Let’s assume that your labor is already established.
Contractions are very strong and they come in close intervals.
You are dilating, your baby is descending.
But now all of a sudden, your labor stalls.
A “stalled” labor means that either your dilation or your baby’s descent do not progress
as expected or even stop altogether.
And this can have many different reasons.
Yes, so in this video, we are gonna share with you the 8 reasons why your labor can
slow down.
Plus, we are also gonna tell you exactly what to do about it.
And since, mobility is one of the most important factors to get labor restarted when it stalls,
we are also going to show you a technique that allows you to keep moving even when you
are confined to bed, because of an epidural, for instance.
Yes.
This is Nathalie, a pregnancy and birth consultant and TCM therapist, and that’s Mathias a
researcher and science geek and on this channel, we help mommies and their babies
naturally and science-based.
So, let’s get started!
A stalled labor is one of the biggest fears of pregnant women.
However, it’s important to note that when labor does slow down, it is not automatically
a problem, and it does not necessarily require medical interventions, right?
In many cases, it’s just part of the process, for example, in order to get the baby into
a better position to make baby’s descent easier!
Right.
So, the first thing to do when your labor stalls is always to check with the medical
team: is your baby’s well-being at risk?
Is your own well-being at risk?
And if the answer is “no” to both questions, then you can ask if you can have more time
before trying any medical interventions.
This will give you the time you need to try other things
to get labor going or to “restart” it.
Yes, in fact there are many things which you can try.
But they all depend on the exact reason why your labor is slowing down in the first place.
So, let us walk you through the 8 reasons why labor can stall and what to do about it!
During your delivery, your baby has the task to somehow move through your pelvis.
And that’s not a simple task for many reasons.
One reason is that there are also other things in your pelvis which reduce the available
space.
Most importantly, we are talking about your bladder.
Yes.
So, if your bladder is full, then it can slow down your baby’s descent because there is
gonna be less room for your baby in your pelvis.
Therefore, it is important that you empty your bladder regularly, ideally, at least
every hour.
Sometimes, labor can slow down because women remain in the same position for a longer
period of time.
Because of that, midwives often encourage you to walk around during labor, or to keep
moving in general, for example, with birthing ball exercises.
And they also encourage you to remain in an upright position.
And so, walking, exercising, remaining in an upright position or just a change
in your position are really great ways that cannot only reduce the risk of labor slowing
down.
They can also help “re-start” labor in case it has slowed down.
Yes.
Besides, if you keep moving and frequently change your position, you also make it easier
for your baby to move through your pelvis.
And again, if, for whatever reason, you are confined to bed, please bear with us til the end of this video!
We are gonna tell you exactly what you can do to keep moving in such cases.
In order for your labor to progress normally, your contractions need to be effective.
In other words, your contractions need to have a certain intensity, a certain duration
and they also need to come in certain intervals.
When they don’t fulfil those criteria, neither your dilation nor your baby’s descent can
progress as expected.
Yes.
So, whenever your contractions are not effective, which could mean that they suddenly become
less intense, or they don’t last as long anymore or they start to space out again,
then we recommend a two-step strategy to get your contractions back on track, unless of course
your medical team does not approve. Right!
The first step is the same as before, i.e. movement, because this helps with the energy
flow in your body.
In other words, walk around for some time, or do some exercises,
like for example circling exercises on a birth ball etc.
Or simply change your position.
And if you are confined to bed, then simply apply the technique that we are gonna show
you at the end of this video.
Right!
And then in the second step, you apply nipple stimulation.
And while you do that, tell either your birth partner or your doula to apply acupressure
or reflexology.
Yes, actually, ideally you try both, reflexology and acupressure, one after the other, because
in some women, acupressure works better, in other women, reflexology works better.
And don’t hesitate to alternate between step 1 and step 2 of our 2-step strategy,
in order to increase the effect!
Right.
And by the way, we teach you exactly how to apply nipple stimulation, acupressure and reflexology
and also how to do circling exercises on a birth ball in two of our other videos that you can
find in the description below this video.
We have mentioned it many times already that stress can slow down labor.
The only problem is that sometimes, it is not so clear what exactly causes that stress in
a woman when she is in labor, right?
Maybe, the lights are too bright, maybe there is a TV running in the background that annoys
you, maybe there is just too much going in the room.
Or maybe, your mother-in-law is annoying you.
Or maybe your mother-in-law is annoying you, that’s right!
Or even more annoying: a doctor who has his first day at the clinic and keeps coming in
to ask stupid questions, like for example, where is the canteen, right? Oh my god!
Until your birth partner tells him to shut the f…, I mean, to stop doing that, right?
Yes, it can happen! That can happen! Anyways!
So, whenever you have the feeling that stress causes your labor to slow down, then the first
thing you need to do is to change your environment if you believe that there is something in
your environment that causes that stress.
Send people away, tell annoying doctors to stay outside, if they don’t have a good
purpose to stay, dim the lights, turn off the TV etc.
Yes, the second step is to check, if it could be fears or worries that cause that stress
because sometimes, fears only get at you, once you are in labor, right?
If so, then it’s always a good idea to address those fears with your medical team or with
your doula or birth partner.
Or maybe you just need some encouragement.
Whatever it is, talk about it with your team.
It’s a prerequisite to continue.
And then afterwards, you would apply the same 2-step strategy that we mentioned before.
One major reason why labor could slow down are medications, particularly, medications
for pain relief.
Now, of course, it depends a bit on the kind of medication you receive.
But one strategy could be to just wait until the slowing effect on your labor from the
medications has worn off, given of course that your medical team tells you that doing so is a
safe approach in your case, right?
And of course, our two step strategy could also help in such cases.
Yes.
However, it's important to note that the slowing effect may not come from the pain treatment
itself, but from the fact that you become less mobile which may be the case if you have
an epidural, for instance.
Yes, unfortunately, oftentimes, women with an epidural more or less remain in the same
position throughout their labor.
And that of course could slow down labor.
In such cases, our two step strategy could certainly help.
But instead of walking or exercises, you would just apply the technique which we are
going to show you later in this video.
We have mentioned it in other videos already that according to scientific studies dehydration
can slow down labor.
Therefore, please make sure that you stay hydrated throughout your labor even though this
means that you need to empty your bladder frequently.
Yes.
The same applies to your energy because obviously labor requires a lot of energy.
So, please make sure to regularly eat easily digestible snacks which quickly provide your body with
the energy required.
Sometimes, the reason why labor slows down is related to your pelvis.
For example, it could be that your pelvis is just too narrow given
the size of your baby.
In that case, it really is up to the medical team to assess the situation and to make a
recommendation on how to proceed.
But the bottom line here is that sometimes, a baby just does not fit through a pelvis.
And in such a case, there is really nothing you can do.
Earlier, we mentioned that moving through your pelvis is not an easy task for your baby.
In fact, your baby has to constantly adjust the position of the baby's head
in order to overcome the hurdles in your pelvis.
And the ideal position of your baby to do so, is by moving through your pelvis
while facing your back.
And so, if your baby does not face your back, then it could cause labor to slow down.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind here!
Yes.
First of all, many women believe that a normal delivery is not possible if your baby is facing
your front.
But that’s not true.
You can absolutely deliver your baby in a normal way in such a case.
However, you need to be aware that this could mean that your labor will be prolonged, simply
because your baby’s descent is more difficult in such a case.
Yes, however, it’s important to note that in many of those cases, the baby actually
rotates into the right position on their own during labor.
But you can also assist that process with certain positions and techniques.
Right.
And third, there are also ways to help a baby rotate into the right position even before
you go into labor.
However, this is stuff for a separate video.
Yes.
We will certainly record a video on this topic.
So, please check out if it is already online by the time you watch this video.
If it is, you would either see a popup at the top of your video screen or a link in
the description below this video!
What we are about to show you now is based on the book from Penny Simkin.
If you are a midwife or a doula, then we highly recommend this book because it teaches you
lots of great ways to support a woman during her labor.
Yes.
Penny came up with a technique to keep a woman moving when she is confined to bed because
of an epidural.
She calls it “the roll-over” technique.
And it basically consists of 6 different positions which a woman would adopt for 30 minutes each.
Yes.
However, first of all, please note that the roll-over technique is only suitable when
your baby is not in a malposition, for example, when your baby is facing your front.
Second, the roll-over technique is intended for the first stage of labor only, which is
the dilation stage, when you dilate to 10cm.
And third to apply this technique, you will need the assistance of your midwife!
Right.
So, in order to apply the roll-over technique, you would basically start in a semi-reclining
position.
Next, you would adopt a left side-lying position with a pillow between your legs.
Then you would adopt a left semi-prone position with the upper leg elevated and the knee flexed.
Next, you would adopt a kneeling position, while leaning forward over a birth ball.
Afterwards, you would adopt a right semi-prone position, again, with the upper leg elevated
and the knee flexed.
Yes.
And then finally, you would adopt again a side-lying position with a pillow between
your legs, but this time, you would lie on your right side.
And of course, you could then start the whole sequence again, by starting
with a semi-reclining position.
Obviously, you always need to double-check with your midwife, if the positions are suitable
for you, given your particular case.
Yes.
So, that was the most basic approach of the roll-over technique in brief.
But there are also ways to increase the effect of the technique and most importantly, there
are also ways how your birth partner can support you.
If you want to learn how, check out the description below this video!
Right!
We really hope that you found this video helpful!
If you did, we would be super grateful if you could leave us a like or even a comment
in the comment section below!
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