Well, if labour is imminent for me (which, if you see my last post, I’m hoping it is!), I am issuing a last minute plea for your tips on how to cope when the pain starts coming for real!
I want to cope for as long as I can with as little pain relief as possible. I’m not being unrealistic about this, I had everything going last time, and I have an open mind to everything this time. But I want to cope at home for as long as I can, and if I do have an epidural, I want to be progressing nicely before I do in order to make it more likely I can achieve my VBAC.
So, just a quick post from me – what helped you cope with labour? Was it a particular thought, or breathing technique, or massage or encouraging words?
Hopefully I haven’t got long – so any suggestions welcome!!
Right – I was lucky enough to manage without pain relief for Z’s birth.
– I breathed – not sure of any exact technique but maintained steady breathing throughout contractions and remained calm.
– I spent a fair bit of time on my knees over the birthing ball or on my knees leaning on an armchair and kneeling on the hospital bed with the back up to lean against that.
– I circled my hips during contractions – bum in the air, leaning over moving my hips in circles.
I seemed to get into some kind of focussed state – I really didn’t want to talk at all during labour and didn’t want anyone to touch me and I do feel that just concentrating on breathing, being calm and the fact that yes, the contractions sort of swell up and intensify but then will go away again really helped.
The first urge to push I got, I mistook for me losing control of my breathing and that worried me a bit but I managed to stay focussed.
Good luck and take everything going if you want it!!
Okay, I had C-section then 3 VBACs, last one only required gas & air and I was 9 cm dilated when I got to hospital.
I’m not particularly kick-ass when it comes to pain threshold but my advice is…
Keep an open mind and go with the flow with regards to pain relief, never pre determine what you will and won’t have.
Use distraction. One time I played stupid word games and ran through the alphabet thinking of boys names for each letter etc. Last time, I counted from 19 backwards to zero then up again as long as the contraction lasted. I have no idea why the number 19 became my focus.
Try not to get to the point where you “lose it” or panic, you will struggle to regain your composure.
If you decide to have pain relief, be aware that it can take some time to prepare, so don’t get to your pain limit before asking, try and get some a little earlier so its nicely kicking in.
Imagine how women before you have coped and how you will cope to. Imagine a time/place without pain relief and be grateful
Remember that you will be getting a massive prize at the end of it all and it will all be worth it.
Good luck and enjoy. Despite the rumours, VBACs are sometime easier to deal with than sections!
Thank you, that’s very encouraging. And I love the little distraction techniques too – may well try those out. Thanks xx
Ooo and I agree with kilburina, I couldn’t converse or didn’t want to be touched by anyone. I switched off into my own little world just counting. OH thought I had lost the plot.
Oh this is bringing back memories!
I was really proud to have gone 3 1/2 days (yes, you read that right) of contractions without any medical intervention. Was coping really well just by moving around – I had to stand through every contraction which was hard after 3 nights with sleep snatched in 10 -20 min intervals! Used TENS machine in the early stages, and that was great – didn’t feel a thing! OH pushed downwards hard into the small of my back with each contraction, as antenatal classes taught. That helped for a while – until I told him to get the F off!! Oops!
Water also helped loads – 1st baths at home then in the birthing pool. Wanted to stay in there forever. I looked like a very fat prune!
Unfortunately, in the end I just never got beyond 5 cm, so then the interventions came and I had the works right through to C-section because I was simply exhausted! Perhaps if I’d had an epidural earlier, I may have been able to sleep, and keep food down and might have managed. In the end though I was so exhausted and de-hydrated I was hallucinating! Oh happy days!
This isn’t your 1st though, so things should be much easier! My tips, before my ramble : Keep moving, plenty of baths! Oh and good luck x
@missielizzieb
In my first labor, I didn’t get an epidural until the very end (because I had pain in my outer thighs) and then ended up in a c-section. But until then I used the “hee-hee-who” breathing and that worked incredibly well. Like those who posted above me, I didn’t want to be touched or even looked at. I just focused on a simple object (e.g., a cup) and glared at it as I breathed and then the contraction would eventually be over.
In this second labor, the pain was worse. I could already feel the pain in my thighs and I asked for an epidural right away. I am so glad I did – it is a miracle drug! I really think it helped me get through my VBAC because I was focused only on pushing and not on pain avoidance (unlike in my previous labor). I will say that it was a little confusing to push when I didn’t even feel the contractions, but when the epidural started to wear off I noticed that it’s not like I was suddenly any better at pushing effectively.
I was a lot more adamant about not wanting the epidural in my first labor. And then I ended up with a c-section, which of course is a lot more medical intervention than getting some pain relief via the epidural. So for my VBAC, I don’t feel at all conflicted about having gotten the epidural. It didn’t make it a less “real” experience – if anything, it allowed me to appreciate it more.
(I’m not arguing that you should get the epidural. Just saying that I hope you don’t feel too conflicted about it if you do decide to get it!)