laboring at home

[squigglyc]

Any tips on how to labor as long as possible at home?? I want to give birth with no interventions and I know that's a great way to start off the process!

[doulamommy]

Take a bath (if your water bag is still intact!), go for a walk, take a nap if you can. Eat a light dinner, something really easy to digest (and/or puke) because digestion slows way down during labor but you're gonna want some energy!

[squigglyc]

Bump

[squigglyc]

Thank you so much for the advice! I'm 36 weeks and have had a pretty solid plan but I'm worried about chickening out on a natural birth last minute

[GeekMom1213]

I did the same thing, took a shower right away. My water had broken all over so I wanted to get cleaned up, shave my legs, all that. I called my bf at work and had him come home to hang out with me, my mom came over a few hours later, they helped distract me and remind me to breathe through the contractions. Make sure you have an app on your phone or something to time contractions so you know when they're getting serious. I packed my bags (yeah I'm a procrastinator). We watched funny movies on Netflix and managed to stay at home for over 12 hours before things were really getting close enough and powerful enough that we figured it was time to go. It was really nice to spend the time at home talking through it and not being annoyed by the staff at the birthing center when nothing much was happening. By the time we got there I really did need help from my midwife but was very glad we waited as long as we did. It was a good experience for me overall.

[mfren]

Taking a bath/shower to help you relax. The second I went into labor with my first, I jumped in the shower (mainly because I didn't know when I'd get to bathe again)