For anyone who’s had a baby, it’s a well known fact that it isn’t a walk in the park.
Laboring naturally for as long as possible was a biggie for me.
I had to be induced for high blood pressure and my little ornery child was posterior. All the more fun for labor.
Luckily I had read up about comfort techniques and talked to a few veteran mamas about ways to decrease labor discomfort.
I’d like to add that if you live in the Lafayette area you have to check out Motherbirth.
They are a team of doulas who offer other services, my favorite being the free Comfort Measures class. This class is offered every few months at the public library for free. My husband and I already had a few tricks to help get through labor, but these ladies really took our little labor arsenal a step further during their September class.
So with that, here are my essential items for labor:
- Tennis balls or massage ball – My husband uses these for massage, he can be much more firm without wearing himself out early in the process. I adored this with back labor.
- A yoga ball and pump – In your 3rd trimester start sitting on a yoga ball and doing hip circles. Towards the end even bounce a little. It helps get baby into position, and during labor it’s incredibly comfortable to labor on. Plus it keeps you upright so gravity is working with you! Leaning forward on it from a standing position or kneeling is even incredibly comfortable.
- Rebozo scarf or any other large, long scarf – I’d get into it here, but just look up all the things you can do with it online to help ease labor discomfort. My favorite is to be on my knees leaning over my yoga ball, then my husband puts the scarf around my stomach like a hammock and gently shakes it back and forth. This reduces muscle tension and feels amazing. There’s even a way to do counter pressure to yourself with it!
- Labor Massage Oil – you can either buy a massage oil already diluted with a carrier oil or just get the essential oil blend and mix it yourself. Lafayette Moms and Babies as well as Aromatic Infusions carry a labor oil. I personally got the essential oil that was already blended with a carrier oil from Lafayette Moms and Babies just to save time. I’ve heard women swear by these blends for massage during labor and can’t wait to see if it speeds up the process for me!
- A sock filled with rice – Use this for light eye pressure or for warming up tense neck and shoulders.
- Instant Cold Packs – You can get these at the store and just bust them open for instant cooling, great for low back relief.
- Spray bottle of lavender water – have your partner spray on you to cool down and the added bonus that lavender is relaxing.
I think that about sums up what all is going in my labor bag. Long, but the hubby basically serves as my constant massage therapist the entire time ha!
