Tips To Follow When You Start In Labour

You’ve almost made it. You have almost reached full term and now you have a mixture of feelings as your labour approaches. You’ll be feeling excited but possibly also a little worried. But one thing all pregnant women should be feeling at this stage is “prepared”.rnHere are some tips for labour which may help when you are seeing the early signs of labour.rnKnow what to expectrnHopefully you have read enough pregnancy guide book or looked on the baby websites enough to know what you are likely to experience when you go into labour.rnMaybe you and your birthing partner have been to some pre-natal classes as well.rnAny lingering questions or concerns should now be checked out with your doctor or midwife. rnDon’t leave the learning until the last minute. And make sure your partner knows what is likely to happen so he can be supportive and not shocked. Get ready to waitrnReal labour is nothing like the Hollywood versions when a woman’s waters break and she barely makes it to the hospital before the baby arrives (and then it is usually a plump little one month old baby she’s presented with).rnLabour, for most women, is a long process and you can be at home in the early stages of labour for many hours before it becomes necessary to go to hospital.rnMany hospitals won’t even let you check in until your contractions are regular and coming about every five minutes, so one of the best tips for labour is stay at home where you are more comfortable until contractions are regular and you are starting to feel like you need some pain relief.rnWarn your partnerrnGiving birth is a long, hard job, and some women cope by shutting out everything and everyone else. Others become very snappy and don’t want their partner fussing and faffing around them.rnWarn your partner that he has to be prepared to go with the flow. When you want a massage he should be there for you. When you want silence and leaving well alone, he must understand it is not rejection, just your way of coping. Pack a good bagrnWell before you have any early signs of labour you should have packed an overnight case for yourself and one for your baby in hospital. rnThis can include not only necessities (sleepwear, toiletries etc) but also a CD of your favourite music, aromatherapy products, a camera, snacks, magazines or a book (a good distraction is you have to wait around) address book, note paper and a pen (if you are kept in for a few days you can use the time to write your baby announcement cards). Some women even take their own pillow with them. It could be a long haul for your partner too, so a clean top, some basic toiletries and maybe even a snack for him might be useful to pack too!