Do you feel confident about coping with the intensity of labour? Are you prepared to take 100% responsibility for your birth preparation? Whilst you can’t control how labour will unfold you can control your skill set and develop a variety of resources that you can use regardless of what is going on around you.
These labour skills are just not taught enough despite the fact that good childbirth preparation has been shown to reduce caesarean rates as well as the use of epidurals. Yes, its good to have support from the outside – partners, midwives, doulas, but the real empowerment lies in you having skills that you’ve practised and know are effective because at the end of the day its YOU who is giving birth.
What are these skills? The ones I’ve been teaching in prenatal yoga classes for the last 17 years and that women have given feedback on really making a difference include:
FOCUS ON THE BREATH – did you know that slow and conscious breathing can modify pain? Breathing for labour is not commonly taught in ante natal classes – in fact I was told in my Childbirth Educator Training that women know how to breath and don’t need to be shown! As a yoga teacher I have to disagree! Being aware of the breath (as in Mindfulness practice) or consciously changing the breath and adding different practices does change how we feel, both mentally, emotionally and physically and is the # 1 tool for labour
ACTIVE BIRTH POSITIONS – I love the phrase Stand Up for Birth! In yoga we are not only developing strength and flexibility physically but also mentally. The postures or asanas develop stamina and endurance and “embody” these practices in you. Someone once asked if they should take a list of positions to use in labour and I, and the women who’d had babies in class, said NO! You’ll be too busy following your body’s lead and from practising yoga, you will be comfortable in adopting positions that create more space in your pelvis for your baby to descend and rotate
MOVEMENT – lying on a bed for labour isn’t going to help your baby to be born! So use Active Birth positions AND movement – circling hips, figure eights, rocking the pelvis are all great. You might be standing, kneeling, on all fours or sitting on a birth ball
MINDFULNESS – as I’ve taught this more and more in class I can see its benefits manifest in the women in class, for some it has been quite transformational to understand that we don’t have to be driven by our thoughts and we can learn to take a step back and choose more skilful and useful ones, whilst at the same time accepting and allowing fearful or negative ones with kindness and compassion. (i.e. Don’t beat yourself up!) Observing sensations in the body too can help to cope with the powerful sensations of labour, allowing them to be there and not resisting (which increases pain) With practise we can also observe feelings and allow them to come and go too. So mindfulness can be a wonderful tool for labour and even more so for life – especially with a new baby!
AFFIRMATIONS AND POSITIVE MIND SET – this may sound a bit “new age” but it works to repeat positive statements to yourself during relaxation and also labour. The body actually responds differently to you saying “I can’t do this” to “I can do this” So sometimes we have to “fake it until we become it”. We know know through research that the parts of the brain which are associated with negativity or positivity can grow according to what you decide to focus on. Make your own list of empowering statements that you write out and take into labour
VISUALISATION – Studies have shown that visualisation works – it is used in sports training and can improve performance. For pregnancy you can use visualisation to relax you – in yoga classes we use one called “The Special Place” or to help open your body up during labour “The opening flower” and there are many more. Adding a feeling to the visualisation makes it more powerful and effective.
STAY CENTRED – Keeping out of your head is essential in labour! The subconscious drives labour not your thinking mind so having the focus in your belly will help you to feel grounded, centred and able to instinctively know what movements or positions will help. It will also help you to intuitively know the right decision to make during labour if some intervention is suggested and keep you out of fear and anxiety.
VOCALISATION – this is a great one to practise in class! Many women naturally feel shy or inhibited (fortunately that disappears during labour!) By practising different low sounds you will be able to modify the intense sensations of labour, just get louder as they get stronger. It really works!
RELAXATION – most of us don’t really know how to deeply relax so we gradually build up stress levels in our bodies which are not healthy for us or the baby. With Savasana/Deep relaxation in yoga you will start to let go of tension in both the body and the mind and it feels great (also helps you to sleep better) You will also develop more awareness of when you’re not relaxed and be able to use simple techniques to quickly change how you feel. Again very useful during labour and definitely useful for life with a newborn!
BE KNOWLEDGEABLE AND INFORMED – there are usually decisions to be made during labour and if you are fully informed about the pros and cons you will be less likely to feel disempowered, even traumatised, by your birth experience. Be pro-active, stand up for YOUR birth, the way you want it but still being flexible in moving in a different direction if needed.
So these are the main tools that you will learn in a prenatal yoga class to empower you and to give you confidence that you do have choices in the way you respond to labour. It makes all the difference!