April 2019 Moms
lyse01
member
Product Spotlight: Labor Aids
lyse01
member
As we take childbirth classes and start freaking out about how soon April is, let’s talk labor aids.
What have you used and what are you planning to use? Does it depend on what the hospital had? What do you plan to bring with you? Do you have links to products that increased comfort, opened pelvises (pelvi?), helped breathing exercises, etc? Give us the pros and cons of what you have, or ask about what you want. Is there other relevant info?
FTMs: when you look at labor aids, what’s overwhelming or confusing? Ask away!
Want to discuss something else? Recommend it here, or second some recs by loving someone’s post (I’ll try to prioritize): https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12734953/product-spotlights-upcoming-or-requests
All product spotlights can be resurrected at any time for further discussion - type “Product Spotlight” into the search bar at the bottom of the page to find previous threads.
What have you used and what are you planning to use? Does it depend on what the hospital had? What do you plan to bring with you? Do you have links to products that increased comfort, opened pelvises (pelvi?), helped breathing exercises, etc? Give us the pros and cons of what you have, or ask about what you want. Is there other relevant info?
FTMs: when you look at labor aids, what’s overwhelming or confusing? Ask away!
Want to discuss something else? Recommend it here, or second some recs by loving someone’s post (I’ll try to prioritize): https://forums.thebump.com/discussion/12734953/product-spotlights-upcoming-or-requests
All product spotlights can be resurrected at any time for further discussion - type “Product Spotlight” into the search bar at the bottom of the page to find previous threads.
Re: Product Spotlight: Labor Aids
I used a contraction timer app. I used the “full term” one. It’s free.
My parents has driven the 2.5 hours after I’d been in labor for about 20 hours, so the last part of laboring at home, they really helped me out with my back labor by applying counter pressure. DH was getting tired of it by then (aw, poor baby haha), so it was nice they could take turns.
I also used the lovely laboring tub at my hospital birthing center, which provided some relief, but I think it actually slowed contractions which I did NOT need at that point as I was not progressing quickly. I had also taken some time to labor in the shower at home which helped too.
That was it for me. After the 30 hours and contractions finally arriving about 6 minutes apart, I was still only at a freaking 4-5ish, so I was ready for the epi, (partly from exhaustion as I hadn’t slept more than a couple of interrupted hours, partly from intensity, and partly because I’d planned to have an epidural eventually anyway), and progressed quickly from that point.
Oh, I did use the birthing ball at the birthing center after the tub, and before the epi. It was nice, which is why I want one for home.
I am certainly hoping to not labor as long with this one, but I plan to brush up on other labor at home aids, including applying counter pressure and that kind of thing, which I had learned from my childbirth class. And hopefully some tips from this thread.
I did bounce on mine the night I went into labor for probably a good 2+ hours while I had contractions. At some point I was in too much pain to use it and that was a big signifier that I was probably in real labor.
The most helpful thing was the advice to never ever drink castor oil and if you think you are in labor to take a shower. The shower will relax you and if the contractions stop it was false labor, if they remain it's more then likely the real thing. Also I didn’t get I shower in the hospital since I lost a lot of blood and was a fall risk so I was glad for that last one beforehand.
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
earlier on resting as much as possible in the 8ish min. Between contractions. And try to eat and drink for energy when contractions are that far apart too.
Later once contractions were closer the shower and yoga ball, couch cushions and I used a tens unit for a while too.
Much later, nothing really mattered, your body decides what position to put you in and you obey. In hospital I used a peanut ball, once I had the epidural it helped give alignment to my hips and such.
The shower was the best for comfort.
And one night they sent me home with a morphine shot. That was fantastic.
I was induced with my first (dd) and labor progressed quickly so I got a epi fairly quick, other then that, I didn't do any other labor aids.
With DS I bounced on my yoga ball the night before I went into labor. The next day I had my membranes stripped at my 40 week appointment and was in active labor 2 hours after the stripping. Once at the hospital, I got a epi and used the peanut ball.
Labor with my first was 11 hours of contractions, 1 hour push. The second was 4 hours of contractions, 20 min push.
I have never attended a birthing class or used breathing techniques. When the contractions were very painful with my second (prior to epi) I walked around as much as possible in hopes it would speed up labor.
prevously helloblueeyes
Me:32 DH:33 Married:04/2012 DD:07/2014
BFP 8/14/2018 #2 due 4/18/2019
Also, number one good investment we made with the first two was a doula, because then she met us and brought all the birthing materials with her like heating packs. To be honest though, with short labors you miss the gradual build up where all that stuff helps and are just suddenly full throttle in the moment where you just do whatever you need to do and put your body in whatever position it wants to be in.
Insecond the doula. We have one for baby #2 and she is the one who thought maybe baby was in a bad position and helped shift her with baby #1. I would have ended up with a csection without her. Hands down.