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October 2014 Moms
andrieya
member
Most important thing you've learned
andrieya
member
We had our childbirth classes this weekend. The points that seemed to be stressed the most were hydration because a--dehydration is most common cause of early labor. B--a hydrated body makes contractions less painful. C--drinking between every contraction to decrease the need for an IV so that you can maintain lots of mobility throughout labor.
The other big thing was importance of laboring at home and that doing so on the toilet is a great place because you've been conditioned to relax those muscles once you sit down on one. Also--I'd always heard go in when contractions were 5 min apart. They said three!
Anyway--just wanted to hear from you all the best thing you learned in your childbirth class and from STM, your sage advice on the labor process.
The other big thing was importance of laboring at home and that doing so on the toilet is a great place because you've been conditioned to relax those muscles once you sit down on one. Also--I'd always heard go in when contractions were 5 min apart. They said three!
Anyway--just wanted to hear from you all the best thing you learned in your childbirth class and from STM, your sage advice on the labor process.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Most important thing you've learned
Married 8/27/2011
BFP #1 9/28/2011 DS born 5/22/2012
BFP #2 4/24/2013 m/c 4/25/2013 at 4w
BFP #3 1/31/2014 DD born 10/14/2014
BFP #4 1/20/2016 m/c 2/12/2014 at 7w2d
BFP #5 8/19/2016 DS2 born 4/29/2017
BFP #6 3/7/2018 EDD 11/18/2018
But for some reason my babies try to descend into my hip rather than the birth canal. Even as I've dropped this time I can feel him worse and worse in my hip... This is the way I'm meant to have my babies and it doesn't make me less of a woman or mother. It shows I will do ANYTHING to keep my kids healthy and safe
Your body will do great work while you are in labor and the mind/body connection is huge so being mentally prepared and open really helps. I also think that moving and doing the things that make you feel most comfortable during early labor is helpful- I sat on my exercise ball for 2-3 hours. I know other ladies took a hot shower or bath. Looking back, I wish that I would have stayed in some of the more uncomfortable positions while pushing b/c those probably were the ones where I would have seen more progress. I fought my body a little while I was pushing and it ended up taking a lot longer than it probably needed to (and was much more messy than it needed to be!). This time I'm really focused on knowing more about the benefits of different positions and am mentally preparing myself to push through the pressure vs give in and change positions.
My hospital and MW encouraged me to drink while I was in labor- she gave me cranberry juice mixed with 7up and water. I did ok, but definitely felt really nauseous right before our son was born. I've heard the same thing that others have referenced about the possiblity of an emergency c-section and wanting to have a minimal amount of food in the mom's stomach. My MW group will enourage liquids and food early on so I'd ask your care provider b/c in some cases it comes down to their approach vs hospital policy.
We just finished our Hypnobirthing classes, and the biggest thing I learned was to ask questions! Honestly, I feel like I just assumed I had to do whatever the doctors/nurses would tell me to do...but you can always ask questions.
Is the baby in distress? If no, then do we need to do whatever you're suggesting.
What are the side effects or negatives? If they say nothing, ask for another doctor, lol.
It really calmed me down to know that I had more options, and that I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do...unless the baby was in distress.
It's a BOY! Est. Due Date - October 17th
I always liked the reminder that "I can handle anything for a day (hour, minute...)"
Finally, concentrate on your breath! It's cliche, but it really works. I practice whenever I feel stressed out--in for a count of four, out for a count of four, and repeat. Baby gets lots of oxygen during your labor when you breathe well, and it just gives you something to DO other than think about how much discomfort you might be feeling.
Oct '14 September Siggy Challenge
Teenage Crush
DS: N, 7/11/13
I did mean it that way too
From both my reading and prior experience, these are key for me:
RELAX your muscles during contractions instead of tensing up. Tension works against the contraction, making it less effective AND more painful.
If you want to labor at home as long as possible, plan to stay home until you can no longer manage to walk and talk during contractions instead of following some arbitrary time between contractions.
WATER, especially flowing on your back, like in a shower, can be super helpful for managing labor pain and helping you relax for effective contractions.
And all the eating and drinking before going to the hospital advice above...give yourself the extra energy boost and hydration that will help so much with your labor while you can.
An important thing I learned from my last long labor was to rest up in the beginning if you have the chance. My contractions were mild for the first 5 or 6 hours, but I was so excited I didn't take a nap or eat much. Between 12 and 24 hours into labor I couldn't even keep water down, and I could have really used the extra energy!
I also agree about educating yourself before you go into labor. Like everyone has said, no two labors are alike. You may very well have to make decisions about medications or procedures you never planned on and being familiar with them can help the whole process be less overwhelming. At least for me....I really like to have things "planned out" and have found babies do not:).
And I love this post. We had our CBE this weekend too but I don't know if I learned too much, although being an OB nurse may be the problem. Maybe I did meant some good relaxation techniques and of course it was immensely helpful for DH.