5 ways to stay at home for as long as possible in early labour…
So that you don’t get to the hospital to be sent straight back home as you are ‘only’ 1cm dilated.
No pregnant woman wants to be in labour, having contractions, packing everything into the car, driving down the M62 to the hospital, to then be told that they are ‘only’ 1-2cm dilated and need to go all the way back home again, it’s soul destroying, frustrating and can actually slow labour down.
So, how do we make sure that at the first sign of a contraction, we don’t hop in the car straight to the hospital?
Staying at home during labour can be so beneficial, it allows your good hormones to rise, it allows your body to progress but knowing when to head to the hospital can be tough and most people often turn up too soon, to be sent straight back home.
I know we have all seen the videos of women giving birth at the side of the motorway or in the carpark, it does happen, dont get me wrong but not very often. It’s often this thought that panics us into heading to the hospital too soon but for the majority of women, we are likely to have a labour that lasts longer than 4 hours or more. You are likely to have time.
The problem that we have is that when we arrive at the hospital too soon and we are told to go back home, this can be so difficult. Not only is the car an uncomfortable place to be when you are having contractions but going back home will also make you start to question whether you can do this or not.
Midwives know that being at home is the best place that you can be, let’s listen to that advice…
The reason why a midwife will suggest you go home if you are in early labour is because they know that its the best place for you to be, they are telling you to stay at home for a good reason. Labour is more likely to stall in a hospital setting (for lots of reasons), it’s likely to take longer and be more uncomfortable so being at home is a good thing.
Imagine if we could cut out that middle part, the coming and going and we could stay at home during labour for as long possible instead…
Here’s 5 things that might just help you to do the early stages of labour at home, rather than in a hospital:
1/ Ignore labour:
Yep, you heard me right, ignore it, pretend it’s not happening. I know it’s exciting and you’ve got butterflies in your stomach but can you ignore it? If we take that first contraction and focus on it too much, I promise you that labour is going to feel like it lasts a lifetime. Instead, distract yourself, carry on as normal, do some of these things:
Go for a walk round the block
Watch your favourite TV programme
Have something to eat
Have a bath or shower
Play a game
It sounds counterintuitive but the longer you can ignore things, the better and that allows your body to progress without being interrupted by the unnecessary journey to hospital and back.
2/ Go back to sleep
If it’s night time when you get your first contractions, can you go back to sleep? You need that energy and when the body is asleep, it is relaxed and that is exactly what the uterus needs. The more relaxed you are, the more likely the body is able to progress during labour.
3/ Ditch the contraction timer
Or, at least let your birth partner have it. The contraction timers often tell you to head to the hospital far too soon, listen to your body instead and go to the hospital when you feel like it rather than when the app tells you to. If you do want to use a contraction timer, than have your birth partner time things but not give a running commentary.
Read the full blog now on 4 things that your uterus needs to work efficiently during labour - Tap here to read.
4/ Listen to your body
This is arguably one of the biggest points. If you build trust in your body throughout pregnancy, then you will be able to listen to it. Your body will give you clues and signals. If you feel comfortable, if you can talk, if a bath gives you comfort then you are probably better staying at home a little bit longer. If you feel like you want to be in hospital, if that’s where you will more comfortable, then go. Remember that you can change your mind at any point. One of the best ways to build confidence is to work on your mindset during labour, use that 9ish months to learn about birth, to reprogram your mind. Hypnobirthing is a great way to do this, check out my hypnobirthing courses here.
5/ Have a confident birth partner
I hear time and time again of women saying ‘Dave said I think we should go to the hospital just in case, so we went and got sent back home.’ When other people fear birth, they will often rush you to the hospital and their fear rubs off on you. Make sure that your birth partner understands birth and that they are able to let you make decisions. Don’t let their fear sabotage your birth. A great way to have a confident birth partner is to take a hypnobirthing course, they will learn so much about their role during labour, tell them to have a read of this birth story from a Dad’s perspective here.
