The gentlebirth.org website is provided courtesy of
Ronnie Falcao, LM MS, a homebirth midwife in Mountain View, CA

Tips for Labor - A Midwife's Suggestions after Birthing Her First Baby

by Joanna Baldwin, LM

In pregnancy build a really strong bag of waters.  A Labor with broken waters has a lot more pain.  Eat lots and lots of protein. Also take Vitamin C with bioflavonoids (pill) daily.  I did all of this. My waters broke only 2 hours before delivery and then I did not notice extra pain.

Visualize how you want the day to play out.

Have someone that is totally there for you that will do whatever you need in the minute.

We as woman are strong enough to do it.  It can be done.

Get rid of all fears before the day arrives.  Do whatever it takes to get rid of them.

It takes inner strength not physical strength to do it.

Believe in yourself and your body.

Know ahead of time exactly how you want your day to play out and visualize it.  Draw it!!  I visualized mine and drew it and guess what it is the exact picture.

It is pressure that causes the pain, intense pressure around your whole uterus - the top, bottom and sides.  It does not feel anything like menstrual cramps.  I don't remember the pain at all anymore but I do remember the pressure.

Birth in a place that you feel comfortable.  Birth with a doctor/midwife that you feel comfortable.

Eat in early labor. Drink lots of fluids throughout the whole process.

If labor starts during the night try and sleep.  If there comes a point that it demands your attention then get up and work with it.  If it starts in the day time try and get things moving along. Alternate between work and rest.

Move how you need to move.  In early labor use the time to practice breath, movement and sound.  I found that in early labor the best position for me was to stand with my knees open, my upper body leaning forward on to something and my hips open and swaying.  I found that if I tucked my pelvis the pain of it either went away(!) or was minimized.

Labor in any position that you feel comfortable.  I loved my hot tub!  In the hot tub I constantly changed position.  The water allowed me freedom of movement and took off the extra pressure and weight.   Then, in between contractions Fred would float my body and I would totally relax.  If a hot tub is not available women love the shower too.

Do what you need to do, the best you can, to get the job done.

In between the contractions take your break! You need to totally let go.  Don’t hold on to a contraction that is not there.  Take a deep breath and let go.  Don’t think about the next one, just rest and relax fully.

The hard part of a contraction is from the beginning of it until its peak.  The contractions go up to their peak and then come back down and with every breath the pain lessens.  It would take me 3 longs breaths to get to the really tough part and then with each breath after that there was a noticeable release.  Make any noise that you need to make.   Focus on low sounds.

As hard as it gets don't fight the contractions.  Contractions are exactly what you need in order to have the baby. Without them it will never happen. You will think and or say "Oh no here comes another contraction, I can't do this, I just want a break, I wish someone else could do one of these!"  When you hear yourself say something like that then counter the thought with a positive.  Say the opposite right back in your head or out loud.  For example, "Yes here we go, Good here is another contraction, I can do this, This is the way to get to the baby, The quicker the better."  I have seen too many women fight the contractions and end up with really long labors.  Don't fight them welcome them.  Better to have a quick labor and get done with it. You need for them to get stronger and to last longer.  Without them you won't have the baby.  Use every one to its fullest.  Don't fight them and waste their work.  Better to use them and have it over quicker than to go on and on.  Or better to have 100 of them vs. 500 of them.  The baby awaits.

When pushing you will feel really intense pressure all across your bottom.  Again your mind will say "yikes I don't want to push so long and so hard it hurts.  I'll just push for a few seconds instead."  When you feel that pressure and that stretching feeling that is exactly what you want to feel.  That means you are pushing perfectly.  The longer and stronger you push the quicker it will be.  When the head starts to be born the pain is less.  It is a burning feeling instead of a pressure.

You need to be in your primal mind to labor.  If you try and distract yourself with things or talking, then you also will distract your labor and you will progress slowly.  When you have a contraction close your eyes and be with it.  Focus on opening your cervix and sinking into the pressure.

Labor is doable and I don't believe that it is the worst pain anyone can ever feel.

I wish you a wonderful labor and birth.