My Labor Techniques for Unmedicated Birth
Welcome back to my Unmedicated Birth series! Today, I want to share the labor techniques I used for my four unmedicated births! I hope this information can better prepare you for the “birth of your dreams!” DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a medical professional! After much research and experience, I found these techniques worked best for me! Now, on to the fun stuff!
My personal notebook used to prepare myself for my unmedicated births!
1. Yoga ball
A yoga ball is a must-have for me during labor! There are so many positions you can utilize with a yoga ball to help open up your pelvic floor, and allow baby to descend lower and lower. My favorite position during labor was sitting on the ball, legs wide apart, while bouncing up and down, or rotating/swaying my hips side to side! You can also Pinterest “birthing ball positions" to find many helpful visuals!
Found on Pinterest from Birth International
2. Massage/Applying counter pressure
This is my absolute first choice for alleviating physical discomfort during labor. There are many pressure points on our bodies that relieve pain once pressure is applied to them! Place your hands on your hips…now bring them around towards your lower back until your fingers touch. This is the area my husband would apply counter pressure during every single contraction to distract me from the pain! He used tennis balls to massage and roll this area as well! Side note: I joke with my husband that he was my “secret weapon” for my unmedicated births because of the constant support he had for me second by second! I literally can't imagine going through it without him which shows just how important support is for the mama during her labor!
3. Movement/Changing positions
Movement is a huge key to a successful unmedicated labor! Walking, standing, and leaning during labor while changing positions can help move the baby into the correct position for birth. Can you imagine sitting still for an entire labor? Ouch! Being on my side was very uncomfortable, and on my back was most excruciating. After doing more research, “getting on all fours” became my "go to" position to labor/birth my second child! “On hands and knees” proved to be the most comfortable position for me while allowing gravity to do most of the work when birthing baby. I found a visual of different laboring positions and set it as my phone's lock screen…this way I could easily refer back to which positions I could try for comfort's sake!
Found on Pinterest by DelmarBirthCenter. I set this as my phone's lock screen during labor for a quick and easy reminder of different positions to try!
4. Repeating phrases, or memorizing lyrics
Labor is very similar to running a marathon! You don’t use all your tricks right in the beginning. You pace yourself, take it slow, focus on your breathing, and set your mind on your main goal to keep you from stopping, or giving up! When I used to run regularly, I would repeat the same phrase over and over in a consistent rhythm. For example…“I got this….I got this….I got this.” I would also focus on the words of a song while memorizing it's lyrics. These methods can be applied during unmedicated birth too! Taking the focus off of your discomfort and placing it onto a different goal during labor is very helpful. It's amazing how fast time can fly when you’re internally focused on what you're doing!
5. Visualization
I got this popular idea of visualizing from a method my mom used back in the day! She would take an object that brought her joy, and focus all of her energy on it to distract her during her labor and birth. In my second labor I stared at a pocket-size picture of my son, and focused on the joy I felt at his birth while imagining the joy I would feel again with my daughter! This method helped me pass a lot of time, and stay somewhat joyful!
6. Breathing baby down
It's important to know how to properly take full, deep breaths during labor! The book Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way: Revised Edition was a huge help in teaching me how to breathe properly and with purpose! Instead of tensing your shoulders and raising your chest with deep breaths, try relaxing your shoulders, and filling up your abdomen with air! During my contractions, I would take deep breaths in through my nose, and exhale out my mouth. I remember my midwife telling me to visualize "breathing the baby down” when the contractions got closer to delivery! (It helps to visualize the baby descending lower and lower into the canal with each deep breath.)
7. Warm shower/bath
A warm shower or bath can help slow down your contractions early on in labor, giving you a much needed break/time to rest! I was able to utilize this early on in my first labor, and it helped me immensely! The second time...well, let's just say I got in the shower far too late into my labor for it to be useful! That's a whole other story from my second birth story that you can READ HERE!
8. Relaxing your face and jaw
Relaxing your face and jaw will help release tension in your body, and further relax your pelvic floor muscles! Practice laying on your side, and relax every muscle in your body from top to bottom. Doing this throughout your pregnancy will help you to do so more flawlessly once labor is in session!
9. Setting the mood
Wherever you’re planning to give birth, it's important to “set the mood” for your success. Some mamas prefer loud music, lights on, and their whole extended family in the delivery room rooting them on…(to each their own)...I prefer a relaxing atmosphere with dimmed lights, no unnecessary talking, (no cell phone use), and my husband by my side at all times, aside from my nurse/midwife coming in and out of the room to help and check on us. Start to think about what kind of atmosphere you would most benefit from during birth, and then voice your desires! There’s no wrong answer…when the time comes to have your baby, you'll be happy that you did! (In fact, I’m thinking of doing operated tea lights with my next birth!)
10. Essential oils
Essential oils are known to have great benefits during labor! My hospital allowed me to diffuse lavender oil, which promotes relaxation, and to add a few drops in my bath while I labored. I also packed peppermint oil with me to relieve any naseau, or to put a drop in the toilet to help relieve any constipation! (I didn't end up having either symptoms, thank God, but better safe than sorry!) There are many other oils you can use during labor, but lavender and peppermint are my “go to.”
11. Birth affirmations/Bible verses
During my preparation, I wrote down any Bible verse or quote that empowered me and made me feel safe! This was super helpful, and allowed me the confidence and peace I needed during my labor process! Some affirmations can be a little “too out-there,” so don't be afraid to skip the ones that you can't relate to! One of my affirmations was “I can do anything for sixty seconds,” since sixty seconds can be the length of a single contraction. Isaiah 66:9 is one of the Bible verses I reflected on; “I will not cause pain without allowing something new to be born.” (Check out my blog post “Bible Verses and Affirmations for Unmedicated Birth.) My husband surprised me with these affirmation cards by Natural Mama shown below! I loved reading these daily to get my mind ready for birth!
My husband surprised me with these birth affirmations for my second labor!
12. Birth playlist
Music has always relaxed and motivated me during a physical or mental goal, so I wanted to utilize it during my pursuit of unmedicated birth as well! I have my "birth playlist" on an old-school ipod with a variety of encouraging songs, both fast and slow, that give me that extra "push" I need to get through labor! (Comment below if you'd like me to share this in an upcoming post!)
13. Adult Coloring book
There's time to color during labor?? Uh…yeah, haha! I didn't exactly color in the lines, or finish the picture haha, but I would say it distracted my mind for a bit when I was close to fully dilated! I used an adult coloring book with Bible verses as seen below! It felt appropriate to color one of my favorite verses, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!” Philippians 4:13
The very scripture I colored during my first unmedicated labor. Not too shabby, haha!
14. Heating pad/ice pack
During labor, I found that both heating pads and ice packs can be useful! I filled one of my husband's old socks with rice and heated it up in the microwave to serve as my DIY “heating pad" while laboring at home! The ice pack was useful on my neck when I was hot, and my heating pad was especially useful on my lower back and stomach to help with cramping and back labor. Yes, some of us get back labor!...but it can be done, so don’t let fear take over! :)
I’ve never personally needed an ice pack during labor, but if you do then this ice pack was highly starred and rated!
15. Low-pitched moaning
When in labor, it's natural for your body to release different sounds which is why most women end up yelling in high-pitched voices. However, yelling in a high-pitched tone promotes tension that fights against all of the progress being made! By humming or moaning in a low-pitched tone, we are aiding in the process of “breathing our baby down” in a more helpful way. It can also keep you more “zen” and relaxed than with that frantic screaming!
16. Squatting/Sitting on the toilet
Doing squats throughout your pregnancy will help open up your pelvic muscles and build lower body strength to aid you during labor! Sitting on the toilet may help you squat in a more comfortable, relaxed way then if you were trying to balance all on your own! This also subconsciously allows your body to “open” similar to the way you would if you were going number two! #musclememory
And there you have it…My Labor Techniques for Unmedicated Birth! I hope this compiled list of techniques will give you a better idea of what to further research in order to achieve the birth of your dreams! Having a goal such as unmedicated birth helped educate, focus, and give me the strength to "push through” till the very end! I hope it does the same for you! Have you ever had an unmedicated birth? Did I forget to include any techniques? Leave them in the comments below, and let's help our mama friends out!
Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,
***Just a reminder that no matter how your sweet babe comes into this world, you are a warrior, and don’t believe any lies that you aren't!
