Labour
How to ease contractions during labour
A contraction cannot be 'endured away' — but it can be lived through more calmly. The nurse's and midwife's task in that moment is to recognise that labour has truly started and to give the woman clear supports: breathing, body position, warmth and rhythm.
A practical guide for ward observation: the interval, the duration, and whether the character of the pain changes from one contraction to the next. A recorded trend says more than a verbal description.
Real or practice contractions
A practical guide for ward observation: the interval, the duration, and whether the character of the pain changes from one contraction to the next. A recorded trend says more than a verbal description.
What to do during a contraction
It is not one universal technique that works but a set of supports from which a woman picks her own. Breathing: a long calm breath in through the nose, out through the mouth for a count of 6–8 — this fits breathing to the contraction and prevents breath-holding. Position: upright, leaning forward, on a birth ball, on all fours — anything that unloads the lower back. Warmth: a shower, a heat pad, warm hands on the sacrum. Rhythm: counting aloud, movement, rocking — a contraction is easier when it has a beginning and an end.
Presence is a support in itself. A calm voice nearby, an explanation of what is happening now and what comes next, removes part of the tension. In these hours parents read a professional's state more accurately than any reading.
When to be on guard
Reasons to contact the maternity unit or call for help immediately: bloody discharge, leaking or ruptured waters, a baby moving less than usual, headache and flashing lights before the eyes, fever. These signs are not discussed by phone 'for later'.
If contractions have become regular and are growing more frequent while the journey to the unit is long, it is time to leave earlier than feels logical. Travel time is part of the plan, not a detail.