What was your technique for coping with labour?

[Mog]

Just following on from the TENS thread, wondered what other people used (non-drugs) to get them through part or all of labour. With my first labour being very long I eventually had an epidural, but in the initial stages hot baths with lavender oil, imagining each contraction bringing my baby closer and lots of deep breathing helped.
Would love to know what worked for others as am due to go through it all again in 2 weeks.

I think one thing that I found really useful was that although I was being continuously monitored because I was induced and they weren't sure if the babies head was engaged, I really liked being able to see the contractions on the chart and be able to breathe through them, see them peak and then fade away, this definitely made the last bits of the first stage and transition stage easier. For the second stage I was so determined to get the baby out that I gave up with the gas and air, but unfortunately after 2 and half hours he still wasn't out so ended up in stirrups and ventouse. That was the only good thing about being monitored (though the midwife was good about letting me be as mobile as I could in the beginning).

I haven't read the others, so sorry if repeating, but LOTS of perenium massage (can't spell) and special pregnancy chiropractic to align my pelvis (very right on, I know) in the last month of pregnancy really helped with a 10lb baby, 32hrs & no drugs. I swear it would have been a c section otherwise - ouch

susieblue - I also had a sweep with dd2 (she was 8 days late) and had some brownish bleeding which is completely normal. Baby arrived 36 hours later after a very very fast labour! Thinking of you and hope everything goes well!

susieblue, sorry didn't see your message while I was posting mine. I was induced last time and had a couple of sweeps. I bled loads and used up all my maternity towels before the baby was even born! The said it was normal as the cervix has such a rich blood supply. Hope the birth goes well. I'm also pg and thinking about what a normal labour will be like, though as last one was 12 days late and induced the same might happen this time. Good luck

Enid and keepingmum - thanks for your messages made me feel happier - still waiting for midwife to do blood pressure, having very mild period pains and lots of braxton hicks! Hope things dont go on for ages as I dont want to leave the house at 3.00 am in the morning in the snow!!!
Once again thanks for your thoughts.

Don't know if you are still there susieblue - I had a sweep when 8 days overdue. Baby was born that night after pretty quick (4 hours) labour. And yes, I bled pretty heavyishly from sweep til birth and had dragging period pains.

Had rose oil and lavender in my labour bag. The best thing is to keep standing for as long as possible ( I gave birth almost live on mumsnet and got my dh to post 20 mins before the baby was born) and i still think it's dues to standing up

Tinker just seen your message, unfortunately although I felt awful last night and thought this could be the start of things everything has gone quiet. I had an early night and slept like a baby! I think this baby wants to be induced!! The midwife said that it could take up to 48 hours before we would know if the sweep had helped but I have no kind of feelings as I did yesterday. In fact when she checked the heartbeart of the baby after the sweep she said that is one laid back baby - typical! I have until wednesday night until I have to in for induction so fingers crossed.

Susieblue... 1 week overdue is nothing.... medically you can even go 3 weeks! Why will you eb induced wednesday if I may ask?
Seems like baby may not be ready.
If you DO want to be induced that is your choice of course but it's better to let nature take its course
If you want to avoid medical induction you can try accupuncture and/or homeopathy which work very well (if your body and bay are ready).

pupuce - it seems that a lot of women are induced due to high blood pressure. Is this medically necessary in your view? My friend had pre-eclampsia with her first pregnancy and was induced on the day her baby was due and it was an awful experience.

I was induced with my 2nd but kept it off for as long as possible - had the sweep at 12 days late and finally induction at 2 weeks and baby was born 15 days late. Leaving it this late meant it was very easy and I only had one dose of prostin gel and everything else came naturally. I do agree that its better to leave things longer so baby is ready. However I was told that my placenta was a little pale suggesting that it was starting to lose function and I have read that leaving things too late can be a problem too becaue of placenta failure. Also baby keeps growing and bigger babies can be more of a problem to deliver.

Is it just a case of striking the right balance?

High blood pressure is the single main cause of maternal death (which covers pregnancy & birth), according to government statistics.

Sorry, second most common - after thrombosis. And pre-eclampsia is fourth.

Eulalia... It is very common to have an increased blood pressure at the end of a pregnancy. The issue is about its interpretation... If there are no other synmptom, an increase in BP is normal and a good sign of placenta activity.
People confuse a disease to a physiological condition...
BTW - I haven't sudden;y become a know it all in this field. I took my notes from my training with Dr Michel Odent.

High blood pressure on it's own is not necessarily a problem. Some women have high blood pressure from conception. However, it is a problem if it is a sign of pre-eclampsia which is a life threatening condition. The pre-eclampsia is monitored and when it becomes obvious that the condition is worsening, then induction of labour is safer than letting the pregnancy continue. If induction is not possible, then a C/S is needed. Pre-eclampsia is only 'cured' by delivery.

Thanks... then it seems that with many cases of induction medical staff are a bit quick off the mark to get baby out of there before it is ready. I know that when I was given my date of 10 days past my edd it was just for administrative convenience and I asked them to change it to later.

I have heard via mailing lists I am on that increased blood pressure has been used as an excuse for some midwives who are reluctant to attend homebirth to transfer women from home to hospital during labour.

Interestingly I got my hospital notes relating to the labour and birth of my daughter this week. My blood pressure was between 110/65 or 120/70 on almost every appointment pre-labour except for when I turned up for the second time to be induced having been sent home the first. At that time my blood pressure ws 130/90 and I'm not surprised - I was ready to blow my top as they were planning to send me home again. It never reached that high again during my labour.

Not that I'd wanted to be induced in the first place but had been given all the horror stories about placenta calcification etc. And that's not in my hospital notes - only that I was advised that IOL may lead to greater risk of instrumental delivery.

Interesting read though - my perception of time was shot to pieces and I've been lying to people for 6 years about when I got to 6cm etc!

Eulalia - EDD plus 10 days has been shown by research to be the optimum time for delivery. Research shows that leaving pregnancies longer than that tend to have poor outcomes. However, women who wish to wait longer can do so, but there should be increased monitoring of fetal wellbeing such as scans for liquor volume and movement etc.

Sorry to take the thread away from its original topic but I was really interested in the messages about high blood pressure. Just how high is physiological and "not a problem"? I had a section at 40+ weeks because of high bp when it was about 160/125 - the reason given to me was that I had high risk of a stroke or bleeding into the brain. Not surprisingly the threat of this had me scrawling my name on my consent form as fast as my fingers could manage it! BP had been going up since 32 weeks and I was on various medication as I never had any other signs of pre-eclampsia and therefore my consultant (and me) was keen that I go into labour naturally and have a normal delivery if possible. I never had a problem with having to have a section as I thought it was absolutely neccessary and I had no physical complications or difficulties with bonding or breastfeeding (ds scoffing away as I type) afterwards. However I am worried about the impact of the section on any future pregnancies and would therefore be annoyed if it actually wasn't essential - not that I can do anything about it now obviously. Mumsnetters seem so well informed and I just wondered if any of you could help.

Croak - with a blood pressure like that you definately needed a section!

Thanks mears, I know its completely illogical but I feel quite cheery to have it confirmed that I really was about to pop (dp's words at the time!)

Mog - back to the original thread, I had a couple of hypnotherapy sessions before the birth whcich I found very useful to stay relaxed (again, the question of the placebo effect, but who cares...). DH came too to learn some relaxing techniques to put me to "sleep" during the birt, although I think the hypnotherapist was rather surprised by his questions about whether the technique would work after birth (eg during one of our rows!). SOmeone in my antenatal class swore by visualisation and she did have only a 4 hour first labour

I too was taken in to be induced at EDD plus 12. Unfortunately for me iduction was a complete failure - all attempts (3 lots og gel, 1 drip, attempt to break waters, the lot)! Ended up 3 days later having an 'emergency' cs. Seems DD had gotten into a funny low position. Her neck was bent backwards and it was very unilkely she'd have been born naturally regardless of how long I'd have been left.

Mind you, by day 12 overdue I was getting desperate anyway. LOL!

Thanks mears - I wasn't really as late as I know I got pregnant late in my cycle. Certainly apart from the slight pale placenta I had no problems - baby was big but not huge (8lbs 7oz) .. I didn't even need stiches. And BP was low around 110 /70. I guess every case is different though. Sorry going off the thread again ...