What To Do in Early Labour

The "due date" has come (or not) and you are beginning to feel changes in your body that might indicate that your baby is preparing to meet you! 

These changes might include:
- Pre-labour contractions (previously referred to as "Braxton-Hicks" contractions)
- Low back pain and pelvic pressure (although this may not be new in late pregnancy!) 
- Release of the mucus plug
- Hind waters leaking (a slow leak of amniotic fluid) 
- Fore waters breaking (a big gush of amniotic fluid) 
- Early labour contractions: contractions that follow a clear pattern but are less than one minute long and mild to moderate in intensity. 

Especially for first time parents, the instinct when these signs begin is to gather your belongings and rush to the hospital, or call the midwife immediately to settle in for an out-of-hospital birth. But, birth may still be days or weeks away! The biggest piece of advice I give to clients at this stage in labour is to REST. Rest as much as possible until you cannot ignore the contractions, and then keep resting more. Imagine not sleeping for 2 or 3 days and running a marathon. Many many parents (and I used to struggle with this too as a new doula) get overly excited during early labour, go to the hospital sooner than needed, and exhaust all energy and tools before the really intense part of labour sets in. Then when things get ramp up towards transition and pushing, there is no energy store to draw from. Exhaustion is usually the first step in the cascade of interventions that lead to an unwanted surgical birth. Additionally, seeking clinical care earlier than needed often leads to unnecessary augmentation or so-called failure to progress. 

So, here are a few ways to spend your time in early labour: 

- Sleep or rest between contractions. You may even be able to sleep through contractions in very early labour. 
- If it is daytime, go for a long low impact walk in nature, taking in the sensory experience of a slow walk. 
- Date night or time with friends and older children and pets. 
- Immerse yourself in water. Take a long bath or shower. 
- Listen to a birth-focused meditation, practice intention setting, or pray. Get into the zone of the mountain of birth you are about to climb. Breathe deeply and notice how it feels to surrender to your body's timeline. Talk to your baby! Tell them you are excited to meet them soon and that you will take care of them as they embark on this journey of labour with you. One of my favourite birth meditations is linked here. 
- Do a short, low stakes project that is easy to abandon, like a puzzle, knitting, or low-stakes household task.
- Low impact movement, like lunges, cat-cows, and hip-openers. 
- Put your phone away! Don't record the space between contractions until they become regular and unavoidable. You may note the time that contractions began, but expect things to stay mild for a long time, especially if you this is your first pregnancy. 

And did I mention REST?! 

Have other favourite rituals for early labour? Leave a comment!