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For those of you who have been there done that- I am hoping to stay at home as long as possible for the early stages of my labour, What positions or "equipment"(ie; birth ball) have you found useful for this stage at home????
And does a bath slow down contractions, even if you remain up-right whilst in there?
If you stay at home walk, walk walk. Whenever I would stop in early labour my contractions would slow right down then pick up in frequency and intensity whenever I would walk. I would actually stop walking so I could get a break! ;)
Definately, I started having contractions 3 mins apart from 6am, but they were twinges, they progressively got stronger over the course of the day, but still 3 mins apart...
By 3pm all I wanted to do was walk & I spent til 6:30pm, contonuosly walking around the block with mobile phone in hand & my Mum with me!
When I'd sit to rest they'd stop & by 1 week over due I wanted bubba out, so would walk again...
I was told at 10pm, to use the lift as I was having really strong contractions in the casualty check in area at the hospital, but I flatly refused & took the stairs, at the top of the stairs all the midwives were smiling coz I had the strongest contraction just as I reached the top...
Then I just paced the room until I could push, Indah was born at 12:31am, 2.5 hours after arriving at hospitalk & the midwives left us alone, until I wanted them...
Things I found worked:
Very early labour - rest. Sleep if possible, otherwise relax and conserve energy.
Later, when ctx too distracting to rest - move around. Either go for a walk, or just do normal tasks around the house. If necessary, stop and do some deep breathing or whatever technique you like for the ctx.
Positions - will depend on your body, the position of your baby and your personal preference. I like to be leaning forward most of the time, or else squatting down, holding on to something so I can rock or sway. I also like going outside and getting some fresh air, although that will depend on whether you feel self conscious about other people realising you're in labour (we're in the bush, so I can go ouside and moan and groan to my heart's content!) I found using a ball to lean onto was good, but you can use your bed, armchair, or whatever.
If you're planning to stay at home for as long as possible could I suggest that you (1) think about comfort measures for in the car and (2) make a backup plan in case baby arrives sooner than you expect
test pls ignore.
Try to stay as active as posible and have a support person there with you to motivate you to stay on your feet. I wish I had stayed more active during my labour as it probably wouldn't have ended in a c/s then.
I found walking helped when I was in labour with Declan. Also a warm shower helped ease the pain a little. I tried to sit down and relax but found it never helped at all.
When I went to the hospital and contractions were about 4-5 mins apart, I kept walking around aswell and I think it helped as my second stage of labour only lasted for 15 mins and 3rd stage went for 4 mins. All up my labour went for 12 hours and 34 mins. :)