hey there everybody welcome to my bathroom we are here today because we're talking about one
of my favorite places for labor and that is the bathtub so if we haven't met in real life
my name is Alice Turner I'm a doula a childbirth educator and on my channel you're going to find
videos about childbirth so if that's a topic that interests you make sure you hit that
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so let's dive into how the bath tub can be helpful in labor there are really two times
that I like to talk it out first in early and then we'll talk about active labor so the bath
tub is one of my first things to recommend to my doula clients when they are in early labor
and here's the reason early labor is a time that really should be about rest because it can be very
long and it can really start sapping your energy if you spend too much time awake and too much time
really working through the contractions so we really recommend that early labor be spent in
a restful state but sometimes contractions don't let us rest so if you are in a contraction pattern
where maybe they are not regular maybe they're not longer than a minute maybe they're not too
intense but they're they're too intense to be able to sleep then the bath tub can be a magical place
for your labor so here's a scenario where the bath tub comes into play perfectly it is the end of the
day and you have started to feel contractions and they're strong enough that you don't think
you can really sleep through them but they're not strong enough that it's time to go to the
hospital they're not regular maybe they're not that long but they're enough to be annoying and
prevent rest this is the perfect scenario for a bath now I recommend setting in the most relaxing
way so whether that is bringing in some candles possibly having a glass of wine check with your
care provider first of course and having some dim lighting definitely not the type of lighting that
I have going on right here but something very dark have some restful music and just chill out
in the bathtub and here's the key for as long as possible now I have spoken to people and when I
recommend getting in the bathtub and I asked later head of the bath go and they'll say oh it was ok
they really didn't do anything and I say well how long has it been and it was under 15 minutes you
really want to be in the bathtub for as long as possible take a good half-hour 45 minute bath
really give your body time in the deepest water possible to try to slow that labor down because
what we want to happen is for labor to slow down and get light enough that as soon as you leave
the bathtub you go right to your bed and rest so that is another key to making the most of this tub
and that is the transition from tub to rest make that as smooth as possible I want you to not look
at a single screen don't get on your phone and text and you know the grandparents to be and let
them know what's happening don't start packing anything no be as like a beeline straight from
your bathtub to your bed to rest and that is key for using the bathtub effectively in early labor
so we want a deep tub we want to be in there a long time we want to have an atmosphere of
relaxation and we want to go straight to bed after we get out of the bathtub that is my best advice
for using the tub in early labor and again it can be magical now don't think this is only a
nighttime thing my example was about nighttime but if you have had early labor pattern all day
long and it's 3:00 in the afternoon and you have it then it will to rest and you didn't sleep the
night before great time to get in the tub and try to slow those contractions down so that you can
get some rest don't worry contractions will come back if it's really labor the contractions will
will come back rest is really key and so that's where the bathtub can come in handy and early
labor now I've had this question before so I want to answer it is the shower the same the answer is
no the shower is nice I like a shower in labor it's great for white noise the water wonderful
but it doesn't have the same magical slowing down of Labor effect so really the bathtub is your
place to be if you're someone who doesn't take baths regularly and you like it super clean or
you don't you want to have maybe the epsom salts or something special for your bath prepare before
you think you're going to labor have someone clean out the tub or you clean out the tub as
to your you know biking so that when you are a laborer it'll be ready to go I promise you you
will not regret this okay so that was early labor and let's talk about using a tub and active labor
so the first thing is that a tub an active labor is different than early labor and then it's used
for pain management it's really used to help you deal with contractions the discomfort of
contractions that is the key to getting in water and doing whatever version in a tub in labor so
it is something that usually we see people get into the tub and labor and just so much better
what a relief contractions are lighter so before you get into the tub here's what I want you to do
to make the most of it is to come up with a plan with your support people whether that's a partner
a partner and a doula whoever is helping you in labor come up with a to come up with a plan for
when you want to get out so sometimes labor can pick up so much and it's hard to get someone in
labor out of the tub and especially if you have to leave for the hospital if you need to you know
get prepared you need to make sure you get out of the tub at a certain time so come up with a
plan with your team on what that looks like as far as how the length of contractions and the
frequency of contractions or the intensity of contractions and you might say you know when
they're three minutes apart that's when I would like your help and me you know getting me out
of the tub so that's number one number two just like an early labor set up your environment so
it's the most relaxing have your music have your lighting have your candles so that you are very
comfortable limp loose you can really relax in the tub the next thing not to forget is to make
sure that you have water close by so being in the tub can be dehydrating and we want to keep taking
sips even if it's a sip after every contraction that why are the tub that is excellent and then
the last tip for you while you're laboring the in the tub is have your team have a wash spot nearby
oh cool cool washcloth that they can bring and you can put on your forehead you can put it behind
your neck and that will help if you are feeling overheated in the tub that will bring some nice
relief and help you stay in the tub even a little bit longer and take make the most of using the tub
in active labor so two times that this is great for labor early labor it's great for slowing down
contractions to allow you to get some rest active labor is great for pain management but make sure
you have a plan about when you're gonna get out okay guys thanks for hanging out with me in my
bathroom and talking about laboring in the tub don't forget to hit the like button if you find it
helpful hey share it with someone else that might be interested and I will see you guys next time