Laboring at Home - Benefits + Tips to Success
First time moms. Moms who have experienced a hospital birth that they weren’t proud of. I hear it so often from those that I’ve connected with - “I want to have as natural of a birth as possible with minimal interventions”. Understandably. You’ve probably heard many horror stories of women who have experienced some level of birth trauma that they try to encourage you to do something different. Maybe you feel that internal nudge encouraging you to experience birth fully, as the divine creator intended for us to experience it. Whatever your reason is for you to want minimal interventions, you are supported and encouraged.
If you feel this way, I encourage you to labor a home as long as possible. This isn’t about skipping out on the benefits that a medical setting can provide - it’s about experiencing the process without a timeline or deadline that fits others more conveniently than it serves you and your baby’s journey here. So, why would you labor at home as long as you can withstand?
Being present at home and moving through the space where baby will live (and likely was created) can often bring a sense of peace and progress to a laboring mom - something that being at a hospital or other unfamiliar environment cannot provide.
The rising and maintaining of oxytocin.
Oxytocin, known as “the love hormone”, is one of the main hormones active through labor and birth. It’s what starts the contractions in labor, stimulating the uterus to move the baby out of the body, and later dispelling the placenta. Being at home during labor allows you to intimately enjoy your space that feels safe and normal to you. By moving through your space and labor as you intuitively feel led to do, you will feel more at ease processing the changes your body is going through.
Alternatively, if home doesn’t feel like a safe space to you or even the people present in your labor bringing an energy that makes you feel uncomfortable, your body will slow the oxytocin and activate the production of adrenaline - or the fight or flight response - and labor may become slowed or stalled. This is often what happens to women who go to the hospital too early in labor before the cervix has ripened to a prime point.
Having the ability to move around freely, without restrictions.
You can and should have a birth plan that specifies your every intention for birth at the hospital, but if we’re being honest, things are said and minds change quickly when others are influencing decisions with some truths and some manipulations. You can request to have a wireless fetal monitor and you may be granted this if you’re very low risk, but when you’re at home, this isn’t a question of can you; You just do it because it comes naturally and movement is one of the most beneficial things you can do for yourself and your baby during labor.
Laboring at home isn’t as hard with some preparation and tools to help you through it.
I am passionate about women experiencing physiological birth as we were created to. That’s why I’m sharing my top recommendations and tips for mastering laboring at home:
Move around to keep yourself distracted and labor active.
As mentioned, movement during labor (and truthfully throughout pregnancy as well) is so beneficial for you and baby. Movement like standing and walking around helps baby to descend naturally with the support of gravity. If baby is in weird positioning, It allows the time for them to get into the best space that will make it easier when it comes time for pushing. It can prove to be a good distraction where labor may feel like it’s slowing down altogether, or not as uncomfortable.
Other valuable movements that can support you during labor include a yoga ball for more comfortable, yet fluid sitting. The yoga ball engages the pelvis and hips to open up more, as well as allowing baby the space to move down without resistance.
Rest when you feel the need to.
One of the best parts about laboring at home is having the ability to rest when you feel called to. Hospitals can often feel like performative scenes for some women with people constantly coming in, checking you for various things, and watching the clock for your progress. Sometimes labor starts and stalls out if things aren't good timing or your oxytocin levels drop (which happens most often when you're uncomfortable or feel the environment isn't safe to release the baby).
When you allow your body the chance to reach a spontaneous labor, you are able to flow with the changes as they come. You also might be surprised how in physiological labor, a woman’s body slow the intensity of contractions to allow her time to rest and recover before labor progresses further and reaches transition.
Use the bathroom often!
One of my biggest fears for labor my first go-around was not wanting to poop when I intended to be pushing the baby out. Every chance I got, I would sit on the toilet. The feeling of releasing helped the contractions to not seem quite as bad and provides a good station for baby to further descend without the weird feeling of you sitting on their head. Releasing urine and poop makes room for baby to move down and naturally engages the best muscles for labor. It’s really a double win.
Drink good fluids and make a warm tea to soothe you.
Hydration is so important throughout pregnancy and especially in labor. Not just taking in water, but you need electrolytes and nutrients to help sustain your body for the energy it is putting out to bring baby earthside. In the comfort of your home, you can engage yourself through the labor by making tea or a highly nutritive smoothie. Herbs during labor like valerian root and chamomile are great for easing the uterine stimulations without turning things all the way down, or nettle leaf for an energetic, nutritive boost. They calm the mind as well, which is beneficial for you to accept the you that is waiting on the other side. Coconut water is also highly recommended for the best electrolyte boost - better than plain water.
Often times when women experience false labor, or Braxton Hicks contractions, it is influenced by their hydration levels. So, dehydration can cause some to experience this more often. Coconut water is also a great item to add to your hospital bag that would be on their approved list of fluids you can consume during labor.
Shower or soak in the bath tub with warm/hot water for maximum comfort.
This tends to be my go-to when I get late in the laboring process and contractions are intensifying. Hydrotherapy calms the mind, and soothes the muscles as they are working hard to get baby out. If you happen to experience back-labor, having the direct pressure from the shower head can provide some great relief. If you have general contractions all around your abdomen and hips, submerging in the tub can allow you to gently flow with each surge of contractions.
As a Note: If you are planning to go to the hospital to birth, I would recommend allowing your contractions to come more consistent, less than 5 minutes apart for at least an hour. This tends to be a good timeframe for getting things far enough along to not have as much interruption when your setting changes.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you try these tips or if there are any others that you find super helpful that can be added to help someone else!
With love and gratitude, Jemila
If you feel as though you could benefit from doula support through your perinatal journey, and that I am an alignment for your path, please click here to learn more about my current available offerings.