01/08/2023
Stalled labour! Why does it happen?! Read more below ⬇️
Movies have shown us that labour starts fast and furious and then increases in a linear way until the baby is born. However, labour is not a linear journey! It might slow down, or stop completely then start back up again.
While it is normal to slow and stop, it doesn't make it less frustrating when it happens!
So why does it happen?
Transferring to your birthing place is a common time for labour to pause.
Evolutionarily we are programmed to give birth somewhere familiar and safe. So getting in the car, and going to an unfamiliar (and sometimes scary) place, like a hospital, makes your body freeze, and contractions will slow down. This is a safety mechanism- you don't want to be in the thick of labour if you are in an unsafe location. So how do we stop this happening?
Try to transfer as late as you can. Stay at home as long as possible, and transfer once you are in active labour- you are less likely to have a big stall in labour if you are in active labour.
The next thing you can do is make your new location feel as safe as possible.
Environment- make your environment feel as safe as possible. Turn off overhead lights, use electric candles, seed lighting or other soft lighting options to make it feel less clinical. Use a scent diffuser or put some essential oils on a flannel to make it smell less sterile. And finally put on some relaxing music to make it sound less like a hospital. And lastly, you should ask anyone in your birthing space that is stressing you out, to leave.
The people in your birthing space make a huge impact on your progress. If there are new faces, particularly in early labour, that may make you freeze up. This is another factor for staying at home until you are in active labour. If you are having a community midwife, or you have an obstetrition, this often means you don't know which midwife or doctor will be on. If this is the case request to meet all the staff before your due date (if possible), call in early labour to ask who is on call, so it is less of a surprise when you arrive, and consider hiring a doula, so you have a familiar face you know will be there.
If someone is in your space that is stressing you out, ask them to leave. You can change midwife right up until baby is born, so if they are doing things that you aren't happy with, and they are making you uncomfortable, ask them to leave!
Same with student midiwives or doctors, or family members that you have in your room. If you feel bad asking them to leave, subtly ask your doula or midwife, and they will make up a reason to es**rt them from the room. You are in charge of your labour and your birthing space!
Keep an eye out later this week for my tips on what to do if your labour stalls!
Save this post for later in your pregnancy!
