Getting up and moving around may help speed dilation by increasing blood flow. Walking around the room, doing simple movements in bed or chair, or even changing positions may encourage dilation.
Walk. If the pains you are having are real labor, walking will make the contractions come closer together and they will be stronger, but you will be able to cope with them better if you are standing or moving around.
Contractions that are not getting longer, stronger and closer together. This may mean that the contractions are not opening the cervix. It usually means that other work is being done, such as turning your baby to a different position, softening or thinning the cervix.
You'll have mild contractions that are 15 to 20 minutes apart and last 60 to 90 seconds. Your contractions will become more regular until they are less than 5 minutes apart.
Spending most of your time in bed, especially lying on your back, or sitting up at a small angle, interferes with labor progress: Gravity works against you, and the baby might be more likely to settle into a posterior position. Pain might increase, especially back pain.
However, if the body is not ready then all that happens is you get tired out. After taking a bath the next thing to do is head into bed. With the contractions a bit farther apart and not as long and strong this is the best time to rest. Sleeping helps to pass the time so you are not as focused on the contractions.
During the active phase, if the baby is too large, the birthing canal is too small, or the woman's pelvis is too small, delivery can take longer or fail to progress. Carrying multiples may also lead to prolonged labor, as might weak uterine contractions, or an incorrect position of the baby.
Some women will have backache and cramps or have bouts of contractions that may last a few hours which then stop and start up again the next day. This is perfectly normal. The duration of the latent phase of labour can be variable. It may last for 24 hours or more and can be tiring for you.
Early labor
Contractions are five to 15 minutes apart and last for about a minute each. Go to the hospital once they're five minutes apart for one hour or more. Your vaginal discharge might be clear, light pink or bloody. Go to the hospital if you notice heavy bleeding.
Taking walks during active labor (breaking for contractions) can help ease the intensity of labor and can help keep your labor progressing by moving your pelvic bones, which helps position baby appropriately for (potentially) a shorter and easier overall birth.
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.
True labor contractions become stronger, difficult to talk through, last longer, and are closer together as labor progresses. These will effect changes in the cervix, causing it to thin out and open while encouraging the descent of the baby through the pelvis.
Positions to try
Kneeling – you can rest by leaning forward between contractions. Sitting – you can sit astride a chair and lean forward resting on a cushion or pillow, sit on a birthing ball or a beanbag. Use a birthing ball. Supported standing or squatting.
Side-lying with upper knee bent
It's OK to lie down in labour. Lie down on one side, with your lower leg straight, and bend your upper knee as much as possible. Rest it on a pillow. This is another position to open your pelvis and encourage your baby to rotate and descend.
Many women stay at home during early labour. This is often the longest part of the birthing process. It may last up to 2 to 3 days. Contractions are mild to moderate and shorter (about 30 to 45 seconds).
There are a number of potential causes of FTP, including (1) uterine contractions that are too weak or too infrequent; (2) the baby is not in the right position or placement (malpresentation, such as breech birth); or (3) the baby cannot fit through the mother's pelvis or its shoulders get stuck (shoulder dystocia).
Tocolytics may be used for 48 hours to delay preterm labor to allow corticosteroids to provide the maximum benefit or, if necessary, for you to be transported to a hospital that can provide specialized care for your premature baby.
Prodromal labor can be painful, come every five minutes and last 60 seconds each. This is very similar to active labor contractions. However, prodromal labor never advances beyond this point. It doesn't mean labor is coming or that your cervix has started to dilate (open) or efface (thin).
Lying on your back in labour
In addition to this, when you're on your back, you're not working with gravity – you're working against it. So your surges (contractions) are having to work so much harder (and therefore labour could take longer - and that's not something you want either, is it?).
Side-lying release
Not only can this position be used to help engage the baby into the pelvis and to encourage cervical dilation, but it can also be used during labor to help ease discomfort.
Lie down on your side.
Place a pillow at your back for support. Don't lie flat on your back, but don't turn too far forward on your side either. o Lying flat on your back might cause the contractions to happen more often. o If you lie too far forward you might not be able to feel the contractions.
What is the Side-lying Release? The Side-lying Release (SLR) uses a “static stretch” to temporarily and slightly enlarge and soften the pelvis. Stretching the muscle spindles in the pelvic muscles lengthens them for a short time. The SLR can then be repeated every 4 hours in labor if needed.