Things to do at home during labour to ease pain - any advice from experienced mums?

[Kalikaroo]

Hi! I'm 35+5 pregnant with my first baby and although I'm planning to have my baby in hospital, I was wondering what sort of things have helped you to ease labour at home before going into hospital?

We don't have a bath (unfortunately!) but we do have a shower - did you find it helpful to sit in there?

Also, is it worth getting a birth-ball to bounce on?

Any other tips/hints/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Get a birth ball and lean across it on all fours- very elegant!

With ds my waters broke just as I got out of a lovely warm bath, quite out of nowhere, wasn't in labour before I got in but my contracions started very quickly and he was born 3.5 hours later! Despite just having had a bath I was desperate to climb in the shower but I wasn't allowed, in hindsight I suppose because labour was going so quickly, and it is a shower in the bath and I may not have been able to climb back out!

I did hire a TENS from Boots but didn't use it. I did find it a help with dd, but I was being induced in hospital so I used theirs.

I used a tens machine which did help. Also - takeparacetamol. And I also found that taking deep slow breaths with each contraction really helped. Don't tense up with the contractions (I know it'seasier said than done)
Oh and if you have someone with you, I found that it helped when DP rubbed my lower back.

Goodluck and congratulations!

Definitely worth getting a birth ball. I sat on mine loads during the later stages of pregnancy. Didn't get to use one in labour.

Have you thought about hypnobirthing?

Personally the only thing I found helpful was not moving at all . I found getting up excruciating (contractions became much more frequent & strong)- going to the toilet even more. Everyone was saying beforehand, move move move, try different positions. NONE of that worked in practice. I just sat on the sofa & moaned during contractions. I think basically your body will tell you what it can / cannot do. So just go with it as best you can.

Here are some things though that did help a bit for me:
--Listening to music
--Eating a bit (in between contractions). But nothing too heavy
--Having a doula there
--At certain times, sitting on my own & just concentrating on breathing & making noises during contractions (didn't always work)

We had to spend more than 15 hours at home, in the end, because dilation was too slow, and I had contractions every 3-4 minutes all through that time... so I'm just being honest when I say nothing much really helped. Certainly not a shower, because I couldn't really stand & feel comfortable, let alone take a shower. Only the gas & air (bliss) & epidural later (even more blissful). Certainly the tens machine did very little (I think it's a bit of a joke; labour contactions are far too painful for a little tens machine to do anything meaningful. But others do find them helpful...) I think though that labour is a very very different experience for every woman. So I hope you have a better time at it. GOOD LUCK!

I found a large bean bag easier than a birthing ball. It moulded and supported me rather than tottering on top of a space hopper type ball. My balance was not up to the birthing ball! personal preference though
I found paracetemol very useful when my contractions first begun as it allowed me to relax and sleep. Trying to save your strength, relax to let your body go with the flow, is a good way to start if you can.
A lovely warm massage from DH on lower back was good early on.
I also found going for a short walk helpful when my contractions were a little erratic and getting very frustrated pacing around the house. Didn?t risk going far and obv took a mobile and DH with me, but the fresh air and gentle exercise moved my contractions into a nice steady pattern, speeding up what could have been an exhausting long first stage.
Tens was not a success for me and made me really irritable and felt restricted with the wires.
Have you considered a paddling pool/basic birthing pool if you only have a shower? I lived in and out of the bath and if I only had a shower, I would love to have a hose connected to the tap and fill a paddling pool with warm water instead. It is so relaxing and helpful.

As Maria rightly said, everyone?s experiences and preferences are different. Equally you might be suprised that what you thought would be important to you beforehand all changes during labour. I was obsessed about making a soothing music CD and what oils I would burn in the house! Ha! What a laugh, insisted everyone shut up and kept the room in near silence and forgot I had even bought the oils. Enjoyed them post labour instead

Good luck!

Would definitely second the TENS machine idea. I got to 8 or 9 cms with just this. Just make sure it is properly placed and you will be fine.

I think when you are in labour you will find the comfiest position for you. For me it was on hands and knees kneeling over my birthing ball - helped to have something to lean on. A sofa or chair could have done the trick too - or a pile of pillows.

Oh and get someone to count you through the contractions - REALLY helps to know that it is about to start tailing off.

I found DH rubbing my back, really hard helped during contractions. My contractions were like a tightening band across the small of my back - they weren't at all what I expected. I walked round and round in circles like a cow with BSE, occasionally making odd grunting sounds. Very satisfying.

Remember to eat and drink little and often.

Timing the contractions with a stop watch was a distraction from the pain and kept DH amused so he didn't flap and annoy me.

For early labour, have some gripping (relaxing though, not scary) DVDs in stock. Try not to use up all you stratergies too early on, just in case its a long labour. If things get started but seem slow and are not excruiatingly painful, then try as much as possible to distract yourself (DVDs, sleep if you can, have a friend sround to talk to you) and save your other pain relief methods for later on.

Once I was beyond distraction, I had a bath and then kneeled on the floor leaning on the sofa with DC1.

With DC2 I was waiting for DH to come home, so I cooked tea for DD and bathed her...although I don't really reccomend it!

Yeap I sat on birthing ball and hed a cup of tea
a hot water bottle too good if you have back pain, I used mine in hosp too the first time round

Also reccomend chocolate - got me through I faily long labour with DC1 - I didn't really feel like eating, but DH just popped a square in my mouth every half hour or so, and gave me apple juice with a straw, and both helped keep my energy levels up.

If you do want to try the bath idea make sure your partner is on hand to help you get in and out. Personally I wouldn't recommend it unless you have a huge bath.

I would also recommend all fours, I used my bed to lean on which was nice and soft to collapse onto between contractions. I know this sounds impossible but the key is to try and relax your body during the contractions, remember to breath, do not hold your breath.

I agree with lemontart about the oils. I had prepared a whole pack of massage oils, facial sprays, foot sprays etc. What a laugh indeed! In the end we forgot to take them when we went to hospital. Not that I could even remember their existence by the time the first contractions hit me.

I found it great going up and down the stairs! v slowly obviously, but also just leaning against a wall/ dh.

Probably the best thing for me was counting the seconds (our clock ticks loudly) so I knew when each contraction was about to finish!

I marched through the contractions both times - couldn't bear any touch, all that massage dh had practiced went out the window.
Also, I had a cloth soaked with lavender oil this time round & it really helped me keep ccalm, inhaling deeply when they got bad. I know that doesn't work for everyonebut it might be worth a go.

(sorry, typing w babe on knee)

Sitting on birth ball and rolling hips around, drinking tea and eat toast in early labour, listening to music and breathing and chanting through contractions (vocalising as labour progressed - changing vowels helped ground me). Keep the lights down low at home and just relax as much as possible in labour while at home. And the shower can be nice and relaxing (especially if you have back labour).

We had a box-set of Curb Your Enthusiasm, which me, DP and our midwife/doula chum watched, as i nipped in and out of bath.
As CX got stronger, chum kept saying "It will end, it will end, that's one more that you don't have to do again".
In between, of course, sniggering like a drain at CYE as I lay prostrate and pathetic on the sofa.
The SWINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I discovered I was in labour, and just far enough in to be admitted, at hospital for my 41 week consultant's appointment on 2 February - the day of all the snow, when all London buses had been suspended! We went home and I occupied myself with packing my hospital case which I hadn't prepared in advance, had packed new baby clothes and nappies but nothing for me, then dp did ds1's normal bedtime routine with my dad's help (as my dad was going to stay the night with ds1 while dp accompanied me to hospital) and I sent out a few posts on mumsnet saying it looked like things had finally kicked off.

A rather mad approach perhaps, but it all kept me distracted for a few hours and I got to the hospital at the point where I really needed to be there!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Think I might invest in a birth-ball this weekend...

This is also really useful (and easy ti use) for timing your cx at home

www.contractionmaster.com/

hot water bottle.

a rocking chair

I hired a tens machine, which really helped (coupled with hard back rubs from dh during contractions). Also we watched the entire Mighty Boosh dvd collection (sounds weird, but you may need a laugh in between ... it certainly got me through the home stage) I also went for a few walks with dh, but it was august and lovely summer evenings (just expect some strange looks when u bend over in middle of pavement and start panting! )