Tips from a 4 hour Labor & Delivery

As a soon to be first time mom, labor was probably the scariest thing I thought I could ever face. All you ever hear is how it’s the most painful experience of your life and you’ll never forget it, yadda, yadda, yadda… Nobody ever tells you how to prepare yourself for it! Sure we’ve all seen the movie scenes where the nurse is patiently telling the distressed mom-to-be to breathe but is that really ALL you can do?! Short answer: NO! Here are my Tips from a 4 hour Labor and Delivery.

As terrified as I was, I read absolutely everything I could possibly find on the topic and it turns out there are a number of things you can do throughout your pregnancy to make labor and birth easier on you.

Kegels

Working for Pure Romance for several years had already taught me the importance of kegels for your general sexual health but what I hadn’t considered is that it specifically transitions into pregnancy health because the birth canal is just a bunch of muscles! So do those kegels!!

Exercise

Did you know that the more active the pregnancy the quicker/easier the birth is supposed to be? That doesn’t mean you have to have some hardcore pregnancy workout 5 days a week. Start by walking for 30 minutes a day and work your way up. Even a 30 minute walk is better than 30 minutes on the couch! Yoga is another great way to get your exercise in, it relaxes you and strengthens you. Start with some beginner poses and don’t forget to STAY HYDRATED.

Try drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea once a day. The herbs are great for strengthening the uterus!

Visit the Chiropractor

A prenatal alignment can work wonders on your labor and delivery. It doesn’t hurt and it only takes a few minutes. Totally worth it in my book!

Once you’re in labor

Keep moving! Seriously, it’s not easy but moving as much as possible helps. Walking/bouncing/squatting helps gravity do its job and naturally help the baby along but even if it’s just a slight change in position, movement helps. A simple change of position can take some of the pressure off and with that goes the pain.

A little Acupressure goes a long way!

Have your birthing partner read up on specific pressure points to help ease the pain of labor. You’ll be happy you did when you have some relief on your lower back. Times like these are when you need to lean on your support system, it’s what they’re there for!

Stay home for as long as possible

Being at home keeps you (even if only subconsciously) more comfortable and your body is able to work through your labor better. Take a bath and try to relax and stay calm. The first 5 minutes of me being in triage the nurse laughed at me and told me how she sends new mom’s home all the time because they just get the’re too early… so hold off until your contractions are close enough to where your doctor has told you to go in. You’ll be far more comfortable at home and the process will go by much quicker than if you’re waiting around the hospital.

Last but certainly not least…

BREATHE! And remember your body was literally made to do This! As scary as it may be, just remind yourself that women have been having babies since the beginning of time and if it were THAT bad, people would have ceased to exist a long, long time ago. You’ve worked hard to create this tiny beautiful life inside you and once you get past labor and delivery you get to cuddle that tiny beauty. You can do this!!

Don’t forget to check out my Secrets to Newborn Sleep Training!

***I love feedback! Whether you loved this or have suggestions on how I can improve what I’m doing please feel free to leave a comment! Are there specific things that you’d like to see me post about? Send me a suggestion! Don’t forget, I post to all kinds of social media platforms. So keep an eye out for me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Mix, Blog Lovin’ and (of course) Pinterest!