active birth

jjbuttons · Mar 29th, 2012, 09:06 AM

so i have been watching obem and none of the girls were moving around at all just lying there waiting....

i want to be as active as i can but worried now that i might use up my energy before the big push and thinking maybe those girls are right to rest up??? but active birth is always good as i herd it speeds it up???

what are you girls gonna do when in labour?

xx

Tacey · Mar 29th, 2012, 10:19 AM

Active all the way. I think it's a bit of a misnomer, though as you can have an 'active' labour, but still be resting. Leaning up against a wall, lying over a birthing ball, pretty much doing what you can to keep in a good position. I don't know how people manage to lie down in labour. It was the most uncomfortable, unnatural feeling!

Jaysmummy · Mar 29th, 2012, 12:43 PM

Definitely active for me too but in the way Tacey describes and in the way of position rather than walking around etc

I had a bed birth with my first as was induced and it was not nice ended up with an epi and forceps (and more I won't go into) but with my 2nd I had a gas and air waterbirth, kneeling over the edge of the pool and it was sooooo quick and much easier even though he was 9lbs 10ozs i pushed him out in 9 mins!

xx

NaturalMomma · Mar 29th, 2012, 22:32 PM

Most of the women in OBEM are medicated, so they can't really feel anything, and if they do it's not as much as you'd feel unmedicated. Be active. Your body produces adrenalin at the end of labor so that you can push. If you go unmedicated then your body will actually take a rest period, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour+. Sometimes Doctors tell you that labor has stopped, but really it's just resting so you can push. I experienced that with ds2, my body rested for 20 mintues, no contractions at all after having contractions one after another, and then the urge to push came after 20 mintues. I stayed on my feet the entire time, which was a long labor. I actually never felt exhausted because my body produced different hormones at different times to keep me going, and I never pushed either because my body did that on it's own.

goddess25 · Mar 29th, 2012, 23:39 PM

My first birth I pretty much lay in bed and it was so very uncomfortable but I also have to say that I never felt the urge to move throughout it either and I had no drugs until well into the pushing stage. My son had shoulder dystocia and I went to the OR but I believe that if I had been moving he would have moved.

With my daughter my experienced MW told me that she was presenting in the same way... I was only in labour for 3 hours before she was born but that 3 hours I was rocking from side to side, on all 4s...moving constantly to get her to move. It worked and she slipped out after a few pushes. It felt so much more natural to be moving and going with the rhythm of each contraction.

Celesse · Mar 30th, 2012, 03:22 AM

I had good intentions of moving, and being upright. But my body and instincts and pain had me sat on the bed once I was in active labour with the gas and air. I felt like once I got on the bed and started on the gas and air there was no way I could move again. Next labour I think I'll be avoiding getting on the bed at all.

Nix · Mar 30th, 2012, 08:37 AM

Active is definitely the way to go :-) I am always active, mostly leaning over something high like the window or the bed raised and swinging my hips or kind of lifting my leg up and forwards bending my knee. Kneeling on a chair or the bed against the back is also good if you feel a little tired.

Lying on your back is the worst thing to do if you don't have to. It means that your coccyx is pushing against the bed which stops it from tilting backwards (tilting backwards gives your baby extra space to come through) Also moving about helps relieve the pain. I think that I have got better at moving about with each baby and my labours are getting shorter (my last was 2 hours) and I am using less pain relief too - none at all with my last baby.

I think the main thing to do is what ever feels best for you at the time. If you dont feel comfortable walking or moving about try to get into a good position on the bed. If you do want to lie down maybe try lying on your side :-)

jjbuttons · Mar 30th, 2012, 13:12 PM

many thanks for the replys girls- looks like active it is if possible!

xx

holly2234 · Mar 30th, 2012, 14:00 PM

I walked or sat up the whole time. I even gave birth sitting up on a birthing stool. The midwife wouldnt let me lie down to push! She said no chance, get up!

george83 · Apr 1st, 2012, 06:26 AM

i thought i was just in early labour so kept active. I was having pretty irregular contractions and at 9 o'clock that evening went for a long walk to bring them on, got home kept just walking around the house, got to the hospital at quarter to midnight and was told to lay down so my midwife could examine me and was already 10cm and had my baby by 26 minutes past midnight, i think keeping active during the day definitely helped

Mar 29th, 2012, 09:06 AM	#1
jjbuttons Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: UK- Essex Posts: 932	active birth so i have been watching obem and none of the girls were moving around at all just lying there waiting.... i want to be as active as i can but worried now that i might use up my energy before the big push and thinking maybe those girls are right to rest up??? but active birth is always good as i herd it speeds it up??? what are you girls gonna do when in labour? xx

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Mar 29th, 2012, 10:19 AM	#2
Tacey Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: May 2008 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 5,968	Active all the way. I think it's a bit of a misnomer, though as you can have an 'active' labour, but still be resting. Leaning up against a wall, lying over a birthing ball, pretty much doing what you can to keep in a good position. I don't know how people manage to lie down in labour. It was the most uncomfortable, unnatural feeling!

Status: Online

Mar 29th, 2012, 12:43 PM	#3
Jaysmummy Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 3,428	Definitely active for me too but in the way Tacey describes and in the way of position rather than walking around etc I had a bed birth with my first as was induced and it was not nice ended up with an epi and forceps (and more I won't go into) but with my 2nd I had a gas and air waterbirth, kneeling over the edge of the pool and it was sooooo quick and much easier even though he was 9lbs 10ozs i pushed him out in 9 mins! xx

Status: Offline

Mar 29th, 2012, 22:32 PM	#4
NaturalMomma Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 2,592	Most of the women in OBEM are medicated, so they can't really feel anything, and if they do it's not as much as you'd feel unmedicated. Be active. Your body produces adrenalin at the end of labor so that you can push. If you go unmedicated then your body will actually take a rest period, anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour+. Sometimes Doctors tell you that labor has stopped, but really it's just resting so you can push. I experienced that with ds2, my body rested for 20 mintues, no contractions at all after having contractions one after another, and then the urge to push came after 20 mintues. I stayed on my feet the entire time, which was a long labor. I actually never felt exhausted because my body produced different hormones at different times to keep me going, and I never pushed either because my body did that on it's own.

Status: Offline

Mar 29th, 2012, 23:39 PM	#5
goddess25 Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: vancouver Posts: 9,311	My first birth I pretty much lay in bed and it was so very uncomfortable but I also have to say that I never felt the urge to move throughout it either and I had no drugs until well into the pushing stage. My son had shoulder dystocia and I went to the OR but I believe that if I had been moving he would have moved. With my daughter my experienced MW told me that she was presenting in the same way... I was only in labour for 3 hours before she was born but that 3 hours I was rocking from side to side, on all 4s...moving constantly to get her to move. It worked and she slipped out after a few pushes. It felt so much more natural to be moving and going with the rhythm of each contraction.

Status: Offline

Mar 30th, 2012, 03:22 AM	#6
Celesse Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: UK Posts: 6,720	I had good intentions of moving, and being upright. But my body and instincts and pain had me sat on the bed once I was in active labour with the gas and air. I felt like once I got on the bed and started on the gas and air there was no way I could move again. Next labour I think I'll be avoiding getting on the bed at all.

Status: Offline

Mar 30th, 2012, 08:37 AM	#7
Nix Pregnant (Expecting) Active BnB Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Norfolk UK Posts: 901	Active is definitely the way to go :-) I am always active, mostly leaning over something high like the window or the bed raised and swinging my hips or kind of lifting my leg up and forwards bending my knee. Kneeling on a chair or the bed against the back is also good if you feel a little tired. Lying on your back is the worst thing to do if you don't have to. It means that your coccyx is pushing against the bed which stops it from tilting backwards (tilting backwards gives your baby extra space to come through) Also moving about helps relieve the pain. I think that I have got better at moving about with each baby and my labours are getting shorter (my last was 2 hours) and I am using less pain relief too - none at all with my last baby. I think the main thing to do is what ever feels best for you at the time. If you dont feel comfortable walking or moving about try to get into a good position on the bed. If you do want to lie down maybe try lying on your side :-)

Status: Offline

Mar 30th, 2012, 13:12 PM	#8
jjbuttons Mum (Mom) Active BnB Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: UK- Essex Posts: 932	many thanks for the replys girls- looks like active it is if possible! xx

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Mar 30th, 2012, 14:00 PM	#9
holly2234 Mum (Mom) BnB Addict Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: New York Posts: 5,605	I walked or sat up the whole time. I even gave birth sitting up on a birthing stool. The midwife wouldnt let me lie down to push! She said no chance, get up!

Status: Offline

Apr 1st, 2012, 06:26 AM	#10
george83 Mum (Mom) Chat Happy BnB Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 1,266	i thought i was just in early labour so kept active. I was having pretty irregular contractions and at 9 o'clock that evening went for a long walk to bring them on, got home kept just walking around the house, got to the hospital at quarter to midnight and was told to lay down so my midwife could examine me and was already 10cm and had my baby by 26 minutes past midnight, i think keeping active during the day definitely helped

Status: Offline

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