10 Ways To Prepare For Labor And Birth

Your Guide to Labor and Birth: 10 Preparation Tips

Labor And Birth

Now, as the pregnancy comes to an end, the body will begin to prepare to go into labour to deliver the baby. The process by which the baby is born is labour. Labour is very different from one person to the other. Some people have quick labour, and others have long and hard labour. Some others might experience stalled or completely stopped labours that require medical intervention.

There are three stages of labour in delivery. The first stage is when the cervix dilates, the second stage is the birth of the baby, and the third stage is the delivery of the placenta. For a first-time mother, this could take up to 12 to 14 hours of labour. Women who have given birth before may need to undergo only 7 hours of labour.

10 Ways To Prepare For Labor And Child Birth

Recognise what's wrong

Your care team will be there for you at all times. Should you experience any of these symptoms during labour or at any other time while you are pregnant, contact your doctor or clinic right away:

Blurred vision and double vision
Severe pelvic pain
Bladder and bowel movement problems
Persistent nausea or vomiting more than three times per day
Dizziness
Heavy Bleeding
Less baby movement

Keep Healthy

Keeping healthy is at the priority to avoid complications in labor. Being healthy in pregnant ladies develops short labors. Fitness enhances the energy by developing resistance in the body more towards the strain. Hence, discuss with your health care provider which exercises are safe for you. Most people find walking, swimming and prenatal exercise classes are good choices.

Also Read: Nutrition During Pregnancy

Don't Worry About What Other Mothers Did

Maybe a friend who is pregnant promised that eating dates or weekly acupuncture sessions equated to a smooth and quick delivery. This doesn't mean that it will necessarily work for another person. One can ask a group of new parents or search online for remedies to induce or speed up labour. However, most natural inductive techniques are merit-based instead of science-based. That's not to say they're not worth a try.

Choose Snacks Wisely

An early, light snack during labour , when you're hopefully still at home, will help maintain your energy level. However, avoid fatty or hard-to-digest foods as with an overly full stomach, you may become nauseated and vomit later during the more active stages of labour. You will lose fluids rapidly from muscle contractions alone and rapid breathing during labour.

Drink Clear Liquids

Limiting a women's intake of fluids in labour results in IV fluids being given twice as a fast, which reduces the duration of labour. However, it may be possible to increase oral intake of fluids rather than increasing IV fluids. In fact, drinking clear liquids throughout labour and administering IV fluids as and when needed. Staying hydrated is important to maintain stamina in labour.

Also Read: Symptoms Of Acute Cystitis In Pregnancy

Write a Birth Plan

Though not entirely necessary, it is good to make your wishes known ahead of time to when you'll be in labor. It will empower and prepare you; a birth plan is a good way to go about this. The best way of doing so is by letting your labor and delivery team know how you feel about the pain relief, certain birthing positions, and IV use; it also allows you the opportunity of describing the role that your partner will have during the birth.

Take A Shower

Pain might add tension to your muscles, in turn aggravating your discomfort even further. A warm shower will help neutralise the effect. To get massage like labor relief, have a shower-head lay on your back or where the feelings of the contraction are strongest. A shower is okay at any phase of labour.

Ask questions

It's normal to wonder or to worry about the labour process; try to speak up and ask whatever pops into your mind. Two great people to hit up with your questions are the doctor, whom you'll see more frequently toward the end of pregnancy, and the person who leads your birthing class.

Also Check: Symptoms Of Pregnancy

Distract

When you start worrying from the onset like counting contractions and breathing through every ache, you'll tire yourself out. So instead, distract yourself in other activities such as taking a walk, or a shower, or baking cookies. Anything that relaxes you will help to speed things along.

Enlist Good Support

Even if your partner will be there with you all along, you might want to get another person. The women in continuous care by the doula had lower chances of C-section, instrumental vaginal deliveries, and augmentation of labour. The patients under this care also recorded shorter labours than those not under continuous care. So, discuss labour support with your prenatal health care provider, as both of you should be comfortable with the doula you hire.

Conclusion

Childbirth is now 2.6 hours longer for first-time mothers than it was 50 years ago. It helps to understand how to render the difficult task of delivering a baby more doable in order to make that additional time in the delivery room less painful. Yes, but there are still some things you most likely can do to make it more probable that your labour will end in a span between the very first twinge and the final push that sends your infant out into the world.

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FAQ

What are the ways a woman can prepare herself for labour?

<p>Antenatal classes support you in preparing for labour, birth, breastfeeding, and early parenting. You may want to make a birth plan, but you also need to be ready to go with the flow. Practical preparations include packing your hospital bag, stocking your freezer, and organising help. </p>