I often get people asking me what they could do, to make labour shorter. Well, everyone is different, every body is different and every labour is different. However, there are a few things that you can do during pregnancy and during labour, that could help make your labour shorter.
5 Ways you could make labour shorter...
Regular Exercise - This can be something like prenatal yoga, swimming or walking, during pregnancy. Regular exercise can help prepare your body for labour and birth in advance, hence making labour shorter.
Eat and Drink - Staying well hydrated and eating well, can help keep your energy levels up and potentially make labour shorter.
Relaxation Techniques - Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and hypnobirthing, can help reduce stress and tension in the body, allowing for a more efficient labour, which is potentially shorter. On my hypnobirthing courses, I can teach you about breathing techniques, relaxation and why stress and tension in the body can make labour longer and stronger. Plus, I can teach you about how to make informed decisions, reduce any fears that you might have about birth and help you to have an empowering birth, where you feel calm, confident and in control.
Have A Supportive Birth Team - Having a supportive partner, midwife or doula, can really help you to feel more comfortable and confident during labour, which as a result, can lead to a shorter labour. If you would like to understand more about what doula's do and how they can support you during labour and birth, visit the page on my website, about what is a doula!?
Natural Methods - Things such as nipple stimulation, acupuncture, clary sage, hugs, kisses and massage from your partner, to boost oxytocin, can help to stimulate contractions and potentially shorten labour. Good birthing positions and keeping active during labour can help to shorten labour. Good birthing positions would include being upright, forward and open, to help make more space in the pelvis, using gravity to encourage baby down and make labour and birth less uncomfortable. When we feel pain, that creates fear and when we feel fearful, that creates tension. Tension then creates pain and the cycle continues. I talk about the fear, tension, pain cycle on my hypnobirthing courses. We also talk about how tension can slow down labour and how to reduce any fears about birth.
Are you going to try any of these tips or did you try any during pregnancy or labour? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Alternatively, if you would like to do a hypnobirthing course with me or if you would like any doula support from me, during your pregnancy, labour and birth, then visit my website to find out more or drop me a message.
Julia xx