Your suggestions on how to cope with a long labour?

Hi everyone, sorry for my long post!

I am currently 30 weeks pregnant with my second child and am really starting to think about labour! My labour with my DS was extremely long and was not a positive experience. Pre-labour contractions started 37 hours before he was born which meant I couldn't sleep the whole 37 hours. My real labour started (so they say) around 12 hours before he was born. It was absolutely excruciating and tiring, but I only used gas as I was determined not to use drugs. When DS eventually arrived I was so exhausted from the whole experience that I felt nothing when he was handed to me, just relief that it was over. I lost quite a lot of blood and after a day could barely walk a couple of metres from exhaustion associated with the blood loss. They were almost going to give me a transfusion, but decided not to (what a mistake). My first week or two with DS was nothing like I expected, I was so tired and weak that I was scared to carry DS up the hallway and I felt no joy at all. I really was traumatised.

Anyway, after my long story above...I am wondering what I should do in case of a long labour this time. From the time I got pregnant I decided straight out that I would have an epidural so that I could at least rest and not feel so exhausted afterwards. But now I am getting closer to the big day I wondered if there are other ways I can cope? Does anyone have any suggestions for coping (with or without drugs) with a long labour? I do know it is possible that the second labour will be shorter, but I am not banking on it and want to be as prepared as possible this time just in case.

Thanks in advance for any words of advise!

Trish, my suggestion would be see if you can do hypnobirthing or calm birthing. I found it to be absolutely wonderful and highly recommend it. You can look up it up apparently at hypnobirthingvictoria dot com dot au. I was seriously afraid of natural birth but this was amazing and Oskar was born after 3 1/2 hours active labour.... my first labour experience and it was wonderful.

Eat! I ran outof energy due to hunger, not fatigue.

I also played cards and scrabble with DH, that helped me a lot. Writing my diary was OK, but it makes you think about it still, so distraction is the way to go. Reading was a good idea too. We were playing cards up to about 7cm dialated!

My first labour was 24 hours, 12 hours in pushing stage, so I get you on the exhaustion thing!

My suggestions are:

Birth at home.
Make very very sure you are well hydrated.
Electrolyte drinks can be good to help make sure you are not sweating all of your salts out. ( I made a special recipe called 'labourade')
Eat during labour to keep energy levels up
Honey can be a great pick me up
Labour in water, it can help with relaxation
Practise relaxation techniques

All the very best, I too was worried about a long gruelling labour second time around, and it was 4 hours! The mw almost didn't make it! :)

After birth I took liquid chlorophyll a few capfulls a day as I also lost a lot of blood, and could only crawl around the first few days! (I should have been in bed, but that after birth high...:wall:)
I also took Floradix to help boost Iron stores.

Hey Trish

i had terrible first labor...but did BirthSkills (hypnobirthing principles) with my second, and had the most amazing experience...it was still hard work right at the end, but I was calm and fearless...it was the type of birth I only dreamed of having!

Other options...but you might not have another long labor...second babies come quicker ;) (most of the time)

the key is relaxation to promote endorphins (our own natural pain relief hormones) and endorphins promote oxytocin release (hormone that stimulates contractions, among other things). Adrenaline...released when we are fearful...negates both of these lovely hormones

also breathing...lots of calm and relaxed breaths to oxygenate the uterus so that it can work to its optimum

hope this helps...

xx yogababy

Cyathea, I think we're going to have to meet some day. So many of your posts I'm like, "Ditto! Ditto!"

Trish, I'm sorry that was such a tough experience. Great that you're now looking ahead to equip and arm yourself. My first was 24 hours of esablished labour after 3 nights with no sleep due to warm-up cxs, so altogether three nights with no sleep - yep, I was pretty tired, but bounced back quick because unlike you I did not have to deal with excessive blood loss on top of that. That must've been really tough going.

My list of what I found helped, is pretty similar to my "cyber twin" ?? - Cyathea!

* homebirth with gentle, patient careproviders - who aren't clock-watchers
* birth pool - I feel asleep in it, in between cxs, and it really helped me with the relaxation
* birth tea with big spoons of Manuka Honey (my birth tea recipe is Raspberry Leaf, Lavendar, Basil and Nutmeg)
* sip constantly on homemade labour ade: lemon juice, manuka honey, calcium tablets, pinch of salt, pinch of baking soda, extra glucose powder if desired
* keep eating - choose you most-loved munchies: one of my clients had Snakes, she wouldn't go for my pumpkin seeds LOL! I used my favourite muesli bars with carob and macadamia.
* amazing music that melts your soul - helps you drift and fosters that relaxation
* for me, what helped was to keep moving - rocking, swaying, spiralling, pacing, stepping, etc, in rhythm with my breathing - dancing my way through the toughest cxs
* loving support people who ar really pouring on the TLC and encouragement. I felt like I could hang in there for as long as it took if they kept stroking my hair and rubbing my back. (You have to tell them ahead of time what you like!)
* I also think excellent nutrition during pregnancy fuels your body for the demands on it during labour. Plenty of calcium, potassium, magnesium & zinc as well as all the vitamins. And exercise - walking, swimming etc. Plenty of B vits too. The child-bearing years are full on for our bodies so gotta keep tanked up on the goodies.

Like Cyathea (**** insert X-Files theme music *****) I also used Floradix ater the birth. And ebing in Ireland, of course there was no getting away from the nettle tea and the Guiness - I'm serious! They had me onto these things! And sure enough the nettles are ridiculously high in nutrients. In Oz I'd say go for mega green leafy veg. Black-strap molasses was all right too.

Oh - and my second labour was three and half hours. Of which only during the last 20 minutes did I acutally credit that I was in labour. Which is why she was born in the baby-care room off the Food Court in the local shopping mall.

Cyathea, we must have drunk from the same well as toddlers!! Where did you say you were from again??

Trish, I hope all goes wonderfully for you next time.

Thanks so much everyone for your replies, they have given me something to think about and plan for. I wish I knew about BellyBelly with my first! I definitely think relaxation is one of the key things (I was definitely not relaxed first time!) and Cyathea and Julie, thanks for the practical things I can try. A home birth really isn't an option for me this far along though, but I will definitely labour as long as possible at home.

Thanks so much ladies, I feel much more informed now!

Trish

Trish - I know exactly how you feel. I had prelabour/labour of 72 hours with my first. I couldn't eat or sleep for those three days. My contractions started on the Saturday, were painful by the Sunday and by Monday I felt like I was in some sort of purgatory and it would never end! It did of course, on the Tuesday afternoon.

However I don't see my birthing experience in a negative light, I was just unprepared for how long it could take. I was very sore (mostly muscle tenderness from bracing against contractions etc) for a few days but after that was fine.

I can't say that I'll do much differently this time except that since having DD we have moved house and have a huge corner spa bath and I am planning on spending as much time in there as possible before we leave for the hospital. This was by far my number one comfort during my first labour and as soon as I got to the hospital and they let me stay (had been sent home twice) I took the gas and got in the bath and coped just fine after that.

It did take me about 2 weeks to get my appetite back strangely enough. During labour everyone kept telling me I had to eat but I just could not. It was the furthest thing from my mind. My DH made sure I drank lots of water and powerade though and sucked on lemonade ice blocks when I could.

I hope what everyone says about second labours being shorter is true for both our sakes!! My ob keeps telling me it won't be as long this time, but like you I'm not holding my breath! I am prepared this time and I know that I can do it!

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we have moved house and have a huge corner spa bath and I am planning on spending as much time in there as possible before we leave for the hospital. This was by far my number one comfort during my first labour and as soon as I got to the hospital and they let me stay (had been sent home twice) I took the gas and got in the bath and coped just fine after that.

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It sounds wonderful! You might like it so much you might just stay there and have a baby! ;)

Wow Willow, you really had a long labour too! I have my fingers crossed that we both have shorter labours this time around. Thanks for your post!

I would have to suggest HypnoBirthing also. I wnet from having 2 very long labours for my first 2 to having a labour that was about an hour for my 3rd. I didn't get a chance to actually use the hypnobirthing techniques but I feel that reading & learning about hypnobirthing prepared me for my 3rd birth & I went into it with so much positive thinking that my body just took over & did what it had to do.
Goodluck.

Hi Trish!
I'm sorry to tell you that all my labours were long! Here's hoping that your second will be short & sweet.
I found the following helpful:
1. Rest as much as possible in the last month. Give in to every desire to nap, and take your bedtime very seriously.
Keep in mind that part of the reason you were so exhausted with your first is simply because you were awake so long. If you labour during the day, you will have a tremendous advantage (sorry, I know you have no control over that factor). My 3rd baby's labour started at 5.30 am and he was born at 9 pm. I felt great the next day in part because I was then able to fall asleep at a normal time, and did all the work of labour in normal waking hours. This was a direct contrast to my 2nd, born at 8.30 am which meant I was up and hard at it all night.
Was your DS posterior? If he was, then that is a common reason for prodromal labour. I would then also suggest doing all you can to ensure this baby presents OA.
2. Keep well hydrated during labour and eat if you feel like it. I never felt like eating very much. Just like Willow--everyone kept urging me to eat and offering me food, but it was the last thing I wanted.
3. Labour in water as much as possible. This is my BEST tip. My third baby, my best delivery, was born under water. I had kept that in mind as an option but hadn't made a firm plan for it. When the time came I was so comfy in the bath that staying there seemed like the obvious thing.
4. Good support in labour. My dh was there of course...and I was lucky enough to have private midwives with my first two, and the same public midwife, who put herself on special call for me, for my next two.
5. Organize good support at home. You need to feel secure about your DS's care whilst you're in labour; if you are worried about him then you won't let yourself "go" during labour. What sort of help will you get at home during the first week or two? You should be coddled until/unless you feel like doing more.

Are you keeping up your iron? A low iron level can make you feel tired in itself, both before delivery & after. You can ask your doctor for a blood test if necessary, but otherwise eat plenty of leafy dark green vegies and consider an iron supplement. I like the chelated iron, I think it's better absorbed. I needed the supplement--I could not keep my levels up otherwise, as shown by blood tests!--but I tend to be slightly anaemic even when not pregnant.

YOU CAN DO IT! :thumbsup:

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You might like it so much you might just stay there and have a baby!

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Julie I'd love to! But after losing my last bub (m/c not during labour) I'm not quite at the stage where I'm confident enough for a home birth.

Would LOVE a water birth and they're OK with it at the hospital I'm delivering at, but my ob won't deliver in the bath - party pooper! He said shower's fine though so that's an option.

I've also considered asking him if the midwives at the hospital are happy to assist with a delivery in the bath if he'll consider that. He's quite a large older man and I think the physicality of it is an issue for him. I've often wondered what would happen if I just refused to get out LOL!

Hi Willow, I just heard that Geelong hospital does waterbirth, so along with John Hunter in Newcastle, the Monash, Casey, Angliss Birth Centres it's good to know that there are birth centres out there doing waterbirth - it's so nice for both mum and bub. I think you can just not get out. They might be amazed how simply it all just happens. You can always get out to birth the placenta if they are wanting to keep an eye on blood loss. It's amazing what a help submerging in water is during labour.

Hope it all goes wonderfully for you Willow.

At the risk of going against the grain, I would ask for an epidural early on - that way the pain won't be there and you can actually have a sleep during the process if it is a long labour to help yourself to re-energise ready for the pushing.

I like the hypnobirthing suggestions of others; I think I would go for that if I were having another natural birth as it would be wonderful to have a relaxed state of mind and not feel afraid.

I too ran out of energy due to hunger, and because I felt nauseous i couldn't eat. My dd was posterior until right at the end, and my labour was 32 hours, 28 of which was active labour. Because it started early morning I didn't eat, and by the time it was full on labour I was past eating and it really took it's toll. We ended up transferring from a homebirth because of that reason, though I am still happy with the way things ended up I really suggest doing everything you can to keep your energy levels up.

Fruit juices or honeyed water can be useful for keeping your energy up. Also ice-poles or barley-sugar sweets. And if you feel sick but have low energy still try to drink/take a little something - i know it's off-putting when one feels sick but throwing up is the worse case scenario and actually that can help open your cervix up.

Bx

Hi!

Water is a great way to relax you and ease the pain. Eat some protein early on to keep up your strength. Fruit juice throughout helps too. My labour was not progressimg so our wonderful midwife had me walking around doing a weird walk, lifting my legs up to the sides and had my husband doing nipple stimulation (sorry if TMI!) which really helped to strengthen my contractions and speed up my labour. She was getting worried when I hadn't dilated any further from 5cms in a few hours but after doing the walk and the nipple stimulation I was fully dilated in another 2 hours! I also used Bach Rescue Remedy which helped loads.

Second labours are meant to be shorter anyhow!?