Walking whilst in labour

[ohbabybaby]

I was wondering if everyone else is really stoic and I am just a wimp?

When you are in the earlier stages of labour you are advised to walk to help things along, right? But I found that walking was really really painful and I had a contraction with every step (this was at about 4cm). When I made this comment to Nasty Midwife, she said that was the point, Nice Midwife then said (out of Nasty Midwife earshot) that it was fine to just bounce around on the birthing ball.

Anyway, my labour didn't progress well after that, wondering now if the not walking didn't help.

Trying to think of ways to have a better birthing experience with DS2, but I suspect that I am likely to wimp out again if walking around hurts more than sitting....

I had the same thing with my first! I just wanted to sit/lie around and do nothing

in hindsight i think it was just too early, and had I rested in the early stages I'd have maybe felt more like walking around later, only by then i'd had so much pain relief i was stuck on my back anyway

with ds2 i WANTED to be upright and walking. if i stopped it just felt horrible

so i would say listen to your body! if you want to walk then do it, if you don't, then don't

When my contractions got going and I was going from birthing ball to bath to loo trying to be ok the absolute last thing I wanted to do was go for a walk around the block. Perhaps I would have gone for a walk in earlier labour but it was the middle of the night so it didn't occur to me.

well if you're a wimp then so am i! i bounced my way through the night during the early stages but then (at about 3 cm dilated) all i had the energy for was to lean against the ball on all fours and try to sleep between contractions (IMPOSSIBLE!). i remember trying to walk from the bathroom to living room and having to lean over the bannister as it bought on a contraction....

Go to softplay and potter round after a 2 year old

That's what I did. Labour twinges started about lunchtime, really ramped up a level about 3.30 so we left softplay and went to hospital. DS2 was born within 2 hours of leaving softplay.

i think it just depends on the woman and the labour, with my first two my legs were too weak to stand, with dd2 mw told me to stand up but i couldnt i told her so so she said shed get ball but wasnt one so she got me this birthing stool instead which was really good for me, but for my hb with ds3 i was walking, in the garden, making tea, everything like normal until just before i started pushing!

Absolutely you MUST listen to your body. I had a very similar experience, and reading your OP has just made me feel very about it again, 4 years on.

Walking around was absolute hell on earth for me. I remember going down to the car park with DH to get my bag - his suggestion, well meaning, and I was too out of it to do anything but go along with it. I was having such strong contractions I was hanging on to DH for dear life in the middle of the car park, wrestling with the TENS in the hope that it might do something to help. People were asking if I was OK. DH was saying "yes". I wanted to scream "NOOO" but it was like being trapped in one of the those dreams where you want to scream but can't. Oh God it was awful.

What I wanted to do was stay on the bed leaning forward against the pillows. It turned out in the end that DS was back to back. Leaning forward would've helped him to turn - funny that.

So anyhow forward wind 4 years to my next labour. I listened to my body. I did want to move around and it was fine. I swayed side to side, moved around, had a bath (I won't even go into how horrific that was first time around). Labour was really straightforward, painful but not overwhelmingly so and DD was delivered within 40 mins of getting to hospital.

I hope you have a much better experience second time around. DEFINITELY LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!! But you know, with your second you will have the confidence to do that - honest!

Just ti agree with gaelicsheep I spent a lot of time on my knees leaning forward on my birthing ball. DD was back to back, I never made that connection before.

Maybe it's a baby position thing then - in the end they said DS1's head was in a funny position (and I think back to back) - I assumed he got into wrong position cos I didn't move around, but maybe it was the other way round.

Good, I shall continue to listen to my body