THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT30 | April 2020 |motherandbaby.co.uk
Long laboursFor your first baby, you can expect your
labour to be long, possibly stopping
and starting a lot, as your body and
mind warm up to the idea of having
a baby. The process, from the first
‘niggles’ to having your newborn in
your arms, may take as long as a few
days, but usually these niggles will
be on and off, and the part where you
are occupied with one contraction
after another will probably last on
average about eight hours. Even in
this intense time you will get breaks
between the contractions, which
should be completely pain free. If you
are not getting these pain-free breaks,
that may be down to your baby’s
position. The midwives or doctors will
guide you on this, but you can also try
to help by moving yourself. Choose
active, upright positions, get in a birth
pool if you can, and avoid being on a
bed on your back.
If your labour is taking longer than
you’d like,stay calm, and ask yourself:
how am I doing here? If you are coping
fine, and checks show that all is well
with the baby, then it could simply be
that this was the labour you were
meant to have – slowly building at a
steady pace. If you are struggling,
however, or you or others have
concerns, then intervention is needed.
The medical approach to a slow labour
is to ‘augment’ it with intravenous
oxytocin through a drip, to speed
things along, but if everything is OK
with your baby and you can have more
time, here are some other techniques
you may like to try first.
● Think mammal. To produce oxytocin,
like all mammals, you need darkness,
quiet, warmth, and to feel safe and
supported. If your labour is slow to
progress, check that these basics
are all in place for you.● Think love. If your birth room is
ticking your oxytocin boxes, try other
ways of getting the love hormone
flowing. Smooching, massage, nipple
stimulation, loving words or looks, or
even orgasm, will all help.
● Get moving. Get off the bed,
change position, try a birth ball, go
for a walk, and focus on changing
the energy in your body.
● Eat and drink. Make sure you keep
your energy and fluid levels up with
regular drinks and snacks.
● Free your mind. Ensure there are no
thoughts or feelings holding you back.
Talk about your fears with your partner
or midwife. This release may have a
corresponding effect on your body.
● Try acupuncture or acupressure.
These can sometimes be provided in
hospitals or birth centres. If not, a quick
search for ‘acupressure in labour’ will
give you suggested points to stimulate.‘Kioni
was my fourth
and fastest labour – just
one hour and 15 minutes.
I loved it! It made it much more
bearable fo me that I didn’t have
to do it fo long. I felt powerful,
like I’d totally rocked this birth!’
Becky Young, 35, from
Cambridgeshire, is mum to
Kioni, three, Reuben, four,
Mali, eight, and
Afiya, 11