Labor coping techniques

• 07-10-2008 8:02 AM

  Mrs Garcia Joined on 09-03-2007 The ax forgets; the tree remembers~African proverb Posts 221	Labor coping techniques Reply Contact What do you recommend?  Bradley, Hypnobabies, Birthing From Within, Lamaze, just your own natural instinct????  All of the above?  What did you use and how well did it work?  Did you take classes or read books on it?  What have you tried that didn't work at all for you?

• 07-10-2008 10:04 AM

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  BoldBeautifulBirth Joined on 11-08-2005 Puget Sound Area, WA Posts 704	Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact  I would look in to all the "traditional" methods and see if any appeal to you. If not, I would use a combination of all of them -- instinct and visualization and positive thoughts seem to be a BIG factor with almost all the methods.

• 07-10-2008 11:00 AM

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  ~Sonia~ Joined on 09-19-2006 Posts 155

  Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact To be quite honest, I used a doula!  She would help me with my breathing, relaxation, comfort techniques, etc...and all the meetings we had prenatally helped her learn what I liked (what helps relax me, my fears, etc).  She was AMAZING, and I could have never made it through my first labor entirely drug free (24 hours with 2 hours of pushing) without her!  I also took childbirth classes and educated myself on what to expect in labor, and that helped too...but my doula was my greatest asset by far.

• 07-10-2008 10:15 PM

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  lncooper Joined on 10-09-2004 Geneva, NY Posts 1,682

  Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact A sampling from all of the above! You never know what's going to be 'your thing' once you're in labor, so it's best to be over prepared than under prepared IMO. Have all of the basic info stored in your head- and in the heads of those in your support team- so that you can pick and choose from a wide array of techinques that works for you at the time. >br/> For me, there wasn't much that helped the pain other than just giving into it. Laboring on the toilet, having someone (our beloved Rachel, gavsmom!) holding me up from behind while I squatted during a contraction, moaning (like a dying animal) during contractions, the shower. . . some things worked, some things didn't; and some things that worked for one contraction wouldn't work for the next. I was glad that I wasn't 'married' to just one technique. I know the kind of person I am. Had I studied only one technique, I would have looked back in retrospect and worried about 'failing.' But because I kept my coping options open, I feel that everything was overall successful in getting me through. . . although it still hurt like a b*tch lol :). . .

• 07-11-2008 1:52 PM

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  *Christa* Joined on 09-06-2005 Posts 644

  Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact Check out Kmom's website:  http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/cbirtheduc.htm  This plus emails from the instructors helped me decide to take the Bradley classes, plus I am also using a doula. I am going to start the Bradley classes next month & Allison on our VBAC board took them last pregnancy.  You can ask her some questiosn about them, she's also starting a hypno class soon.

• 07-13-2008 5:02 PM

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  Katrina +2 Joined on 08-31-2003 Posts 762	Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact i just followed my body's lead. i had a midwife as well.

• 07-18-2008 12:58 PM

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  Holbropa Joined on 09-28-2005 Posts 107

  Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact I'm trying all-of-the-above with this birth.  I will try Bradley as much as possible, but I think when things get intense I'll need to lay down on my side and need to learn to relax (that's where hypnobirthing will help).  This time I will have 2 labor support people though whereas last time I just had my husband.  Last time I had a 39 hour birth as well (that ended in a c-section) but this birth I know will be quicker so I hope that makes a big difference! I'm due at the end of September...so we'll see how it goes!

• 07-18-2008 6:47 PM

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  kfig143 Joined on 01-12-2005 OH Posts 579	Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact I have read a lot of books and have plenty more the read on childbirth.  I do recommend Ina May's Guide to Childbirth.  I am going to by reading Hypnobirthing the Mongan Method here soon after I finish the Spiritual Midwifery book.  So I will let you know how it is.

• 07-19-2008 9:42 AM

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  Chamelyan Joined on 10-30-2007 Midwest Posts 119

  Re: Labor coping techniques Reply Contact Read up on as much as you can, this way you can just find your groove and use what works best for you.  I've used Lamaze, Bradley, and Mongan, but for me, reading Unassisted Childbirth and telling myself every day that childbirth does NOT have to hurt, envisioning a painless birth at every opportunity, watching a ton of YouTube videos depicting painless childbirth, and planning for any "what ifs" I could think of was what worked out best in the end.