Early Labor To Do List

Labor. Just the sound of the word sounds like work to me. While having a baby is labor intensive (pun intended!), for some there are hours of prodromal (early and light) labor. For me, my labors always started with hours of light contractions that I could easily function around. My philosophy has always been to stay engaged with what you were doing before labor started as long as you can. There will come a point when your body will no longer allow you to be distracted. But in the meant time, find a labor project to keep the mind busy while the body gets things going.

Here is a partial list of some of my early labor activities with my six babies:

• shopping (with my first baby, early contractions started while birthday shopping for family members at the mall).
• walking around the block with my kids 
• playing in the back yard with my kids
• cooking
• taking my daughter to the DMV for her license (funny story!)
• shopping for nursing bras
• grocery run for last minute items
• scrubbing the floor
• making the labor bed
• fixing last minute snacks to hold the kids over
• laundry
• reading with my kids
• picnic in the backyard
• crocheting
• watching movies (on tv)
• pelvic rocks
• scrubbing the bathtub
• out for Mexican food
• eating
• making red raspberry leaf tea
• drinking water, juices, herbal teas with honey
• napping
• cuddling
• making love
• relaxing in our pool

Remember, these were all things I COULD do.
The conditions must be favorable to continue such activities, such as:

• bag of water intact
• contractions light and infrequent
• always with another adult (my husband accompanied me on the walks, and grocery shopping)
• no alarming signs such as heavy bleeding or fever

For me, there was plenty of real life to keep me busy in early labor. Of course, if my life hadn't been so full, I could have worked on a baby blanket or scrap booked our latest vacation. And  of course, the active work such as scrubbing the floor and walking actually help labor along.

Then there  are the women who head straight into active labor with no smooth climb up the mountain. They do not have time to think about a labor project. They already have one!

For those of  you who had long early labor, what activities did you do?

Why I Teach Bradley Childbirth

(This is a copy of an essay I wrote on Facebook the other day...just a repeat here for anyone who might have missed it!)

I have been teaching birthing classes to expectant moms and their partners for over two decades. Mostly my classes were held in my living room, turned classroom. The kids and I would spend class day sweeping, dusting and transforming our family room area into a peaceful and clean oasis for the new mamas and papas. This year I moved my class room to an off site location so that my kids could feel a measure of privacy in our now very small townhome. There just isnt't the space for big classes in the smallish living room, filled with rock band accessories, musical instruments and art supplies.

But I did decide to go ahead and teach my private classes in this smaller setting. So on Monday this week we were doing our "deep clean" ritual, right down to the yucky crumbs under the couch. As we were all grumbling about cleaning, it dawned on me why I still teach. When my first beautiful baby was born by Cesarean section, my body responded by shooting my blood pressure up to dangerous levels. I was sedated and drugged for nearly a week as the doctors and nurses tip toed around my bed, hoping to avert any seizure activity in this young mama. I was numb and out of it. I guess that was to my advantage, because I didin't know until much later how dangerous my situation had become......

Fast forward two and half years. At the suggestion of a friend, I took a Bradley Childbirth Class. Short story, I gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby boy on August 2, 1986 with no drugs or surgery. I was ecstatic! We had decided that if I had a repeat of the first dangerous birth, then he would be our last child.

Happily, the story doesn't end there. With a beautiful strong birth story under my belt, I trained to become a Bradley teacher myself. And went on to have four more awesome babies.....alll without drugs or surgery. .....

So, when my three YOUNGEST children were helping me clean for Bradley, it was a sobering thought...if not for my successful Bradley birth with thier older brother, they might not have been born. With that change of heart and perspective we joyfully cleaned right down to the dustboards and cobwebs.

My heart is full, and I am so grateful that I have the awesome privilege to mother 6 great kids!