Any tips for a quick and easy labor?
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There’s not a ton you can do to make it quick, but making sure you’re using those breaks between contractions to release tension and relax your body + lots of movement can help labor progress more effectively. The only thing that can really make it “easy” is your mindset.
Pelvic floor therapy can make your pushing more effective as well.
Pro
I’m at Kaiser which has pelvic floor PTs but my OB would not give me a referral — she said what I’m going through is normal and I should check again after birth :/
People might recommend an epidural. What I didn’t know before I had mine was they fail…and mine failed and left me leaking spinal fluid with the most horrendous headache ever and needing a blood patch (essentially an epidural but they have to take sterile blood to use to cover the punctured dura). All that to say each person and pregnancy is different. Average pushing time for a first time mom is 1-3 hours. I pushed for 1 hr and 45 minutes. It did not feel like that long when it was all over.
Only thing I would say is don’t go to the hospital too early. Hard to gauge with a first pregnancy but you really want to wait until labor is relatively progressed before going (your doc should detail this).
Labor for my two kids was quick but not easy. Went the no epidural route which meant I could stand and move around and have gravity help move along the labor. Pushed for 15 min for my first and <5 min for my second. OB was counting down 10 9…oh wow the baby is already here 😂. Think it also helped to feel the contractions till the end so I knew the exact millisecond of when to actively push. The pain is on another level though. No regrets. Healing (physically) was relatively quick too.
Be fit, train your pelvic floor to yield under pressure, stay upright, train your brain. “Easy” doesn’t really enter the lexicon for me so I’d consider reframing expectations a bit.
Go to a pelvic PT and learn how to appropriately engage and relax your pelvic floor/core in conjunction with your breathing. Your uterus pushes the baby out, your pelvic floor needs to learn how to soften and get tf out of the way so your uterus can push baby out.
Know that you can do all the things and still have a labor from hell. You could also do nothing and have an easy labor. Some things that are still good to do:
- Talk to your mother and grandmother about their births. There are genetic factors at play here and it’s good to understand their experience
- Spend the money on a good PFPT. Don’t use an insurance one, even if they’re great you won’t get much time with them.
- Do spinning babies
- Stay fit and eat well
- Meditate and prepare to go into the zone in whatever way you works for you
- Talk to your partner about birth and make sure you’re aligned on what you want from them in terms of emotional and physical support and advocacy
- Hire a doula
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Breathe through it, take the epidural, think positive thoughts like your body was made for this and can do it, good luck!!
Eat a lot of dates in your last 4 weeks of pregnancy.
I had one with epidural and one without. Without was way easier to feel how to push effectively and transition to delivery was way faster. I got my epidural already in transition with my first, and it ground everything to a halt for a full hour.
Also agree with the suggestion to not get to the hospital too early, just know if you go too late you won’t have an epidural as an option 😅
You got this!
Don’t know about an easy labor but my mother made me drink okra water and I ended up pushing for 18 minutes. First baby.
I ate so many dates I can’t look at them anymore but I think it worked? Labor was around 8 hours, got an epidural (which felt like actual heaven and took the best nap of my life before pushing), pushed 10 minutes and he came out real fast but that did result in tearing so quick isn’t always the best honestly!