Yes, you can and should try to sleep or rest during the early, latent phase of labor, especially if it starts at night, to conserve energy, but it becomes very difficult with stronger, active labor contractions. Rest between contractions using side-lying, upright, or leaning positions, and utilize relaxation techniques like breathing or warm baths to manage discomfort and catch sleep when you can, as active labor can last many hours.
Everyone tolerates pain and discomfort differently. In general, it's OK to sleep and rest during early labor if you're able to. But you might find it difficult to sleep through the contractions.
With anesthesia, you'll lose any feeling (sensation) in 1 of 2 ways: Completely, such as with general anesthesia, so you're not awake (unconscious). We may use this during an emergency C-section. It's the only anesthesia that makes you fully asleep during the birthing process.
It's generally not a good idea to lie on your back during the first stage of labour. Lying flat on your back during pregnancy can reduce the blood supply to your baby. It could also lead to a longer labour. Keep moving and changing positions to prevent tiredness and ensure your muscles don't get too sore.
If you get tired and want to lie down, it's best to lie on your left side or sit upright in bed so you're not lying flat on your back.
Start by avoiding these 10 things during labor:
These contractions can keep you up all night, night after night, for days prior to real labor, so it's important to catch it early, make necessary adjustments and contact your midwife for assistance and reassurance.
But bed rest during pregnancy is no longer routinely recommended. That's because there's no evidence that staying in bed during pregnancy, either at home or in the hospital, delays or stops preterm labor or prevents premature birth.
94% of women in Canada deliver their baby while lying on their back. This is in fact the worst position to be in for giving birth. Let's take gravity into consideration. Lying flat on your back takes away the role of gravity, which can help to bring the baby down.
Different hospitals have different definitions of 'slow labour', but the main way to spot the signs of slow labour is to measure the rate at which your cervix dilates. If this is less than 0.5cm per hour over a four-hour period, Mother Nature might need a helping hand.
Benefits of an epidural birth
The biggest benefit of an epidural is undoubtedly pain relief during labor and through delivery. After the 10 to 20 minutes needed for an epidural to take effect, many individuals find that an epidural provides them with an easier, less stressful birth experience.
You may feel tired and sleepy between contractions, less aware of distractions and less able to make decisions.
First-time mothers are most likely to give birth in the 39th or 40th week. For twins, spontaneous births typically occur around weeks 36 and 37, and few pregnancies go beyond 38 weeks, due to medical considerations. “Full term” is now defined as 39 to 40 weeks, while 37 to 38 weeks is called “early term.”
The "5-5-5 rule" in a labor/postpartum context is a guideline for new mothers to prioritize rest and recovery in the first 15 days after childbirth, suggesting 5 days in bed, followed by 5 days on the bed (minimal movement), and then 5 days near the bed (gentle movement around the home). This promotes healing, bonding, and reduces stress, though it's a flexible guide, not a strict mandate, with some experts suggesting early movement can help prevent blood clots, making a modified approach ideal.
Relaxation strategies and medicine-free ways to handle pain during labor include:
Exhaustion: While sleeping doesn't cause labor to stall, sleep deprivation, fatigue, and staying in a reclined position have been shown to slow and lengthen labor.
A numerical rating scale (NRS) of 0–10 was adopted to evaluate maternal pain, with 0 describing no labor pain and 10 describing the most severe labor pain. The higher the score, the more severe the labor pain is.
Keep the perineum warm.
The area between the opening of the vagina and the anus is called the perineum. Placing a warm, damp cloth on this area during the pushing stage of labor may help the tissue stretch more easily.
Big babies have a higher risk of their shoulders getting stuck (also known as shoulder dystocia). Big babies are at higher risk for other birth problems. We can accurately tell if a baby will be big. Induction keeps the baby from getting any bigger, which lowers the risk of Cesarean.
Our general rule is to sleep as long as possible if you're starting to feel contractions at night. Most of the time you can lay down and rest during early labor. If you wake up in the middle of the night and notice contractions, get up and use the bathroom, drink some water, and GO BACK TO BED.
Usually the bag of waters breaks just before you go into labor or during the early part of labor. It happens often when you are in bed sleeping. You may wake up and think you have wet the bed. Sometimes women feel or even hear a small “pop” when the bag breaks.
What is the Golden Hour? The Golden Hour is a special period of skin-to-skin contact between a birthing parent and newborn for the first hour (or two) after birth. During the Golden Hour, we keep interruptions, including exams and measurements, to a minimum to make the skin-to-skin contact as continuous as possible.
Pregnancy bed rest is limiting physical activity during pregnancy. It's generally not something pregnancy care providers recommend because there isn't conclusive evidence that it's effective in preventing preterm labor or premature birth. A more common term is “activity restriction.”
In humans, spontaneous labor in term pregnancies is more often initiated, and more babies are born at night [1–4], a time when the pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin into the circulation. Melatonin receptor expression on the human pregnant uterus has been reported only during labor [5, 6].