Be sure and go through the links at the bottom especially the birth beliefs' one, pain med preference list and the sheknows ones.
This is my personal list of ideas:
-Be sure that you are on the same page as your careprovider with your hopes and plans. They can make or break the experience.
-Learn about the routine policies where you are giving birth. If you don't agree with them talk to your careprovider. They can usually make standing orders that support your hopes.
-Write a birth plan and make sure that you, your partner and your care providers are all on the same page. Have contingency plans too. Think about how you would want an induction to go if one became necessary. Same thing for a c-section. Newborn care is an important thing that you shouldn't ignore. I'll give you some links to info on birth plans and tools to help you write one.
-Try the “20 Minute Rule.” Once you decide that you want pain medication, try something new for 20 minutes first and then reasses how you are doing. Walk, try a new position, use water, a birthing ball, toning, a heating pad anything that you haven’t tried yet or recently. You might find that after 20 minutes you have progressed more and/or you feel up to continuing just a bit more. Remember that for most moms they don’t get the feeling that they can’t do it anymore till they are almost about to start pushing. That "I can't do this feeling" (self doubt) is the 3rd emotional signpost of labor according to the Bradley method.
-Ask for an internal exam before accepting pain meds. You might find that you are already 7+cm and that you can get through just a bit more. Transition is often the most intense part of labor but usually the shortest too. Some moms have transitions that last 20 minutes or less! (Of course, it could be longer so don't be discouraged if it is!)
-Hire a doula! A doula can be an absolutely tremendous asset to the birth. While my dh and I were very well prepred (lots of classes and reading), it was still great to have someone in the room who was a professional labor support person. She was full of good tips and ideas to help me stay comfortable. She also helped dh help me feel better by giving him more ideas. She was there exclusively for our physical and emotional needs. Money well spent, imo.
-Know about interventions and use them wisely. Know what strings come attached to the various interventions. For example, if you consent to having your water broken do you also inadvertently consent to laboring in bed with a continuous monitor (whether it be internal or external)? Just know what chain of events can get set into motion by your choices. In general, unnecessary interventions can make your birth harder. Use them sparingly and wisely.
-Stay out of bed- unless you are able to master the Bradley Method of full relaxation. Change positions frequently to help the baby come down in the best possible position. Walking, position change, water, using a birthing ball, rocking in a chair, "slow dancing" with your partner...these are all great ideas to help you stay comfortable and manage the contractions.
-It might sound silly but vocalizing (aka, moaning) feels great! Saying, "oww, oww, oww!!" just makes you tense up all over. Moaning forces you to relax your shoulders, face, and chest. In my prenatal yoga class we practice "toning." We say 3 "ma" 3 "ah" and 3 "oh." At the end of that sequence I feel so relaxed. There is supposed to be a connection to relaxing your face muscles and throat muscles to relaxing your cervix and vagina. I did the "oh" sound with ds and it really helped!
-Deep breathing makes more sense than patterned breathing for most moms. It helps you to relax rather than try and distract yourself. Tension can really hinder labor progress and make the contractions harder to manage.
-Bring a heating pad with you. It can really help if you have back labor.
-Consider making up flash cards of all of the pain relief tricks you learn so that you can refer to them when you are in labor. It can be hard to remember all of them and there might just be one that perfectly suits your needs.
-Labor at home as long as possible, or as long as you feel comfortable. You avoid feeling like a watched pot waiting to boil. You can also probably relax better at home.
-Consider returning home if you go in to be checked and are less than 4-5cm.
-Learn about fetal positioning. For example, something like a posterior baby can throw labor for a loop. The contractions are working to change your cervix and the baby's position so that can make labor longer. Also, baby could cause back labor. I found with ds that I could not be in bed- it was just way too uncomfortable. I later learned that I did the right thing listening to my body. I needed to follow the cues and get out of bed. Baby stood a better chance of turning in a different position. By following my body's lead and doing what felt good I think that helped ds turn. So, learn about the curve balls baby's position can throw- and strategies to fix it.
This is a good article about alternative pain management techniques AND info on the actual pain medications:
http://askdrsears.com/html/1/T010800.asp#T012000
To find a doula near you, here is a link:
http://dona.org/FindingADoula.html
Birth Plan Maker
http://www.birthnaturally.org/HospitalPlan.htm
http://www.babycenter.com/calculators/birthplan/
Pros and cons of birth plans
http://pregnancytoday.com/reference/...lanarticle.htm
More reasons to write up a birth plan:
http://birthplan.com/plan-why.htm
Common interventions and risks/ benefits:
http://www.lamaze.com/birth/choices/...-2,00.html#npo
Tips to have an easier first birth [or second, third…]..:
http://sheknows.com/about/look/609.htm
15 tips to have an empowering birth:
http://sheknows.com/about/look/102.htm
Birth Beliefs’ Questionare:
http://transitiontoparenthood.com/tt...ts/beliefs.pdf
Pain Medication Preference Scale:
http://dolphin.upenn.edu/~doulas/documents/PMPS.pdf
Fetal Positions- a diagram slide show:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm...9B78DF2B94E9AF
Back Labor and Optimal Fetal Positioning:
http://www.motherspirit.net/articles...reventpost.htm
Optimal Fetal Positioning
http://www.homebirth.org.uk/ofp.htm
Malpositions and Labor:
http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/m...20Malpositions
I am 39 weeks pregnant with my second child and have been told my baby is lying in the posterior position. Is there anything I can do to encourage him to change position?
http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.c...sp?newsid=7083
Preventing Back Labor
http://members.rogers.com/bcircle/To...%20Labour.html
Pain in the Back: The Occiput Posterior Baby
http://www.birthcenters.org/faqchild...ivebirth.shtml
Signs and Symptoms of Posterior Positioning
http://www.mother-care.ca/pos_sym.htm
Accept that contractions aren't your enemy. Keep this acronym in mind.
PAIN
P- Contractions are Purposeful. Every contraction works to help you efface, dilate, move the baby down into the pelvis or change your cervix from posterior to anterior.
A- Labor contractions are Anticipated. You learn in labor the rhythm of your contractions so you can gear up for the next one. You also can practice coping strategies before the baby comes.
I- It is Intermittent. You will not spend all of labor having contractions. There will be a break between them. Use that break to the best of your advantage.
N- Labor pain is Normal. It is there because your body is working really hard to deliver the baby.
(I got this from the workbook they gave us in our hospital sponsored birth class. the book is called "Prepared Childbirth the Family Way" by Amis and Green)
Beth