Hello Mommy!
Let’s assume that you have successfully managed to go into labor.
Contractions have started and now yofu are, let’s say 3cm dilated.
But now, all of a sudden, your cervix does not dilate any further OR it is going REALLY
slowly.
If that’s the case, don’t worry, because in this video, we are gonna share with you
10 proven ways to dilate faster during labor.
Plus, we are also gonna teach you exactly how to apply them!
I am Nathalie, a pregnancy and birth consultant and TCM therapist and I am Mathias, a researcher
and science geek, and we love helping mommies and their babies naturally and science-based.
For more useful tips and tools on pregnancy and baby-related topics, subscribe to our
channel and hit the bell so that you don’t miss any of our videos!
Alright, the first proven way to dilate faster during labor is drinking water. I know it
sounds SOO trivial.
However, please don’t take this lightly if you really want to dilate faster during labor!
Dehydration slows down labor.
In fact, in clinical studies, scientists have found that women who took care of an optimal
hydration had a SHORTER labor duration than poorly hydrated women.
Moreover, they did not require Oxytocin as frequently in order to increase the intensity
of their contractions.
Remember: Oxytocin is the very hormone that your body needs to get contractions going. Exactly!
So, ideally, you would drink about 250ml to 300ml of water PER HOUR. Moreover, your partner
has the duty to constantly remind you to keep drinking water because when you are in labor,
it’s easy to forget it.
Yeah! That’s what she says now
but when she was in labor, she told me to leave her alone.
No, I didn’t!
Haha! I think your exact words were: “leave me the **** alone with your stupid water!!”.
Oh, I didn’t mean it that way.
And then she hit me with the bottle!
Yeah, but that was more like a reflex.
Reflex. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Anyways! The next proven way to dilate faster during labor is emptying your bladder and/or toilet
sitting.
First of all, a full bladder makes it more difficult for the baby to descend deeper into
your pelvis.
So, if you want to dilate faster during labor, then you have to make sure that your bladder
is being emptied regularly.
And we do know that a full bladder is obviously the result of drinking more water.
We get that.
However, please do not NOT drink water, just because you want to avoid a full bladder.
Because that’s just how it is, right?
Also, keep in mind that the other great benefit of going to the toilet is the very act of
sitting on the toilet itself.
That’s because that position can help the baby descend even further.
And the increased pressure on your cervix can ultimately help you dilate faster.
So, go ahead try it!
Yeah, just remember to return to the birth center, every once in a while.
Anyways, the next proven way to dilate faster is walking!
Exercise in general is a great way to help you dilate faster during labor.
In fact, we are going to talk about even more effective exercises to dilate faster later
in this video.
However, if you don’t feel like doing anything fancy, walking is a great way to keep things
going.
So, go for a walk, rather than just sitting or lying around, if you want to dilate faster
during labor.
The next proven way to dilate faster during labor are warm feet!
Yeah, but we gotta warn you: this is completely unscientific!
Okay?
We do not have any scientific proof whatsoever that this matters at all!
Right, but you would not believe how many midwives, mothers and even doctors told us,
independently from reach other I should add, that you cannot dilate if you have cold feet.
So, we found it important enough to add it to our list.
I tried it myself and it obviously worked.
She wore reindeer socks!
They’re the warmest pair I have!
It was August and there was a heat wave.
No, it was AFTER the heat wave.
Right, okay, fair enough.
Anyways.
The next proven way to dilate faster is doing exercises on a birthing ball. We have already
talked about the benefits of such exercises to induce labor in another video.
However, a major benefit of such exercises is that they can also help you dilate faster
once your labor has started.
And the exercise that you can try to dilate faster during labor is really really simple.
First of all, make sure that you sit on the birthing ball with your legs in an open
position, knees bent at a 90 degrees angle, back straight.
And then all you have to do is gently bounce up and down.
That’s it!
The bouncing movement will help you engage your baby deeper into your pelvis.
And this will put more pressure on the cervix and help you dilate faster.
In fact, due to the bouncing movements, the pressure on your cervix will be much higher
than if you simply sit on the toilet, for instance.
Just make sure that your back is straight at all times and that you don’t do these
exercises with your reindeer socks on!
Trust me, it’s not a good idea to wear slippery socks when you do these exercises,
if you want to keep your balance. That’s all I am going to say about this.
Moreover, make sure that you are using the right birthing ball, i.e. the correct size.
To learn more about which size is right for you, check the description below this video!
And what you will also find there is the link to another one of our videos in which we teach
you even more birthing ball exercises to help you engage your baby and dilate faster!
Now, before we continue, can we quickly ask you a question?
How are you liking this video so far!
Listen, we are very aware of the fact that our Austrian accent sounds terrible.
I think we sound even worse than Arnold Schwarzenegger, right?
However, maybe there is even more that we can improve?
Or maybe, there is something that you particularly like?
If so, we would be super grateful if you could leave us a short comment in the comment section
below!
Or simply subscribe to our channel and/or like this video so that we know that you find
it helpful!
Any feedback is more than appreciated because it helps us enormously to improve our videos.
Thanks so much for your help!
Okay, the next proven way to dilate faster during labor are breathing techniques AND,
if you want to take it a step further, try hypnobirthing.
Many women believe that breathing techniques only become relevant during the second stage
of labor, i.e. when you deliver your child.
However, that’s not necessarily the case.
Breathing can help you enormously in the first stage of labor, i.e. during your
cervical dilation, because it can help you relax.
And relaxation is always a amazing idea if you want to dilate faster because relaxation helps
release Oxytocin.
Right! Now, as already mentioned, you can take this a step further and try hypnobirthing.
This approach involves self-hypnosis combined with breathing techniques, to kind of put
yourself into a state where the whole labor- and birth process is supposed to become much
easier and more bearable.
And I am not gonna lie to you.
When I first heard about hypnobirthing, I thought it’s just crap, right? Because I am more
like a science guy!
BUT: by now, I cannot deny that there are some scientific studies and, in particular,
many reports by women, which show that hypnobirthing seems to be quite effective.
So, maybe this is something you wanna try as well?
Yeah, unfortunately, we can neither teach you breathing techniques nor hypnobirthing in
this video because these are really huge topics.
But we still wanted to mention these tools
because they can indeed help you dilate faster during labor!
Yeah! Apologies for that!
We do our best to record a video on this topic as soon as possible!
And if we have already recorded one by the time when you watch THIS video,
then you would now see a popup at the top of your video screen and/or a link in the description below this video!
Okay, the next proven way to dilate faster during labor are “Labor Squads”.
Squads are indeed a great way to dilate faster because they can help your baby descend deeper into
your pelvis.
So, more pressure on your cervix.
In fact, squads are known for their ability to help reduce labor time.
And we usually make use of a birthing ball for this exercise too, but you can also use
a chair instead, okay?
So what you wanna do is this: stand behind the birthing ball or chair.
Your legs are shoulder distance apart.
Make sure that it is easy for you to keep the balance!
Moreover, rotate your feet outward to about a 45 degrees angle!
Now, go into the squatting position but do it slowly and very carefully!
And while you go into this position, hold the birthing ball or chair to keep your balance!
Your back is supposed to be straight at all times!
Remain in that position for a couple of seconds.
Then draw in your abdominal muscles and stand up very slowly and carefully!
Make sure to keep your back straight while you do so!
Repeat this exercise a couple of times if you can.
And if you want to know more about this exercise, check out our video about birthing
ball exercises to induce labor that we mentioned earlier!
Link can be found in the description below this video.
Right.
The next proven way to dilate faster during labor is nipple stimulation. Nipple stimulation
is a tool which we have introduced in other videos already because it is very powerful
to induce labor.
That’s because it can release Oxytocin in your body which you need to get your contractions
going.
But now that labor has started, nipple stimulation can be even more powerful because nipple stimulation
is much more effective if you have had least some contractions already.
In fact, in clinical studies, scientists have found that the chances for you to get contractions
from nipple stimulation are almost double as high if you have had contractions already
prior to stimulating your nipples.
So let us quickly show you how to apply nipple stimulation.
In order to stimulate your nipples, gently tweak and rub your nipples with your fingers.
And do make sure that you include the darker area around your nipples, i.e. the areola,
too!
Alternate between stimulating your nipples with your fingers and stimulating them with
the whole palm.
When you use your palm, place it over the areola and move it in circles.
You can apply firm pressure, however, be gentle!
Alternate between the left and the right side regularly!
And finally, you can also use a breast pump if you like!
Okay, the next proven way to dilate faster during labor is acupressure.
As a TCM therapist, I can wholeheartedly recommend acupressure during labor to help you dilate
faster.
It can help you intensify your contractions which is what you need in order to dilate
faster.
With that said acupuncture would clearly be more powerful than acupressure when it comes
to intensifying your contractions.
But of course, acupuncture is usually not being offered in Western hospitals.
If that’s the case, you can try stimulating the following three acupressure points during
labor:
The first point is really helpful if you want to speed up labor.
However, it is also commonly used to help with labor pain.
First of all, position one of your hands, like I am doing it here!
Then look for the highest point on the muscle!
It is located right behind the fold between your thumb and index finger.
When you put your thumb of your other hand on that point and then open your thumb and
index finger, the point is supposed to be at the center of that little triangle that
forms between the bones of your thumb and index finger.
Firmly press and massage the acupressure point!
Do it for as long as it feels comfortable and repeat it regularly throughout labor!
Afterwards, do exactly the same on your other hand!
The next point is commonly used to help reduce labor time and also to help with labor pain.
First, you need to find the highest point of your medial ankle bone
on the inside of one of your legs.
Then you need the approximate width of four of your fingers.
If your partner helps you, he is supposed to take the width of your own fingers.
If you do it yourself, simply place your fingers right next to the highest point of the medial
ankle bone!
Your new point is located right next to the bone at the end of your fingers.
From there, simply move a tiny little bit away from the bone, until you can feel a fleshy
webbing.
That soft point is the acupressure point that you want to firmly press and massage!
Do it for as long as it feels comfortable and repeat it regularly throughout labor!
Afterwards, do exactly the same on the other leg!
This last point is another great way to intensify contractions!
However, it is also great to relieve back pain during labor!
So, ideally, you kneel in front of a birthing ball!
Your arms rest on the ball!
Make sure that it feels comfortable!
Next, your partner first needs to find the so-called "dimples of Venus", which you can see in this picture!
They can be found over the joint where your pelvis and spine meet
just above your butt!
Now, all your partner has to do is massage that small triangle
that forms between those dimples and the point just above the crease of your buttocks!
If your partner cannot see the dimples, please just tell your partner to massage your sacrum
i.e. the center of your lower back!
Do this for as long as it feels comfortable and repeat it regularly during labor!
By the way, this step can also be perfectly combined with birthing ball exercise number 6,
called "rocking sidewards" from our video about birthing ball exercises to induce labor!
You can find the link to that video in the description below THIS video!
The final proven way to dilate faster during labor is reflexology. Reflexology involves
stimulating pressure points on your soles and feet.
It is something that you probably already know from our labor induction videos.
However, in this case, we only focus on two points: namely, the points to stimulate your
uterus and your pituitary gland.
So, take off your reindeer socks and tell your partner to massage
the following reflexology points:
The first reflexology point is connected to your pituitary gland which is responsible
for the release of oxytocin.
So the idea here is to release more Oxytocin in order to intensify your contractions in
order to help you dilate faster.
First of all, your partner needs to find the approximate center of your big toes.
Then he needs to press his thumbs against these points in a slightly upward direction.
This is easier to accomplish when your partner secures your toes from behind with his fingers.
He should now firmly press and massage the toes for at least 1 minute.
Moreover, he can alternate between firm pressure and firm rotating movements if he likes.
You can repeat stimulating this point as often as you like throughout labor!
The second reflexology point is connected to your uterus.
Our aim here is to stimulate the uterus in order to intensify your contractions.
To find the point, you first need to find the highest point of the medial ankle bone
on the inside of one of your legs.
Then find the approximate end of the bone of your heel.
Draw an imaginary straight line between the two points and take the midpoint of that line.
Your partner should now massage that point, as well as the area above and below the point
for at least one minute.
He can alternate between rotating movements, rubbing as well as firmly pressing the point.
Afterwards, do exactly the same on the other leg.
You can repeat stimulating this point as often as you like throughout your labor!
Alright, we hope you found this video super helpful!
And most importantly, we hope that it helps you get one step closer to meeting your little one!
Right!
Thanks so much for watching!
And please remember to leave us a feedback in the comment section below or simply like
and share our video if you have found it helpful!
We really appreciate each and every one of your reactions, because your feedback helps
us a lot to improve our videos!
And for more useful tips and tools on pregnancy and baby-related topics, make sure to subscribe
to our channel and to hit the bell.