Pregnancy and Labor are amazingly unique experiences. But, their diversity makes preparations difficult for expecting mothers. Not being able to thoroughly prepare for something did not bode well for me. I make lists. I check things off. I micromanage. When pregnancy struck, I pulled out my neon sticky notes and bought an extra large binder. Like a overzealous journalist, I asked a lot of questions and I. wanted. answers.
Disappointment.
More often than not, my questions were met with vague, muddled, ball-parked trinkets of advice from mothers, doctors, and nurses. There were no quick and pretty, concrete answers concerning such an unpredictable force of nature. They did their best to comfort my concerns, but responses that started with "Sometimes...." "It's rare that..." or "You never know..." began to fall on deaf ears. I did not want to accept the emerging truth: researchers, medical professional, doulas, and experienced mothers could not predict my future.
Our medical community has made amazing strides in pain management and optimal outcomes regarding labor and delivery, yet it is still beyond our complete control. Childbirth is still a formidable, raw, unbridled piece of my inherent primitive self that does not care if I meticulously put together a color-coded, "My Labor" binder. Despite halfheartedly acknowledging this reality, my type-A personality still scanned the internet relentlessly looking for magic answers.
Disappointment.
More often than not, my questions were met with vague, muddled, ball-parked trinkets of advice from mothers, doctors, and nurses. There were no quick and pretty, concrete answers concerning such an unpredictable force of nature. They did their best to comfort my concerns, but responses that started with "Sometimes...." "It's rare that..." or "You never know..." began to fall on deaf ears. I did not want to accept the emerging truth: researchers, medical professional, doulas, and experienced mothers could not predict my future.
Our medical community has made amazing strides in pain management and optimal outcomes regarding labor and delivery, yet it is still beyond our complete control. Childbirth is still a formidable, raw, unbridled piece of my inherent primitive self that does not care if I meticulously put together a color-coded, "My Labor" binder. Despite halfheartedly acknowledging this reality, my type-A personality still scanned the internet relentlessly looking for magic answers.
Now, that I have some experience...
<---Fresh Baby!I'm going to write the most egregious and pretentious article I can possibly write. 7 Tips that Gave me a 7 Hour Labor! No, that's even too ridiculous to claim after a warning paragraph. Let me try again. The 7 tips that may have contributed to making my labor a more pleasant experience and also perhaps shorter. About 7 hours to be technically accurate.
I had a 6-7 hour, complication-free, empowering labor & delivery.
Sorry Ladies, no magic answer.
The fact that I had a quick labor verses many of my friends who suffered long labors with complications comes primarily down to luck. I did nothing "better" than these other women and they should be celebrated for having to endure a longer ordeal to welcome their little ball of happy into the world.
Sorry Ladies, no magic answer.
The fact that I had a quick labor verses many of my friends who suffered long labors with complications comes primarily down to luck. I did nothing "better" than these other women and they should be celebrated for having to endure a longer ordeal to welcome their little ball of happy into the world.
That being said, I can offer some advice and I can pepper it with some concrete **kind of magical?** examples.
I feel confident recommending my choices that stuck out as the positive "game changers" in my labor. Just keep in mind, these suggestions offer no guarantees and should never over ride suggestions from your physician. The truth remains that pregnancy is still largely an enigma, but I truly believe the next 7 suggestions helped my outcomes.
I feel confident recommending my choices that stuck out as the positive "game changers" in my labor. Just keep in mind, these suggestions offer no guarantees and should never over ride suggestions from your physician. The truth remains that pregnancy is still largely an enigma, but I truly believe the next 7 suggestions helped my outcomes.
And I made them all start with the letter E!
1. Empower
There are three people that need to be empowered during this process: Your medical professional, your support person, and yourself. Discuss a birth plan prior to delivery with your support person and medical professional. Explain your expectations openly and keep a positive mindset that the team around you is there to make your experience great. Lock into your mind that you are strong and capable. Replace the fears and doubts with an iron sense of inner power. You can do this!
There are three people that need to be empowered during this process: Your medical professional, your support person, and yourself. Discuss a birth plan prior to delivery with your support person and medical professional. Explain your expectations openly and keep a positive mindset that the team around you is there to make your experience great. Lock into your mind that you are strong and capable. Replace the fears and doubts with an iron sense of inner power. You can do this!
CONCRETE ANSWER: Develop a mantra for yourself to use during labor. Mine was, "I am strong and my body is made for this!" Teach the mantra to your support person and go over the specifics of what you expect from him or her. I told my husband, "Please don't leave my line of sight, stay calm, try to make me laugh, and keep the ice chips coming!"
2. Embrace Natural
Try to avoid medical interventions that can create an intervention snowball effect raising your risk for complications. Try to allow your body to be the leader. As women, our bodies have been developing our whole lives for this. Our reproductive system is a truly amazing thing and luckily we don't need a PhD to operate it. You will be amazed at how your body's natural autopilot will take over. Do not work against your body, flow with it. Pain and pressure are indicators that changes are happening within you that are bringing you closer to having your baby in your arms. I am an advocate for allowing your body to take its time through this process. This is not always possible if there are complications that require interventions. It is important to remember that your medical team knows best and there are many circumstances where medical interventions are necessary and vital. My suggestions are only relevant for a healthy pregnancy, outside of emergency situations. I suggest avoiding the Pitocin and inductions by implementing natural alternatives whenever possible. For example, instead of going to the hospital when I initially felt contractions, I stayed at home. I went to sleep, and then I paced around the halls. I did not go into the hospital until my water broke and I was about 4 cm dilated. When you are experiencing those contractions, it can be tempting to hurry the process along, but you want all of the changes your body is orchestrating to be in sync. When you start to introduce synthetic alternatives, your body is not keeping up.
CONCRETE ANSWER: I spent my early labor at home and used natural pain management techniques (including a jacuzzi tub in the hospital, breathing exercises, and changing positions frequently) until I was fully dilated. My first medical intervention (the epideral) was administered when I was fully dilated and ready to push!
3. Educate yourself
How did I define my expectations? I researched my options. I wanted to know what my hospital could do for me. I wanted to know the risks of certain interventions and the options I had if scenario A, B, C, or Z occurred. Like I said, I like the preparation work. Educating yourself is important even if you aren't a list maker, like me. Most hospitals offer classes that include a tour of the hospital. Do not skip these. The classes not only teach you options and explain the procedures, they allow you to practice techniques like breathing exercises with your support person, and voice your concerns. The classes open discussions between you and your support person that you may not have otherwise considered. Education will Empower you and your partner! Not to mention, the tour of the facility allows you to visualize your labor. On the day of our delivery, I knew where I had to go, I knew how to check in, and what accommodations my room provided. I felt prepared, and therefore, I felt calm.
CONCRETE ANSWER: I took the Labor and Delivery Course at my hospital (2 hours, once a week, 6 weeks, $70.00) that included a tour. I also took Baby Care Basics (2 day, 3 hour course, $20.00) through our local Giant and Breastfeeding through the La Leche League(1 day, 4 hours, free).
CONCRETE ANSWER: I took the Labor and Delivery Course at my hospital (2 hours, once a week, 6 weeks, $70.00) that included a tour. I also took Baby Care Basics (2 day, 3 hour course, $20.00) through our local Giant and Breastfeeding through the La Leche League(1 day, 4 hours, free).
4. Exercise
Stay active during your pregnancy. Exercise can promote better circulation and keep your body primed for the exhausting work out of delivering your baby. Exercise is also a stress reliever. Remember that any little thing you do will help, so take a slow walk and feel good about it. Also, remember that sex is exercise. I know, I know, gross pregnant people sex... Get over it. Our instructor at our labor and delivery class advised that the hormone in semen can actually help bring on labor and it can alleviate nausea caused by morning sickness. Just saying.
CONCRETE ANSWER: I continued teaching dance class two times a week until 3 weeks before my delivery. I took my dog on slow daily walks in the morning when it was not too humid. Everyday, I completed a simple 28 minute prenatal yoga video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44fYnoSLL3c
5. Expectations
Be flexible with your expectations. It is great to be prepared and develop a birth plan, but remember to be realistic. Things will probably not go as planned. That's okay. Outline the ideal scenario for your labor, but calmly accept that your preferences are an OUTLINE. This is crucial. I believe this is the most influential tip from the list. Work with your medical team, be vocal about your concerns, and trust the supportive team you built around you. Go with the flow.
CONCRETE ANSWER: I outlined my preferences and then I rated their importance. I thought to myself, if I had to choose either A or B which thing would I be willing to sacrifice? For me, I realized I ideally wanted to spend my early labor at home, I wanted to get an epidural for my pushing, but I wanted to avoid medical interventions like a cesarean if possible, and I knew I was willing to forgo an epidural if I was advised it would put me at a higher risk for more interventions. I valued a vaginal birth above assisted pain management. Taking the classes will allow you to learn options and rate your own preferences.
6. Energize
Hydration, diet, and sleep will predict how you do in labor. Period. So yes, live a healthy lifestyle.
CONCRETE ANSWER: I drank upwards of 8 glasses of water a day. I completely cut caffeine out of my diet for my entire pregnancy. I craved carbs and dairy, but I forced myself to eat a lot of leafy greens and fruits. My fruit of choice was banana. Oh, and elusive sleep... I had insomnia at night, and a crazy ninja baby bouncing on my bladder, so I became a nap queen. I napped everywhere. As much as I could. The night before my delivery, some hormones kicked in and I slept from 7pm until 7am. For the record, I also only slept on my left side for the entire pregnancy. For last minute ladies, if you are close to your due date try to eat lots of high natural energy foods and really hydrate yourself for the home stretch. Don't worry I wasn't all healthy- I also brought Ring Pops with me to the hospital! I wanted to distract myself and keep my blood sugar up and I ended up loving having them on hand.
7. Expletives.
Because censorship never helped anything.
BONUS E!
The Epidural.
I endorse using an epidural. There are inherent risks to using this procedure, but it is commonly practiced and relatively painless. The trick is using the epidural at the right time. Allow your body to take you as far as you can go naturally, allowing yourself to dilate and efface, allowing the baby to move into position by changing positions/walking, and wait until the contractions are so close that its hard to differentiate. Then, when you are tired and the pain is peaking and its time to push...that epidural is a blessing and I would be remiss to not give it credit for assisting me. I pushed hard. My daughter was born after 8 hard pushes and I believe the epidural allowed me to throw myself into pushing without fearing the pain and holding back.
Take home Message:
I wish I could hug every pregnant girl I see and tell her its going to be okay and have her actually believe me! But, you won't. I know, I've been the pregnant girl. As the pregnant girl, I would punch hug-optimistic-me in the face. I get that. But, try to have faith that this will be a positive, empowering experience!
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