If you see tension, ask her to relax these muscles, massage them or place your hands on tense areas. Say “Let your shoulders drop,” or “Relax your arms—let them rest on my hands.” You may notice that as the contractions become stronger, her breathing becomes faster. You can still say “Slow it down.
2/Relaxing your muscles
If you are tensing up in any way, the contractions will be more painful – like if you tense up for an injection. TRY THIS: Practice noticing any tension in your body then actively relaxing those muscles. Focus on your jaw, your shoulders, your hands and your lower back.
While there is no “right” way to breathe in labor, many women find deep breathing very relaxing during their labors. Deep breathing can keep both the mother and her baby well-oxygenated and provide a distraction from her labor pain. Deep breathing can reduce anxiety and pain perception, as well as decrease heart rate.
The standard way to describe a contraction goes like this: it differs from person to person, but in general, you feel an all-over tightening of your abdomen and pain or cramping that often begins in your lower back and radiates to the front.
Breathing too quickly (which looks a lot like hyperventilating) and holding your breath can increase your pain, not to mention also make you feel lightheaded.
Taking walks during active labor (breaking for contractions) can help ease the intensity of labor and can help keep your labor progressing by moving your pelvic bones, which helps position baby appropriately for (potentially) a shorter and easier overall birth.
Try to walk around too, if you can. If you get tired or your contractions get stronger, you can try to keep moving by shifting your weight from one foot to the other, or by rocking your pelvis. Some of these positions will make it easier for your birth partner to give you a massage or back rub.
Contractions help the cervix dilate and efface from the beginning stages to the full 10 centimeters. Still, you may be dilated slightly without noticeable contractions.
Contractions are a tightening feeling across your stomach and sometimes into your back and thighs. Each contraction's opening (dilating) your cervix and moving your baby down the birth canal so they can be born.
When you're in true labor, your contractions last about 30 to 70 seconds and come about 5 to 10 minutes apart. They're so strong that you can't walk or talk during them. They get stronger and closer together over time. You feel pain in your belly and lower back.
Sitting upright — in bed, in your partner's arms or on a birthing ball or stool — can ease the pain of contractions and allow gravity to assist in bringing your baby down into the birth canal.
According to a new study in JAMA , there are two common approaches as to when to push. Both advise waiting until full dilation at 10 centimeters. The first method is to start pushing when fully dilated along with uterine contractions; the other is to delay pushing to allow for the fetus to spontaneously descend.
When contractions are too long or very close together, the placenta has insufficient time to recharge, and the infant may be deprived of oxygen. This can result in birth injuries, such as cerebral palsy, birth asphyxia, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our general rule is to sleep as long as possible if you're starting to feel contractions at night. Most of the time you can lay down and rest during early labor. If you wake up in the middle of the night and notice contractions, get up and use the bathroom, drink some water, and GO BACK TO BED.
How Does Baby Move During Labor? As your labor progresses, your infant will be doing the best he can to push the process along. To start the dilation of the cervix, your baby's head presses into the birth canal. Infants usually twist and turn during labor to find the easiest way to squeeze through.
It usually takes from 15 minutes to an hour for the cervix to dilate from 8 to 10 centimeters. Contractions are 2 to 3 minutes apart and last about 1 minute.
Try being upright
One of your biggest allies is gravity. When you are upright—standing, sitting or kneeling—the weight of your baby presses on the cervix, encouraging it to open. An upright position may also help get your baby into the best position for birth.
When you have a contraction, your womb tightens and then relaxes. For some people, contractions may feel like extreme period pains. You may have had contractions during your pregnancy, particularly towards the end. These tightenings are called Braxton Hicks contractions and are usually painless.
Other ways to recognize labor:
The 5-1-1 Rule: The contractions come every 5 minutes, lasting 1 minute each, for at least 1 hour. Fluids and other signs: You might notice amniotic fluid from the sac that holds the baby. This doesn't always mean you're in labor, but could mean it's coming.
Walk. If the pains you are having are real labor, walking will make the contractions come closer together and they will be stronger, but you will be able to cope with them better if you are standing or moving around.
Ideally, the resting time between contractions should be one minute. Short resting times can contribute to unnecessary fetal stress.
Spending most of your time in bed, especially lying on your back, or sitting up at a small angle, interferes with labor progress: Gravity works against you, and the baby might be more likely to settle into a posterior position. Pain might increase, especially back pain.
Hormones = More Contractions at Night
At night, the hormones that increase the contracting nature of your uterine muscle – estrogens and prostandins – predominate. And oxytocin and melatonin hit their peak at night too.