3 Principles in labor
The first thing to do in labor are activities that help your body come into better balance. Particularly, attend to the ligaments, muscles and fascia supporting your womb. This will help labor to progress.
Active labor movements help and will be enough for most women. Some women will need more help for a natural labor.
Start in early labor with this series of activities:
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Sifting with the woven Rebozo (Mexican scarf) between contractions Do a forward leaning inversion during 1-3 contractions (3 if you are in a long labor pattern, 1 if you have given birth before or aren't sure you need help to progress, but just want to do something.) Do a sidelying release (pelvic floor release) on both sides. If you know that the baby is facing forward (posterior presentation) or you have back labor in any case, there is a simple technique that works wonders: The Abdominal Lift. When you can anticipate a contraction coming (contractions have to be somewhat regular) begin an Abdominal Lift, also called a Belly Lift, and hold it during the contraction. Let go of your belly in between contractions. Do a Belly Lift up to ten times if your labor has the pattern described on the Abdominal Lift description on this website. Then, during several contractions after that, stand and lean forward. Have your knees be soft. Locked legs tighten your mind as well. Letting there be a little movement in your knees, a little bend, just enough not to be locked straight, will help you be more intuitive and fluid in your labor. It lets your pelvis move a bit. Leaning forward helps babies rotate and labor progress. |
If a poorly positioned baby is too low in a tight pelvis, we can try to soften the muscles and ligaments supporting the pelvis to give baby more room in their current position. Perhaps the baby will fit even when posterior or asynclitic (tipped). Perhaps giving more room will help them rotate lower down the pelvis. Balance can help in that way, also!
The second thing to do in labor is to keep working with Gravity.
You can rest, you don't have to stand all the time! Read Rest Smart to find how to rest in ways that actually help labor to continue and not stall out.
When you do feel the need to move, get up. Move around. Be vertical. Its surprising how often women find being up and moving more manageable than lying on their hips or their back in bed. Need to rest again? How about sitting on a birthing ball or a birth stool? Don't have a birth stool? Oh, yes! Every home and hospital room has a porcelain birthing stool. Sit for three contractions and then stand for one or more. That way you can keep swelling to a minimum in your tender places.
When you are up, standing with knees soft (not locked) and leaning over a friend, a counter-top, etc.
The third thing to do is movement.
You've release some constriction by bringing your body into better balance. You are being mindful about gravity friendly positions. Now you may need to move your pelvis to help your baby move down.
Circles on the ball.
Follow up a period of activity with a rest in a Rest Smart position.
If it doesn't work, begin again with the balancing activities. See the article on long labors to see how to overcome a stall in labor. Better yet, prevent a long labor using the resources in Professional Help in the Labor section.
