If you are giving birth to a child for the first time, the reality of “labour hurts” is something you must have heard before. And if it’s the second time you are pregnant, then you have already witnessed it! Being able to bring forth a new life on the face of earth indeed takes a lot out of a woman, both mentally and physically. However, in today’s new age way of life, where there’s a revolutionary solution to almost everything, is there at all a thing called “easy labour”? The answer is yes! The truth is, labour can be made less painful and stressful for a pregnant woman by following certain techniques. Discussed below are some of the useful ways.

Practicing Yoga

Yoga is considered to be one of the best prenatal exercises that go a long way to ease labour pain! Yoga practitioners assert that multiple yoga postures set up the body in a unique way to be upright in labour. The postures of squatting, kneeling, standing, knee and hand work hand in hand to ensure that the pelvis is loose and open for an easy positioning and birthing of the baby. There’s another benefit as well. Concentrating on the breathing, eases labour. Focusing on exhaling and relaxing and then inhaling again teaches your body to erase the tension and breathe in a relaxed manner during labour. Pilates is also a good exercise to opt for.

Consuming Dates

There has been proof that women who ate 6 dates everyday for a stretch of 4 weeks before their delivery date have been likely to experience spontaneous labour, a very minor stage of labour and also experience a higher cervical dilation when admitted to the hospital. This was not the case with the women who didn’t consume dates for the mentioned time. So, eating dates is considered beneficial for easier labour.

Starting Kegels Exercise

Kegels exercise is very easy to practice and it results in ample benefits! It’s done by contracting and then releasing the pelvic floor muscles. The easiest way to go for it is simply by imagining how you would hold up your urine. This exercise enables the body to strengthen the muscle that helps to push at the time of labour. One can start this exercise anytime during any stage of pregnancy. Simultaneously, post child birth continuing Kegels exercise will make the exhausted muscles stronger.

Taking Perineal Massage

The obvious benefit of perineal massage is that it helps to stretch the tissue at the vaginal opening very gently. It is suggested that this massage minimizes a woman’s susceptibility to tearing whilst pushing the baby out of the womb. According to Paula Jaspar, who is a registered massage therapist, the perineum is composed of muscles, which takes ample time to become supple. She advises to start this massage very early. If a woman is 12 weeks pregnant, it’s the best time to start with perineal massages.

Drinking Red Raspberry Leaf Tea

Drinking red raspberry leaf tea balances the hormones and also tones the uterus. The tea is packed with Vitamins A, B, C, and E and minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium. Raspberry tea has been useful in minimizing the labour duration and also the requirement of medical interventions, for instance the requirement of forceps, C-sections as well as vacuum births. Consuming 3 to 4 cups of raspberry tea daily right from the third trimester is considered to be helpful.

Pregnancy and child delivery demands huge amount of physical strength and mental agility from a woman. An easy labour is something that every woman would want to experience, keeping in mind there’s a list of other bodily changes that occurs during this time. These 5 useful techniques can ensure an easy labour.

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Your due date come and gone, the hospital bag is all packed, and the nursery is all setup. Yet you find yourself still pregnant and anxiously waiting for your little one to make his/her debut!

If you are wondering what to do when you are past your due date, here are some things to consider:

Due date is calculated as 40weeks from the first day of your last period. But this is just an estimate as the actual delivery date depends on factors such as the length of the menstrual cycle and the exact date of conception, which may vary from woman to woman. Hence, only about one in 25 (four per cent) babies is born on their exact due date and about one in five babies are born at 41 weeks or after?

Although, it is possible to give birth to a healthy baby even when you are overdue, your gynecologist will be monitoring you closely every few days. Natasha, a 29 year old first time mother says, “In spite of having a normal pregnancy I had to be induced during my 41^st week when the level of amniotic fluid started dropping and it was no longer safe for my baby to stay inside”. Other factors like baby’s growth, fetal heartbeat, movements and breathing, will be checked as things can progress very quickly at this stage.

You may receive a of lot advice on how to speed up labour from well-meaning friends and family. Sameera, who was two week overdue says, “I went for brisk walks. I ate spicy food. I did everything!”

If you go looking for it, you will come across advice such as exercise, dancing, having sex and even nipple stimulation! It is best to stay away from old wives tales such as these and consult your doctor before trying anything.

Incase waiting is no longer an option; your doctor might induce labour. Common practices include membrane sweeping and breaking waters. Prostaglandin, a hormone like substance that stimulates contractions and Pitocin (synthetic Oxytocin) are often administered to speed up labour. In some cases your doctor might suggest a scheduled C-section too depending on what is best for you and your baby.

This is a good time to unwind. Use this time to catch up on your sleep. Put your feet up, read, and relax. Pamper yourself and spend some quality time with your partner because once the baby arrives, you will be too busy.

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Labour experience differs from pregnancy to pregnancy. For some, it may end in a matter of hours. For others, it may not be that easy and it can absolutely test the mother’s physical and emotional strength.

Whilst it’s difficult to ascertain the sequence of events during labour and childbirth but one can still have an understanding of how things are going to be.

Stage 1: Early and Active Labour

When you start feeling regular contractions, that may be termed as the start of the first stage of labour. During this time, the cervix dilates to open up and in the process becomes thin, soft and shortened. This helps the baby to proceed towards the birth canal. The first stage of labour is actually lasts the longest and in turn can be segregated into two segments – early or the latent labour phase and active labour.

Early Labour

You will feel mild and irregular contractions when your cervix dilates and effaces during the early stage of labour. There might be a clear, pink or somewhat bloody excretion from your vagina which is most likely the mucus plug that acts as a blockade to the cervical opening. The duration of early labour is variable. For the first timers, the length of early labour may fluctuate from hours to days. However, for subsequent pregnancies, the duration is often shorter.

For pregnant women, early labour stage is one of the difficult and uncomfortable. However, you can try and make it comfortable by:

• Walk around the room
• Indulge yourself in a leisurely bath or a shower
• If you love music, that’ll help you to relax
• Try some of the breathing and relaxation technique you’ve been taught in the birthing class
• Change your position frequently

During this time, if your water breaks or there is excessive vaginal bleeding, then contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Active Labour

Now begins the actual labour. Whilst you go through active labour, the cervix dilates from 6cm to 10 cm. You may go through cramps and nausea along with stronger and regular contractions. Your water might break during this time. If not, you will feel extreme pressure on your back. If you’ve not reached the birthing centre yet, head in that direction at once.

At this stage, the pain intensifies. Consult with your healthcare provider regarding the usage of pain medication or anaesthesia. The period of active labour can last up to 8 hours or more. The cervix dilates around 1cm per hour during this time.  To tackle the pain, follow deep breathing and relaxation techniques. To make this stage slightly more bearable, do the following:

• Change positions unless you and the baby are being closely monitored
• If there’s a birthing rubber ball, then have a roll-on
• Walk around but stop and breathe through the contractions
• Indulge in a gentle massage

The transition period of the active stage of labour lasts between 15 to 60 minutes. At this time, the contractions are 60 to 90 seconds apart and you may encounter pressure on your lower back and rectum. If you are not fully dilated, your healthcare provide may ask to hold back from pushing as going for it too soon may cause tiredness and cervix to swell in turn delaying delivery.

You are almost there. In time, this preparation and pain is going to pay off, when you have your baby in your arms.

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Expectations, anticipation and disenchanted reality of a prenatal visit. 

It was coming up to 8 weeks of pregnancy and we were both preparing for our first prenatal doctor’s appointment. I wanted to be there with my wife right from the very beginning of this journey and get to know everything first hand. I was more than happy to reshuffle my agenda for the day. Lifestyle changes had already begun; work schedules were also being tossed around.

During the past 8 weeks, my wife and I had already discussed the sort of medical guidance we wanted for us during this special journey in our lives. Someone who would be understanding and would have the patience to deal with the concerns of first-time parents like us. We asked around quite a fair bit. Whilst speaking to an old friend, he recommended a gynecologist who he’d consulted for his wife a couple of months ago. On digging a little more, I found out that the doc had a fine reputation and was very popular with young couples. I guess, we’d found the doctor we wanted!

We arrived at the birthing center well in time for the appointment. Giving our names to the Receptionist we waited for the doctor to arrive. There were so many couples and women at various stages of the pregnancy waiting along with us. I vividly remember the room. A light pink and blue combination wallpaper decorated with tons of baby photos. A standee on the side stood with a really graphical representation of all the pregnancy trimesters. My wife picked up few pamphlets and started leafing through them. This room really felt like a “happy place”. Lots of positive energy and glow filled the room.

As we waited, more and more couples arrived but there was still no sign of the doctor. I know this is India and doctors and trains rarely stick to their timetables. But I was nervous and couldn’t wait to get into that consultation room. I had tons of questions that I wanted to ask the doctor and I was eagerly waiting to hear my baby’s heartbeat for the first time. To me, that meant a great deal. It would actually seal the deal; reinforce the fact that I was going to be responsible for that little human being that I helped create.

We’d already been waiting for over an hour and I was determined to find out the reason for the delay. The clock turned another 15 minutes and I was just about gearing up to go to the Receptionist to find out what the problem was. The Receptionist came out into the Visitor’s room and announced that the doctor had an emergency normal delivery to deal with and wouldn’t be able to take the scheduled appointments for the day.

And I felt so let down. The thrill, the excitement that I was feeling throughout the day just evaporated. I know, the situation was such that I should understand. Labour pain and deliveries don’t always follow the timetable. I guess, I found some solace in the fact that I was nearly halfway there today. I’ve rescheduled and hope to go all the way into the consultation room with the doctor tomorrow. Finger’s crossed!

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