1. www.spinningbabies.com is a great resource to learn techniques to move the baby into the proper position for birth before birth. From Transverse or Breech position to head down... from posterior position (ouch, back labor) to anterior position. One interesting suggestion by our teacher was to place something cold on the top of your belly because babies do not like cold, and then put some headphones with music on the bottom of your belly because babies like music (baby turns from breech to head down). Or you can do headstands at the pool (baby turns from breech to head down). The pelvic tilt (done on all fours) helps the baby to rotate from posterior to anterior position (can be done during labor too).
2. It is good for a woman in labor to eat and drink for the first two stages of labor (before reaching transition). So up until you reach 7cm dilation, you can and should be drinking fluids (juice, water, electrolytes) and eating light, easy to digest food. This means that you really do not need to be hooked up to an IV as soon as you get to the hospital. Getting hooked up to an IV means you have much less mobility to move around and be active in labor. If you have to get an IV, request a heparin lock (allows you to easily hook up to or unhook from the IV). I couldn't imagine doing a 'marathon' (labor has been compared to running a marathon) without food and water for energy, especially if you labor for 24 hours (not uncommon for 1st time delivery). Imagine being in labor for 20 hours without food and water (maybe hooked up to an IV) and then getting to the stage where you need to push... where do you get your energy at that point? Nurses may tell you that it is hospital policy that you can't eat or drink once you are there, however, our teacher encouraged us to bring a cooler with drinks and food. OR... even better... she encouraged us to use the 4-1-1 rule (see #3)
3. The 4-1-1 rule. This one makes really good sense and I really hope I can do this. OK, the 4-1-1... this means that you should try to wait to go to the hospital until these three conditions are met:
condition 1: your contractions (from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next one) should be 4 minutes apart.
condition 2: one contraction (from the very start to the very end) should last 1 minute long
condition 3: let the 4 minutes apart, 1 minute long contractions continue for 1 hour and
THEN... go to the hospital. Hopefully at this point you are at about 5cm and getting close to transition (7cm). Using the 4-1-1 rule allows you to be at home (more comfortable than the hospital setting) where you can move around, get in the bath tub, eat, drink, and take a walk (keep distracted/entertained).
4. Once you reach 7cm, a lot of women will ask for the epidural or some kind of pain relief. Our teacher encouraged us to remember that after you reach 7cm, the contractions will continue, but they will not get any stronger. Most stories I've read and people I've talked to really, really want drugs at this point even if they were dead set on going natural. That is where your husband-coach and/or a doula helps you to continue on and resist the drugs.
5. You really don't want to be induced. Natural contractions caused by our own hormones are much easier on the body and give you more resting time in between each contraction. Pitocin induction will give you harder, faster contractions. Try to avoid being induced.
6. If you feel contractions coming on for the first time, take a warm bath. Sometimes the contractions will stop and then you know you weren't in true labor. Sometimes, first time mothers freak out when they feel contractions coming and they end up going to the hospital only to be sent home... they weren't in true labor yet!
Well, we learned a lot about nutrition and exercises too. But the 6 points above are the ones that stuck with me the most today. I taught high school anatomy and physiology for 2 years so I really love learning about this and I think it will be very useful once January comes.
Along with this 'knowledge' I'm receiving, I'm also asking the Lord to help me to not be anxious about the labor and delivery. One reason why I am anxious is because I had back surgery 10 years ago and my back is fused from T3 to L1 (for scoliosis). I recovered nicely and haven't had any back trouble since the surgery. I was even playing tennis with no problems. My vertebrae are not only fused, but I have 2 rods and hooks (Miami-Moss system) along my T3-L1 vertebrae. I really, really do not want to mess any of this up with an epidural and I've read many bad stories on the internet about people with the fusion having unsuccessful attempts at getting an epidural. I pray that I can avoid the epidural and keep my spinal fusion untouched... and pray that I do not get back labor (posterior positioning of the baby)...
At the moment, I think Baby J is transverse or breech. Today she gave me lots of big kicks on the right side of my belly and I felt a few movements down around my bladder. This isn't worrying me at all because I'm only at 25 weeks. I think it is at 33 weeks where you can start doing the exercises and tricks to try to get them to turn if they haven't already turned.
I remember all those pointers too. Our hospital was AWESOME and so were the nurses. Each nurse only had one laboring patient, I basically had my own doula. They let us eat soft foods only - yogurt, applesauce,etc and all the drinks we wanted. They even had a fridge stocked for me and Dan (though he got real food).
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