My suggestions would be:
Speak to her between every contraction.
Don't speak un-necessarily or ask her questions if you can help it during contractions.
Avoid questions anyway that are too open - rather give a choice "juice or water?", "move to bathroom or chair?", choice of 2 CDs.
Tell her who is in the room & what they're doing.
Tell her the time.
Tell her the weather outside.
Tell her what's been observed, eg baby's heartbeat, her BP if it's being watched, dilation if known, leaking fluids.... a labouring woman can become very introverted & may have her eyes closed a lot - but still want to be in touch with what's going on.
Tell her what's been observed about her behaviour. For example, how are her noises sounding, have they changed?
Talk to her about using her sounds to help open her cervix, oooooooo sounds to open the cervix and oh sounds to build energy when she's getting tired.
Encourage encourage encourage. Tell her she's doing well, her sounds are good, she's in a good position, baby's heartbeat is good. Tell her she's beautiful. Tell her you can see her strength. Tell her you're proud of her. Tell her you love her. Tell her she's progressed. Tell her she's getting close, she's nearly there. Tell her she can do this. Tell her she is doing it. Say all these things with truth and at the right time, and only if they are absolutely true.
Tell her she's safe.
What thoughts/suggestions do you have?
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