Have Yourself an Easy Labor

If you are expecting your first baby, it is only natural for you to be having all sorts of questions running through your head; how bad is it going to hurt? What if I spend hours in labour? What if the pain is not tolerable? What it I have bowel movements during delivery? Is it okay to have an epidural?

Get your baby ready

When you are about 34 weeks into your pregnancy and delivery is not very far away, try to get your baby in the right position for birth. You can do this regularly, kneeling over a birthing ball or feel free to use a chair if you do not have one at home. During that period of your pregnancy, also try to avoid lying on your back as much as possible.

Focus on coping

The best way to get through labour smoothly would be to focus on the fact that you are trying your best to cope with the situation. For example, have your husband or anyone closest to you hold your hand and guide you through labour, giving you all the support you can get. This would make you less stressed out and help you cope with the situation.

Keep fit & strong

Women who are generally fit and healthy tend to have a more straightforward labour, which is why it would be good for you to go for a short walk everyday, without getting yourself out of breath of course. You could also find out about yoga classes for pregnant women around the Klang Valley.

Massage your perineum

If you are unfamiliar with that term, it is the area in between your vagina and anus. Now, that we all understand let’s get to the point. About 34 weeks into your pregnancy, start gently massaging your perineum with sweet almond oil to avoid tearing of the vagina. Massage regularly and hopefully during labour, you feel more confident to push and it does not result in any tearing.

Stay active

If you walk around during labour, it is most likely that you would not need any epidural and would most probably have a shorter labour compared to inactive women. One way to make sure you get enough walking would be to tell the nurses to take your bedpan away. This way you would have no choice but to walk to the washroom.

Stock up on your energy level

You would be using a tremendous amount of energy during your delivery so it is extremely important for you to have a lot of energy stocked up in your body. Make sure to eat lots of food that help boost your energy level, this would help with the pushing and would result in a shorter delivery time.

Breathe right

Breathing in and out slowly and deeply helps to keep you relaxed. Plus it also helps to prevent tension in your muscles, allowing your cervix to dilate easily. Taking short, fast breaths are going to keep you tensed up and out of breath making your delivery harder to cope with.

Take a nap

During labour, your contractions can often stop once you are fully dilated. However, please do not feel the need to rush things through and get it over with. Get the nurses to dim the lights for you and have a short nap. This nap will really help you regain all your energy from all that contraction pains earlier, and before you know it you would be up ready for the final run.

Set your own pace

Labour can take a really long while for some women depending on themselves and the baby, so do not feel the need to get out of bed at 3a.m preparing to have your baby, this might result in you getting too tired when the real thing starts happening. Try to keep track of your contractions and this way you can roughly pace yourself.

Pay attention to your body

Most women think breathing their baby out is the easiest way but unfortunately for you, that is not right! Listening to everyone around you getting all hyped up and telling you to breathe in and then push as you exhale will only get you red. Breathe in and out slowly and push when you feel comfortable, this would help you to save your energy in between.

Those are some of the most important things you need to do before and during your delivery. All the preparation you go through is worth it at the end of the day. If you are an expecting mother we wish you all the best in welcoming your new bundle of joy to this world.