5 ways to speed labour up
First things first…. there’s no “right” length of labour and there’s no need to make it shorter.
Your body and your baby will work at the pace that’s right for you!
Having said that, as this tends to be a hot topic amongst preggos, we thought we would answer your burning question!
Here are our TOP 5 tips to make labour shorter:
Stay home for longer… or stay home PERIOD!
The hormones required for birth to unfold respond to privacy and feeling unobserved.
Both these things are best served in your home environment. It is no surprise that home births are evidentially associated with shorter labour lengths and less interventions!
STOP clock watching!
Clock watching did help your school exams past faster & it doesn’t help you in labour either! Why do you even want to know how long it’s been? It doesn’t tell you how long it will be!
This means NO TIMING CONTRACTIONS!
DISTRACT yourself!
There will come a time in labour when you will no longer be able to ignore it. It will become all consuming.
Until this point, IGNORE UNTIL YOU CAN IGNORE NO MORE!
Go for a walk, do some baking, watch some telly, go to the cinema, meet a pal for lunch, have a nap!
Stay OFF your back!
Lying flat on your back ain’t using gravity in your favour, babes! So wherever possible, stay upright, stay mobile!
This doesn’t mean you can’t rest! Just do so in a beneficial position.
We suggest lying on your left hand side with cushions between your knees to keep your pelvis balanced.
STOP talking!
Right… we are NOT suggesting you become a mute for the whole of your labour BUT, talking engages the neocortex. This interferes with the hormonal production we need for labour to progress.
So don’t feel obliged to join in chitter chatter and ideally, ask for those around you to refrain too!
Now it’s time to zone out and go and get that babba!!
Doing birth preparation classes may help you put the above tips to use! Have you checked New Birth Club’s birth preparation ready to download workshops?
They start from £4.99 and are the bomb!! CLICK HERE AND FIND OUT MORE