Whether or not you seek an unmedicated birth, there are many tools that can help your labor go more smoothly. Some tools help moms get in the right headspace to facilitate labor hormones. Some can help manage pain, while others can help get the baby in a more optimal position. In any case, more is more when it comes to knowing your options for birth and the resources that can make it more comfortable. Having been through three births myself and having counseled many moms for the last decade as a doula and lactation consultant, here are my top six favorite labor tools.
#1 Environment
We’ve all heard the story. Contractions pick up at home, the pain becomes unbearable, dad packs the car and they make the drive. Mom waddles into the hospital thinking that surely they are close to birth, only to be told: “You’re 1 centimeter, go back home.” She wonders, “What’s happening here? Only 1 centimeter? How is that possible? If 1 centimeter is this intense, how will I ever make it to 10?” If you don’t pass that threshold of “no going back” in labor (typically regarded as 5 cm dilated), progression of contractions can not only stall, but regress.
Birth is just as much a mental game as it is a physical one. Think about a hospital waiting room. Bright lights, strange people, loud sounds. Not exactly a private or cozy place. Oftentimes, a mom may have been more dilated at home, but the second a mom gets in the car and walks through the hospital doors, the body goes “Woah, not here. We can’t give birth here.”
Oxytocin and your labor environment
Why is that? Oxytocin drives labor. Oxytocin is the same hormone that surges during breastfeeding and making love. Do you want to make love in a bright room with strange people and foreign sounds? Probably not. Once you are settled into wherever it is you intend to give birth, especially the earlier you are into labor, environment plays a massive role in whether or not the subconscious mind feels “safe” enough to allow the oxytocin release necessary to drive labor.
So, once you are in the hospital room, or the birth center, or in your own home (hopefully not the car, although many have this story. My third was very nearly a car birth!), it is crucial to keep things low key, safe, and private. This is also true in early labor, which most often happens for everyone at home. Doulas will bring battery-operated candles, calming music, and other tools to help “set the mood.” In early, early labor when contractions are irregular and sporadic, distraction is best. When there is a rhythm to contractions, find the place that feels comfortable enough to make love. After all, you’re about to meet another love of your life!
#2 Your birth team (Yes, it’s a key labor tool!)
The most influential factor in getting the birth you want is your birth team. That includes your providers and the people who are around you during your birth, such as family or a doula. Granted, even with the best support team, your birth plan isn’t guaranteed. But when the people involved in your birth have the same priorities as you–whatever those are–it closes the gap between their wishes and yours.
Your medical provider and unnecessary Cesarean birth
If it’s really important for you to avoid an unnecessary Cesarean birth, then ask around what the stats are for that provider and hospital. If the Cesarean rate at a hospital is upwards of 40% or 50%, your chances of having a C-section are literally higher than at a hospital with a rate closer to 20% or 30%. If you know you want an induction or C-section (or know that you don’t!), talk to your provider during your prenatal appointments. And if you know before even going into labor that you do or do not want pain medication, discuss that with your support team ahead of time. It is true that plans don’t always go according to plan, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth talking about them at all.
Doulas
Doulas are invaluable and any ethical and experienced one should support your wishes no matter what they are. Don’t get caught up in the idea that because you are high risk or want an epidural or even have a planned C-section that a doula isn’t for you.
#3 Hydrotherapy
Water, water, water. In the shower, in a tub, in a mister spray bottle, on a washcloth. What does water do? Specifically, warm water immersion decreases pain by upregulating endorphins and easing muscle tension, allowing moms to relax more in between contractions. (Did you know that the better a mom can relax in between contractions, the more effective the contractions will be?!) According to this 2014 peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Midwifery and Women’s Health:
“Waterbirth is associated with high levels of maternal satisfaction with pain relief and the experience of childbirth, and may increase the likelihood of an intact perineum. Waterbirth is associated with decreased incidence of episiotomy and severe perineal lacerations, and may contribute to reduced postpartum hemorrhage” [1].
Hydrotherapy is inexpensive, safe, and accessible. It is becoming more commonplace to see birth tubs in hospitals because the cost/benefit analysis is so obviously in favor of the benefits! Plus, women who labor in water tend to recall more positive feelings about their births, and feel more comfortable and private during the process.
#4 Birth ball
This tool has become so popular that even hospitals are starting to provide laboring moms with one. There are two types of birth balls: a big round one and another type called a “peanut style” ball. They both serve important but different roles.
Round birth ball
A round ball can be helpful in keeping a mom in early labor upright, which helps open the pelvis and get the baby engaged in a better position. As moms get closer to active labor, they may find hugging the ball and rocking back and forth helps manage contraction pain. Another great advantage of a round yoga ball is that it is of great use both pre- and postnatally, so this tool gets much more mileage than just for the birth. As moms get closer to 40 weeks, a yoga ball may be the only place comfortable enough for a mom to sit. (And did you know this also helps get the baby in a good position in the final weeks of pregnancy?) Postnatally, bouncing on the ball can be a very helpful soothing tool for a new baby that helps regulate their burgeoning nervous system.
Peanut birth ball
A peanut-style ball is particularly useful for moms with an epidural since it can be used while laying down. Placed between the legs while a mom is side-lying, a peanut ball keeps the pelvis open, and helps promote dilation and therefore the descent of the baby. Other positions involve having the mom be semi-reclined on her back, and placing the peanut ball under one or both legs. (Need a visual? Images of these various positions can be found here.) In labor and delivery, proper pelvic alignment is everything, and what the peanut-style birth ball does is allow mom to rest (by being horizontal), while keeping the pelvis open for good alignment of the baby.
#5 Rebozo/Scarf/Woven wrap
A rebozo is a shawl-like, long and flat garment traditionally used in Mexican culture. Whether it is a traditional rebozo, or any long piece of fabric (like a scarf or baby carrier wrap), you would be surprised at the various techniques a skilled doula can pull out of her back pocket with this simple tool. One such technique is called “sifting.” It utilizes gravity and pressure to relax uterine ligaments and abdominal muscles during labor to help get the baby in optimal position. “Tug-of-war” (this is how I got my first baby out!) is another popular technique used during pushing to provide the mother with counterresistance to each push. Rebozos are helpful for positioning regardless of whether or not the mom has an epidural. In fact, rebozos could be especially helpful for a mom with an epidural who doesn’t have as much flexibility/mobility for positioning.
#6 Comb
That’s right, a comb. Not to brush your hair (although, in my experience, my hair could use a good brushing after birth) but to grip to help distract yourself from the contraction pains (think of it like acupressure). A lot of doulas will pack this inexpensive and helpful tool in their bags. An alternative to gripping a comb is squeezing a little foam stress ball.
Squeezing something in your hands is a good tool for early labor when you are trying to distract yourself from the increasing intensity of contractions. Of course, the more dilated you get, the less likely the comb or the stress ball will effectively distract you from labor. Nonetheless, a good squeeze can get you further than you think!
The bottom line on labor tools
Ultimately, all of these labor tools are meant to help you manage pain and progress your labor in an efficient way. There are no guarantees and like I said, only so much is in our control when it comes to babes and birth. But with the right support and tools, it can certainly increase the chances of you getting the birth you want. If you are expecting, don’t be afraid to do the research and ask for your priorities. And of course, understand that on D-day (delivery day, that is) even your own priorities may shift. That’s ok!
References:
[1] Nutter, Elizabeth et al. “Waterbirth: an integrative analysis of peer-reviewed literature.” Journal of midwifery & women’s health vol. 59,3 (2014): 286-319. doi:10.1111/jmwh.12194Additional Reading:
The 6 things every woman considering a natural childbirth needs to know
Positions to speed up labor, and can you really speed up labor?
