Take it one surge (contraction) at a time - just focus on that surge, solely, do not think or compare it to the last one or stress about the ones to come. Focus on the current surge, that one right there in that moment you are in.

Focus - stay focused, it can make your whole labour experience. Focus instead of freaking out, don’t worry about doing it, you are doing it. Don’t get caught up in how you are doing it and if it right or wrong! - There is no right or wrong, you do you! Don’t worry about how long there is to go either, you will progress faster and easily if you don’t get caught up in how much longer there is to go. I get it is so hard to not know the end time, just try to focus on the end goal of birthing your bay.

Relax into the pain or sensation - don’t fight it (it will make it longer and harder). We are conditioned to tense up when we encounter pain and associate negative emotions and thoughts but this does not service us when we are in labour. Tension creates more pain, so when we resist the sensations it can create tension and that tension can create more pain (it turns into a cycle that can be hard to get out of) and it can then lead to slow progress in labour. So do the opposite, it may sound crazy but it will help, the more you can learn the technique of allowing yourself to fully relax and breathe into the pain or sensations of a labour surge, so feeling it without resistance, you will be rewarded with endorphins (our natural pain relieving hormones) but the surge will also feel shorter, easier to manage and allow you to relax even more in between and your endurance levels will rise so you will feel able to do more surges for a longer period of time AND you will also progress faster!

Breathe - sounds ease but it is so easy that it is easy to forget to do it too. In our attempt to resist the sensations or pain we can easily get caught out holding our breath but this will create more tension and therefore more pain. So if you can breathe your way through it, it will help you to relax more. Keep breathing and when you get lost always come back to your breathe, it will carry you!

Be in whatever position YOU feel most comfortable in - this is crucial, having the freedom to move freely! Where you labour and how comfortable/safe/secure/supported you feel can influence your birth experience, how your labour progresses and the birth outcome. When you are comfortable, feel safe, secure and supported you are happier, thoughts are more positive and your body and muscles are more likely to relax.

Listen to your body! and Baby! - go to where you feel called to go, whether that be in the shower, the bath/pool, to walk or move or dance around, to lay on your side, all fours, sit or bounce or roll circles out on a birth ball, to make noise and moan, groan, ummm, arrhhh, be noisy - there is a reason for it. When it comes to making noise do it, calm doesn’t always look like being quiet! Noise can help you to regulate your body and manage the sensations you experience and physically there is a direct correlation to your vocal cords/throat/larynx and your pelvis/pelvic floor muscles/vagina so when there is vibration and movement in one there is vibration and movement in the other. Your body knows best - listen to it.

Remember you are not alone! Call upon all the women and mothers that have done this before you and with you right then on the day of your birthing. Also your partner is right there with you, your support team, your care providers are there for you, they may not be experiencing the sensation you are but they are there for you, to support you. They want to help you so if there is something they can be doing to make you feel more comfortable or to make things easier for you, just ask them, let them know or tell them. Also don’t forget your baby, your baby is experiencing this with you as well. You are doing it together as a team!

Just an FYI - What is a contraction?

Contraction or what we in hypnobirthing refer to as a surge is a gradual tightening and relaxation of the uterine muscles that occurs in rhythmic intervals.

When you have a contraction, your uterus gets tight and then relaxes. This is because of the uterine muscle fibres that run vertically and horizontal circular muscles. These muscles during the first stage of labour by helping gentle squeeze the baby in and down, while pulling the cervix back to open it.

During the second stage of labour, the muscle fibers on the top of the uterus (the fundus) work by pressing down on the baby to move them down and out through the vagina.

Contractions can feel different for everyone but in general most women feel an all-over tightening of the abdomen and strong/intense sensation (some describe it as pain) or cramping that often begins in the lower back and radiates around to the front. Everyone’s experience and description of the sensation if different, some say it’s like menstrual cramps, other’s describe more of a pressure or ache and some describe it as pain.

No one can teach you how to give birth - you know how to do that - we don’t give birth from our mind, we birth from the innate physiological knowing and wisdom. Our body knows how - it is the mind that needs convincing, what you need is to teach yourself how to believe in yourself and your baby, your body’s capability to birth, especially in a system that doesn’t have that same trust and belief. Physical preparation like exercise, nutrition, mindfulness around posture, body work like chiropractic/physiotherapy/osteopathy/acupuncture/remedial massage can all help support your body and prepare for the process too.

Tips for Labour