How to Handle Early Labor

When you begin labor, you might be extremely anxious about the start of the journey that will finally bring your baby. Most women are very happy and relieved that labor has finally started. While it is great to be excited about the start of labor, you should follow some guidelines to have the best labor experience.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. If labor begins while you are sleeping or during the middle of the night, try to go back to sleep or rest as long as possible. Even if you can only rest between contractions, that is better than none at all. You want to be well rested when your body kicks into active labor.

2. If labor begins during the day, you should try to stay active, but don't overexert yourself. You should go for a walk, go to the movies or follow your normal routine until you absolutely have to pay attention to your contractions. There will come a time when you can't focus on anything other than the intensity and uncomfortable sensations. The longer you can continue normal activities, the better it is for you.

3. Change your positions frequently, favoring upright positions. This will help use gravity to your advantage while encouraging the baby to get into a favorable position.

4. Take a warm bath or shower to alleviate the discomfort of the contractions if they begin to get intense. If you enjoy using water as a comfort measure during stress or generally in pregnancy, this will probably work really well for you.

5. Eat and drink lightly throughout your labor. Labor is like a marathon-you need energy to finish the race. Drinking will keep you hydrated and eating will keep giving you energy.

6. Use pelvic tilts for a backache if you begin to feel lots of discomfort or pressure in your back. A pelvic tilt is when you get on hands and knees and arch your back like a cat, tucking your pelvis underneath you. This relieves back pain and encourages the baby to get in a favorable position for birth.

7. Start practicing your relaxing and focused breathing, if needed. Get an idea of what types of breathing patterns you'd like to try. Do some progressive relaxation focusing on places where you are holding tension.

8. Stay home for as long as possible. It's best to spend early labor where you are most comfortable and have the most freedom, which is usually at home.

9. Relax. More than anything else, you need to just relax and let the body and your baby do the work. You have to be an active participant when you are birthing your baby, but your body, specifically your uterus, is going to do a lot of the work during labor through contractions. The more you can relax, the faster labor may go.