My Top 5 Labor Tips
It's totally normal to really love a certain method of comfort for hours on end during your labor and then all of a sudden start hating that method out of nowhere. As your body progresses through labor, it reacts to sensations differently. Whether it be that your favorite scent starts to make you nauseous or that you need to get on the yoga ball and start moving those hips around because hip squeezes aren't doing the trick anymore. Point being, getting experimental with comfort measures is one of my favorite things to do because when one method stops working for you, you're going to want to know there’s another magic trick for coping. There is always another way! Here are my top 5 favorite labor tips.
•Comb Trick: Squeezing a comb in both hands with the pronged side towards your palm is a great distraction and also acts as acupressure. There are lots of acupressure points in your hands but a few are your cervical spine (neck), hip joint, throat, solar plexus, uterus, lower back, sciatic nerve and much more. The great thing about this method is that you can continue to do it while you’re in almost any position, so you can do two comfort measures at once! This method is a great example of the gate control theory. Essentially, when one sensation that is not painful is applied to the body, it overpowers the pain (closes the “nerve gate”) being produced somewhere else in the body and reduces it. How cool?! To put it in “non-labor” terms; when you burn your finger you might immediately shake your hand in the air or stick your finger in your mouth to soothe it. The comb trick is the same concept. Some other methods that use the gate control theory are touch, hydrotherapy, rocking or using a TENS unit.
•Floppy Jaw, Floppy Fanny: Maintaining full diaphragm breaths, deep moans and a loose jaw goes a long way. A common impulse people have during labor is to scrunch their face, tighten their lips and hold their breath, this isn't making things easier for you. Holding your breath pauses oxygen flow for you and the baby and is counterintuitive for the progression your body is trying to make. Your jaw and pelvis are directly related, so this loose jaw technique will create space in your pelvis and release tension throughout your body. You can also bring the comb back into the picture and use the rounded corners to massage your jaw in a downward motion. Your parter or doula can also help massage your jaw with their hands if that feel better than the comb.
•K.I.C.O. (knees in, calves out) : Now, I’ve seen people look confused when I share this one because when you imagine someone giving birth, their normally on their back with their legs spread wide and their ankles in stirrups. That position actually closes the hips, presses inward on the sacrum and makes the cervical space tighter. When the knees are inward and calves are out, the pelvis opens up and helps the baby continue to descend while alleviating some tension for the birther. This can be done on hands and knees, on your back, on your side with a peanut ball in between your knees or sitting on a ball with knees. All this being said, if laboring or birthing feels best on your back, then that’s perfect. At the end of the day, what matters is knowing that you have the choice to be in whichever position you prefer.
•Counter Pressure: This is where a partner or doula comes in! Counter pressure is a heaven sent method (seriously, I have done counter pressure with a client for 6 hours straight!). It's simple. the birther can be sitting on a yoga ball, on their hands and knees, leaning over the bed or laying on their side and all you do is place the palm of your hand on their sacrum/tailbone and apply pressure to the extent that the birther wants (which is sometimes a hefty amount). If applying pressure to the sacrum isn't quite relieving pain, a partner or doula can do a double hip squeeze. The birther can be in any of the positions I listed above but instead with this one, you place both hands on either side of their hips and send pressure inwards. Both of these methods create space for the baby to descend and it takes some of the pressure off the birther's hips and lower back.
•Dancing Through Labor: Saving the best for last, I LOVE THIS ONE! Almost any kind of movement during labor helps with tension relief and progression, but dancing really gets things moving. There is a specific kind of movement/dance I saw one of my clients do and the only word that comes to mind when I think of it is “spiral”. She was twirling in circles while simultaneously rolling her hips in circles. Not only was she having a total blast but she went from 5cm to 10 within an hour! This kind of movement helps the baby drop into place, opens the pelvis and releases endorphins, serotonin and oxytocin. Why not give it a try, nobody here is judging you!
I hope this was helpful and gets you excited for labor!
