Making labour comfortable

Talking about the pain Exploring the many options and possibilities for labour and birth is important. Comfortable positions Suggestions for positions you may find useful during labour. Your goody bag Taking things from home is a way of making the labour ward seem more familiar, as well as enabling you to be more comfortable during the birth.

Every woman wants her labour to be as comfortable and pain free as possible. While the pain in labour is important, it need not be overwhelming. There are many simple things you can do to ease the pain. Some of these you can prepare in advance, but many others will occur to you in labour, if you follow your instincts and respond to your feelings during birth.

The most important things you can do to make labour safe and comfortable are:

REMAIN UPRIGHT - DON'T LIE DOWN AT ANY TIME
A woman's body works best in labour when she is upright. Labour is faster and easier.

MOVE AS MUCH AS NECESSARY
Women often find walking, swinging their hips or gentle rocking helps enormously. If you would rather just sit and stay still, that's OK - do what you feel you need to do.

KEEP YOUR EYES CLOSED
Closing your eyes blocks out distractions and enables you to really feel what your body is doing.

PUT YOUR HEAD DOWN AND LEAN FORWARD
Rest your head against something and tip your body forward. This is comfortable and facilitates efficient contractions.

DO YOUR OWN THING
Only you knows what helps and works well for you. Other people may make suggestions but only you can tell if they work or not. Trust your instincts and your body!

Practical suggestions for birth companions

Help her to feel safe

No matter where or with whom a woman chooses to give birth, she has a basic need to feel safe and protected during birth. This is best achieved by enabling her to have complete privacy:

• Reduce the number of people in the room.
• Take her to another room away from people (bathroom, toilet).
• Give her time on her own, but stay nearby, perhaps outside.
• Make the room darker: dim the lights, close the curtains, draw the blinds.
• Lower the noise level: remain quiet, no talking; stay still and avoid walking around.
• Turn down the monitoring machine.
• Position her facing a wall or corner, not the door.
• Cover her with a sheet or blanket to create a "cocoon".
• Maintain calm surroundings - get help yourself if you are anxious.
• Consult the midwife if you are unsure of what is happening.

All of these simple measures will enhance a woman's normal physiological responses during labour and enable her natural painkillers, "endorphins", to flow freely.

Create a cosy and comfortable environment

Michel Odent once said that "the right place to give birth would be the right place to make love" (see Michel Odent's video presentation "The Science of Life, Love and Labour") and this is a helpful guide to creating the best environment for birth. Think of the surroundings (colours, light level, sounds, smells, temperature, vibe) that you choose for comfort when making love and you have the basics for a great birth place. If you visit the hospital's maternity unit you will find that it lacks some (maybe all) of these attributes, so think about how you can modify it to fit your needs.

What can you bring from home to make the birth place feel more like your own special place? See "Your goody bag" for ideas.

How can you re-arrange the furniture in the room to make more space or downplay a clinical atmosphere? Ask staff to show you how to move the bed aside, ask where to find the bean bags and birth balls and extra pillows. Make a not of anything in short supply and consider bringing these items with you.

Check out temperature controls and dimmer switches for the lights. Check power points for the plug-in music system you may want to bring. Find where the showers, toilets and baths are located, and the source of towels. Find the kitchen and check the availability of snacks, cold drinks and ice blocks. Locate the source of bed pans and vomit bowls in case of need.

Look for ways of maintaining privacy in the labour room. If the hospital policy doesn't encourage a minimum of intrusions remember that the toilet and bathroom will almost always guarantee complete privacy for a labouring woman.