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The secret to an easier labour

How to use movement to help your labour along

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Originally published in Today's Parent September 2009

On TV, the labour routine goes like this: The very pregnant woman arrives at the hospital, breathing her way through each contraction, changes into her revealing tie-in-the-back gown, and is promptly tucked into bed.

But lying in bed is rarely the best way to get through labour. Doula Julia MacNeil, of Mississauga, Ont., is Eastern Canada director for Doulas of North America (DONA) International. She says, “Movement is integral to the progress of labour. The movement of the hips while walking helps to guide the baby into the pelvic opening, and the swaying of the hips encourages the baby into the optimal position for birth.”

Midwife Lorna McRae, of Victoria, says, “Moving or walking can be the perfect tool for pain management — it’s the way your body helps you get through labour.”

A review of the research confirms it: In some studies, when women were encouraged to walk or change position as they chose in labour, they tended to have shorter labours, more efficient contractions, greater comfort and less need for pain medications. Women who spent at least half of active labour walking were less likely to need forceps or vacuum-assisted births or Caesareans. Other studies, generally those where the women were walking or moving for a shorter period of time while in labour, found little or no difference in length of labour, although the women were more comfortable. No studies found any negative effects.

How you move will depend on the stage of labour, your baby’s position, and how you are feeling at the time.

Early labour

• Early labour is all about distraction, says MacNeil. Try slow dancing with your partner, or sitting on an exercise ball and watching TV.

• Doula Jalana Grant, of Langley, BC, who is Western Canada director for DONA International, adds: “In early labour, I remind women to rest. Walks are great, but not to the point of exhaustion.” If you start labour at night or when you’re tired, and contractions are mild, lying on your side in bed can be a good idea — you might even be able to take a nap, or at least get some rest between contractions. A pillow supporting your stomach and one between your knees may help you feel more comfortable.

• Sometimes walking helps get labour under way. Julie Larose’s water broke about noon, but she was still not having contractions when she went to the hospital at 8 p.m. “My obstetrician talked about induction, which I was adamant about avoiding if possible. He suggested we wait to see if labour started overnight,” she recalls. Larose, who lives near Prescott, Ont., started walking the halls of the hospital, chatting with her husband. Contractions began sporadically. At 11 p.m., her husband went to sleep and she kept walking.

“When I walked, my contractions came more regularly,” she says. “After a while, they were strong enough that I had to lean against a wall to cope with them.” Later, as she began to feel more tired, she sat down to rest, but found “this slowed the contractions down and, when they did come, it felt extremely painful, so I got right back up and continued standing.”

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