Let’s talk about labouring at home.
Ideally you want to labour at home for as long as you can!
Most women labour really well at home…you have familiar things around you, you feel comfortable and safe, and there is no one pressuring you to have a vaginal exam or insisting on CTG monitoring!
But there are a few simple things you can to do make your home a little more conducive to labour.
- Watch some home birth videos and see what other women have done with their environment. Do you want to replicate any of what you see?
- Picture yourself labouring at home…where do you imagine yourself labouring, in what positions, what tools are you using, what is your partner doing?
- Set up a home labour circuit with active birth stations (I cover this one in my Positive Birth classes…you can actually use the stations I suggest at home and hospital).
- Think about what pain relief you have access to at home…a hot water bottle, a rice bag, a comb, a TENS machine, acupressure, rebozo (I also cover acupressure and rebozo techniques in class).
- Practice during pregnancy! Move through your home as if you are in labour. What feels good? What doesn’t? Do you need to make any changes to your plan or circuit?
- Make sure your partner is as prepared as you are! Create a run sheet outlining the circuit stations and tools you are anticipating using throughout labour. What do you want to do in early labour? Active labour? Talk about signs that would indicate it is time to go to the hospital.
The more prepared you feel (and the more confident you are in your partner’s preparation), the more relaxed you will be during labour.
And relaxation is what it is all about!
If you feel relaxed at home, you will stay at home and doing so can maximise labour progression and minimise unnecessary interventions.
So stay at home sweet home as long as you can!
If you want more information about WHY it is ideal to stay at home for as long as you can, HOW to ensure that you are comfortable at home, and WHAT your partner can do to support you, consider booking a one on one session or booking into a class!