What Are The Secrets To An Easier Labor?

Every individual has certain milestones in his or her life. These milestones may be personal or professional in nature. Irrespective of whether you are a man or woman, having a child will be one of the important turning points in your life.

Whether it is your first child or your tenth, it does not really matter; the beginning of a new life is always important. The situation becomes all the way beautiful if the life is being created within you.

Indeed, putting aside all the discomforts that pregnancy brings along with itself, it does feel good to feel your child kicking and growing within you. A certain peace befalls you when you go to bed with the satisfaction of having nurtured your unborn child well.

The next phase after your child is born and when you can get to cradle him or her in your arms is also equally special. Separating the two is the period of labor and child birth, which is the most dreaded phase of pregnancy. Technically speaking, there are a lot of things that can possibly go wrong during childbirth.

However, the fact remains that childbirth and labor are things that have been going on since time immemorial and women have aced at it. Thus, there is no reason for you to dread the same.

It is actually possible for you to take certain measures to make the process of labor easier for yourself. This article discusses about the eight secrets to an easier labor

• Be Positive
• Understand Your Labor
• Find A Soothing Environment
• Keep Moving
• Express Your Fears
• Use Warm Or Cold Compressor
• Indulge In A Gentle Massage
• Take A Warm Shower

1. Be Positive

Although labor is a physical condition, a lot depends on your frame of mind. It has been observed that women who go to labor with a positive frame of mind are often seen to have easier labors. You may consider listening to music or surrounding yourself with the people you love in order to head towards an optimistic labor. Listening to devotional music or tales from the epics is also a good idea.

2. Understand Your Labor

Please understand that every labor is different. This may depend on your family history, previous pregnancy records, on the way you are carrying and on whether this is a difficult pregnancy or not. Try to talk to your doctor or midwife about the same and gather as much information as possible. Remember that being well acquainted with labor will give you an upper edge when you have to actually tackle the same.

3. Find A Soothing Environment

Decide on the place where you want to give birth and then make sure that the same is well equipped to deal with the challenges of labor. First and foremost, the place must be in close proximity to medical care, so that in case any complication arises, the same can be tackled professionally, Take utmost care to ensure that the place you want to go to labor in is somewhere where you can feel safe and comfortable.

4. Keep Moving

We understand that during the later stages of pregnancy, you feel really huge and would not want to move about. For both practical as well as physical reasons, staying in the bed seems the best thing to do. However, speaking from a medical point of view, doing something like that will only make labor more difficult for you. Labor is straining on your body and is one of the best ways in which you can prepare yourself for the same. However, mild walking, going for strolls and indulging in mild household work will help prepare your body to take on the challenges of labor.

5. Express Your Fears

Whether this is your first pregnancy or if you are already a mother, it is obvious that you will be having certain doubts about your pregnancy. Do not keep them to yourself. Doing so will only help them build up and make matters more difficult for you. Talk to your partner, doctor and midwife about the same and try to arrive at practical solutions for all your problems. It may be a good idea to consider charting out a proper birth plan as well.

6. Use Warm Or Cold Compressor

As you might have well figured it out by now, a warm pack helps soothe the pain on your lower back, abdomen and shoulders during labor. Hence, it is a good idea to keep the same handy before you get to the labor room. At the same time, a cold pack (or in the absence of this, you may opt for a latex glove that is filled with ice cubes) helps to reduce joint pain for many people. It is a good idea to use those or a simple cold cloth to wipe off sweat from the face, chest or neck)

7. Indulge In A Gentle Massage

Human beings associate touch with care, understanding and reassurance. Thus, in such delicate moments of life, it will be nice to have someone stroke your cheek or hair or merely pat your head and shoulder. It will make you feel more confident about the entire process and also help you relax yourself. This can be done either by your partner or your parent. Choose your caregiver carefully. You can take this a step further and have your doula massage (in light or firm strokes, whichever you would want) using an oil or lotion of your choice.

8. Take A Warm Shower

All of us are familiar with the comfort of a warm shower after a long day at work. The pleasure only amplifies itself if it is taken after a long pregnancy. Try to direct a hand-held shower to your back and abdomen. This will not just make you feel fresh but will also relieve you of the pain. However, while taking a shower, make sure that the water is sufficiently hot and that you do not end up with flu because of the same.