Tip # 5: Stay on your feet. The baby has to make his way down your uterus through the birth canal and out your vagina, keep walking because sick, weak people are the ones who need to be in bed. Try to think of yourself as a client, using a service, not a patient. Keep upright and keep walking, so you feel freedom to move and not confinement.
Tip #6: Don’t go to the hospital too early. Wait until labor is intense and closer than five minutes apart. Arriving at the hospital too early may make the doctors want to speed up or induce labor. A doula will often meet you at home. Her encouragement and support during the beginning labor process as well as delivery will make you more comfortable at home for a longer period of time.
Tip #7: Be free to move about during labor. Unless there is a medical emergency, request a heplock (which is an IV site with a cap on it) instead of the complete IV. Keep yourself free to move as you feel necessary during labor. An IV in a hospital will limit the natural movements that make labor easier to work through.
Tip #8: Change positions. No one can manage the pressure of labor lying down. That is probably why many women today choose an epidural once they get to the hospital. Remember a labor wave on average lasts but one minute, and that is all you have to manage at one time. Do what you need to do to ride it: walk, squat, slow dance. Have your partner or a doula help you. A birth coach can help you with breathing and provides support during the entire labor, making the process go smoothly while you feel more comfortable.
Tip #9: Let gravity work for you. Lying down during labor and delivery is unnatural and goes against the laws of gravity. Practice before birth the many positions that are suited for pushing the baby out. A doula can show you appropriate breathing and pushing techniques, so you can find some that are the most comfortable for you.
Tip #10: Let your voice be heard. Making guttural noises right from the core of your gut helps with relaxation and allows you to express yourself freely during this emotionally exhilarating experience.
