches a mother. She may cradle you in her arms, wipe your brow, massage you firmly and guide you and your partner through the hours of active labor, to the moment your baby is laid in your arms.

13. IF YOU FEEL SAFE IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT THEN YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO FIND IT EASIER TO RELAX
Stay at home for as long as possible, where you can wear your own clothes, listen to your own music and do whatever you like to keep comfortable.
Once in hospital or your birthing facility, continue to listen to music, use your oils and keep as private as possible. A harsh and noisy environment with people coming and going is not conductive to an easier labor.

14. USE RELAXATION AND VISUALIZATION TECHNIQUES
The ability to realize tension at will, as well as turn inner positive thoughts into pictures (visualization), is not only a labor tool, but also a life skill.

15. GET THOSE ENDORPHINS WORKING
Touch, Privacy, praise, aromatherapy and movement will release your natural pain killers. Use the TENS machine, which sends electrical impulses up the pain pathways, as this will release your body’s endorphins and charge your perception of pain. Acupressure and having your heels
rubbed will soothe the pain.