help me! positive thinking in labour...

[ThreeWheelsGood]

Hi all - I'm in early labour and just realised I'm hopelessly under prepared. I didn't do NCT or anything like that.every contraction I'm trying to breathe in and out deeply but as each one happens it's so hard to remember it'll pass soon if you know what I been.

Any tips on positive thinking? How to mentally handle the contractions? I can't believe I'm even giving birth doesn't feel real ..

[BigWhoop]

Do you have someone there with you that can do a nice lower back massage? Also, take some paracetamol to take the edge off. Find a comfy position (mine was sat bolt upright on the bed for some strange reason!), and breathe deeply. Remember, each contraction is one that you never do again, and each brings you a step closer to your baby.

In our NCT class they told us to do the following:
Visualise a spiral in front of you, and with each breath concentrate on blowing slowly and steadily on the spiral to make it turn nice and steadily.

[BigWhoop]

Oh and meant to say- not long now! Good luck!!

[Hyperballad]

I walked through my contractions! I walked and walked!

I also used '3 2 1 and relax' when breathing saying it in my mind really slowly. Breathing in through nose on '3 2 1' and breathing out through mouth on the 'and relax',

Imagine breathing the air in right down to reach your baby.

Go with the pain, don't fight it, it's there for a reason, you are slowly slowly opening up with each contraction, go with it and you will meet your baby in the very near future! How exciting!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

These are good tips thank you. Need to wake DH I think!

[twolittlebundles]

focus on what you want to have happen, not how much it hurts - try thinking/saying
'open,open, open' (slowly) during each contraction (either out loud or in your head)

remind yourself that each contraction is one more closer to baby, and one more done- there are only so many you have to get through, so each one that you have is one more you don't need to have ifswim

focus on one thing at a time- pick a spot on the wall/floor/couch and stare at it through the contractions

try and smile/laugh between contractions - focus on good things/list things you are thankful for etc- it will help you to feel calm and in control.

YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!

[JasperStreet]

I found it helped the second time round to imagine DC1's bedroom during each contraction - mentally listing every toy and every book. If this is your first you might have another 'happy' place - a holiday or a childhood bedroom maybe.

[Katienana]

Do whatever feels right moment by moment. I got to 9cm at home with a tens machine and sitting still on a birthing ball. I could not have moved if you.had set mer on fire.
In the later pushing stages I thought about christmas and taking my.baby on holiday!

[BoysBoysBoysAndMe]

How are you getting on op?

And what helped you do that kaitie? Tens arrived yesterday, birthing ball due tomorrow. Sounds like you did really well!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

Hello again. twolittlebundles suggestion of thinking "open, open, open"is really helping. Woke up DH in the early hours who helped me put on Tens unit, so using that too. Contractions very consistent, every 7 mins but now seem to be becoming less regular :(

[mameulah]

This is an ace thread!!! Please keep the tips coming, they are really helpful.

[MaMaPo]

I like counting when breathing - try to breathe out for twice as many counts as the in breath. So you would count 'in-2-3-4; out-2-3-4-5-6-7-8' and so on.

I am planning for my husband to organise some very regular, relaxing music that I can use to focus my counting.

You can also use the 'golden thread' breathing technique - in through the nose, and out through gently parted lips (not blowing, just releasing the air). As you do, visualise a golden thread spooling out of your mouth. Some people imagine it travelling across the room and out of the door/window, taking with it all the pain or discomfort. The times when I've found it good, I've been just a bit mesmerised at the patterns the thread would make as I moved around, gathering in spots and stretching out in others.

Overall though -good luck! How exciting!

[CuriosityColaKilledTheCat]

I found counting really helped. Also imagined walking down ten steps and into my favourite place, which was the beach. Imagined the warmth of the sun, how happy I felt there and the feel of the tide splashing my feet. Very hippyish, which I'm not normally into. I shortened the steps when the contractions got faster. Dh said I was muttering 3,2,1 beach, beach, beach and phew at one point

I also liked thinking that was it, I would never see that contraction again. Each one was an achievement.

Good luck!

P.s. don't do what I did and try and 'save' the higher settings of the tens machine for it getting worse. If you need it higher put it higher

[twolittlebundles]

ThreeWheels - labour is not always by the book, so take a rest if things are slowing down for a bit- if you are anxious to get it going again, try taking a gentle walk.

If it has dropped off, remind yourself, those are contractions you have already made it through- you don't have to do them over.

That baby is on it's way- well done you!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

Thank you everyone-this is all really helpful! It's fairly regular again, coping so much better than when I first woke up. Can't really get it into my head there will be a baby at the end of this...still feels so surreal!

[Katienana]

Boysboysboys - I was sent home at 3cm at 1am, got straight in the bath when I got home and then dh stuck the tens machine on me. The birth ball was the only way I could get comfy I think a proper seat would have been too much pressure and I couldn't walk or stand. We put a towel on the floor to catch my waters and watched old episodes of modern family till 5.30 when id had enough. I was shocked that I'd got to 9cm but the tens machine was great at distracting me from the pain. For me the early part of labour when I was trying to move around was the worst, scariest bit. But the pain didn't get worse just less if a break and last for longer. Good look op not long now!

[CuriosityColaKilledTheCat]

Hope all is going well for you. Agree about resting if things slow down.

[BigWhoop]

Any news?!

[ThreeWheelsGood]

Hello, still around 7 mins apart, has been all day since my OP at 3am. Sigh. Gonna be a long few days potentially...

[CuriosityColaKilledTheCat]

Have you managed to get any sleep? Hope you are managing to eat to keep your energy up too.

I had 24 hours at ten mins apart, but the intensity came and went.

[ThreeWheelsGood]

I haven't slept since three, but eating regularly and resting up. Will try and sleep later tonight though lying down might not be comfy. For some reason I didn't think it'd take so long for contractions to get closer together - just staying constant! Tried out a few ideas from this thread re breathing.

[twolittlebundles]

Agree with Curiosity about making sure you eat and drink as you go- even just a spoon of honey if you don't feel you can manage anything else. And I personally recommend heading off into a dark room for 30 minutes by yourself to focus and breathe.
If you are worrying about something, it might be worth talking through it with mw/dh too.
I had a 32 hour labour, and it seems like forever at the time. Just remember, you only have to do one thing at a time.

[halloweeneyqueeney]

You're not underprepared, you have everything you need

keep the lights as low as possible, counting down is good, focusing your eyes on one point can help

[twolittlebundles]

sorry for x-posts! it is hard when you expect it to happen a certain way and it doesn't.

It has been a long wait to get to this point- remind yourself that you can handle a little more waiting.

I had a mw who spent 10 hours giving me incorrect predictions of when the baby would arrive, until finally her colleague told her to shut it as she obviously wasn't good at them.

[Downbytheocean]

When you feel a contraction starting you need to focus on relaxing your whole body. Say 3,2,1 relax, get your partner to say it to you when thing pick up. Then focus on the out breathe, make it long and slow as if blowing bubbles. This got me through labour with ds2 with only a little g&a towards the end. Admittedly labour was a lot shorter than you are experiencing!

Best of luck, just remember to relax and breathe.

[CuriosityColaKilledTheCat]

It sounds like you are doing really well. Just try and get comfortable any way you can to get some rest.

I found it helpful to think that this is the time that the baby is building up its energy and getting into the right position to make labour easier.

I have also been told that taking a bath too soon can slow things down. It's worth having a nice shower with the pressure on your lower back though. I think I stood in mine for about 30 mins.