8 Ways to Distract Yourself During Labor
8 Ways to Distract Yourself During LABOR - Miracle Maker Mom
So you’ve felt the first contraction….. or maybe your water broke.
This is so exciting! The day is finally here!
But you and I both know it’s going to be a while until you see that baby.
You’ve got to somehow distract yourself so you don’t feel the pain of the contractions so much – so you won’t cramp up!
Related: How to Ride the Waves of Your Labor Contractions
Easier said than done!
When you get to labor day (and yes it’s very exciting) whether you're having a home birth or you're in the hospital, your job is to get to ten centimeters dilated so you can push the baby out.
But the more you cramp up the longer it will take. You want to fill your belly with air in order to expand your muscles, letting the contractions to do their work… and getting you to 10 cm faster.
Because the more you cramp up the more you are fighting against the contractions, not allowing the dilation to progress.
I really feel like the best way to accomplish this (as I've discovered over my eight births) is to distract yourself.
But you ask yourself, how on earth do I distract myself?Here’s a list of fun things to do while you’re in labor to put your mind on something else:
1. Bouncing on an Exercise Ball
Open your legs up, get down on that ball, and bounce! It’s fun, distracts you a little, gives you something to do and it’s giving the baby's head room to come down.
It’s also got the benefit of gravity and movement to help get the baby positioned in the best place.
This is especially powerful for back labor – I remember my midwife having me bouncing on a ball for what seemed like hours with my first labor.
I had very strong back labor contractions and this was just what I needed to distract me and relieve me from those powerful contractions.
2. Power Walk
I did this during two different labors, and it's amazing - especially in slightly cold, fresh air.
Whether it’s walking around your block or the hospital parking lot like me, taking a power walk gives you this energy like – ‘Yeah - I can do this!’
Talk about powering up for labor!
And if you're walking with your husband, a friend, or your labor coach, it gives you the opportunity to talk, laugh and take your mind off the contractions.
At the beginning of labor, you can still walk through those contractions but once you get further on, you walk walk walk, and then pause and hold onto something during the contractions.
This is a great time for your walking partner to do some hip compressions. (which brings me to number three…)
3. Hip Compressions
Have someone take their hands and compresses the sides of your hips, sort of like pushing your hips in towards each other.
It takes of the edge of the labor contractions and gives an amazing feeling of relief.
Any doula is well trained in hip compressions, but anyone can learn how to do them.
During different labors either a midwife or doula would see me having a new contraction coming on and she would just lunge for my hips, pushing them in towards each other.
I honestly don’t know what it is about these hip compressions that relieves the pain of the contractions, but it works.
Try it.
4. Humor
“A good belly laugh is one of the most effective forms of anesthesia.” Ina May, Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth
Laughing it all away is the best way!
My forth labor was by far one of my best labors, and I attribute this to the fact that the room was full of jokes and humor.
Between my mother, my husband and the midwife, I practically couldn’t breathe from the nonstop jokes.
Ask your husband, or whoever's coming with you to labor, to prepare a whole bunch of jokes, funny memories, or stories because laughing takes your mind off of what you're doing.
Forget puns or witticism. That won’t work.
But some short slapstick humor videos on your phone are great to bring along.
You can end up laughing so hard that even when the contractions come, you almost think they’re funny because you’re already laughing your lungs out.
Truly the greatest distraction!!!
5. Water
8 Ways to Distract Yourself During LABOR - Water - Miracle Maker Mom
Water is awesome! I have used it a number of times myself in different labors and saw progress right away.
Whether it’s a tub or pool in an alternative birthing clinic, or even just in the shower, there is something so soothing and calming when that nice, warm water hits your skin.
Once I was having labor on and off for a few days, so when the labor started again my husband said just get in the shower and then we’ll go to the hospital.
I was thinking – no I can’t go to the hospital yet – the contractions aren’t strong enough, close enough together…
Well, all it took was 15 minutes in the shower and I was jumping out saying “We need to go RIGHT NOW!” (We made it to the hospital at 9 cm!)
Water is an amazing relief and definitely helps progress your labor.
6. Meditation and Breathing Techniques
I love meditating and using positive affirmations. This is totally my thing – so using them in Labor was amazing!
I literally felt progress as I would breathe and say my affirmations.
Just concentrating on the breath, listening to them go in and out, in and out.
Combine that with positive thoughts – very soothing. Perfect for the middle part of labor.
There is a full program of learning to meditated for the weeks leading up to birth and during the labor itself called Hypno Birthing. Women listen to their soothing CDs for months, which give them an empowered feeling.
If this talks to you, then check out Hypno Birthing here.
Hypno Babies is very similar and also great for this purpose. Check out Hypno Babies here.
Related: Compare Birthing Classes and Find the Right One for You
7. Prayer
My favorite distraction is something that a friend introduced to me just prior to my 3rd birth.
She had this beautiful notion that “The pain of being childless is greater than the pain of labor.” She told me that when I feel a contraction coming on I should use that time to pray for a childless friend.
The truth is since then I’ve prayed for all types of things during labor, not just childless friends, but the idea is so beautiful.
So, during this 3rd labor when I got a contraction I prayed. That labor went on for quite a while and I had a lot of time to myself, so I prayed for a number of friends.
For me it was so amazing because I felt like I was using my pain for a higher purpose.
Like all that idle time during contractions was being used for something magnificent and significant.
What’s even more amazing was one of the couples I prayed for had a baby nine and a half months after my labor!
It was incredible.
8. Music
Now we’re talking my kind of language. Music was the absolute best thing I did while I was in labor.
The only regret I have is that I didn’t think of it before my 8th!
The truth is we got in the car for our 20-min drive to the hospital during my 8th labor, and I was planning to take a power walk when we got to the hospital with my doula… but then we hit traffic.
Rush hour traffic…Great.
So, I’m thinking as the contractions are getting closer and stronger, how can I distract myself in a car?
That’s when the music went on.
Why not?
I pumped it up and started ‘dancing’, air drumming and singing along at the top of my lungs, all the while screaming the names of the people I was praying for whenever I got a contraction.
Fast forward 40 minutes, forget the power walk, the music got me going so much so that I had to call my doctor to make sure she was waiting for me at the hospital door!
Totally awesome distraction!
Make sure to prepare 2 mixes for the big day. One with all your favorite slow music or great singing music to help calm you, help you not tense up during the contractions.
Great for the middle of labor, especially when things are dragging out.
Another mix of fast dancing music for when you feel the need to just dance it all out, play the drums and rock it! Excellent for the end of labor and through transition.
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All in all, I’ve loved all of these distractions and some I’ve used multiple times.
What you need to do is figure out what works for you. And remember labor is often long and you can use more than one.
What would best distract you? Are you the Yoga type or the dancing type? Power walk or bathtub? Music?
Honestly, I think we’re all the humor type!
What type are you? Which distractions will you use?