Hi! In today's video I'm going to be talking to you about what you should avoid doing in labour
if you want to dilate faster. In a previous video I spoke about things that you should be doing
to speed up cervical dilation during labour but it's also important to know what you shouldn't be
doing which is why I've made this video for you! If you're new to my channel welcome! My name is Anja
and I'm a hypnobirthing practitioner. My YouTube channel has videos and audios to support you
through pregnancy birth and motherhood so please consider subscribing and clicking the bell icon
so you don't miss my weekly videos which come out every Tuesday! So the first thing that you mustn't
do if you want to dilate faster during labour is lie down on your back because your heavy uterus
will be compressing major blood vessels and that reduces oxygen flow around your body and to your
baby. Also, if your spine is squashed up against a mattress, it can't curve out of the way and this
reduces the amount of space in your abdominal and pelvic outlet. It makes contractions less efficient
and harder to deal with and it also prevents your baby from being able to manoeuvre themselves easily
into your lower pelvis ready for birth. Now I'm not saying that you can't lie down during labour- what
I am saying is that it's best if you lie down in a semi-reclined position, propped up with pillows and
that you're laying on your left-hand side because that's best for circulatory reasons. Another thing
that you should avoid doing during labour is stay in the same position for ages and ages. As your
labour progresses your baby is always trying to twist and turn so they can descend further
into your pelvis. If you stay in one position for hours on end it makes it harder for your
baby to move down into your lower pelvis easily and smoothly. That's why it's so important to get
into different labour positions at least every hour. For more information about labour positions,
please check out the video on the screen right now. I'll also link it in the video description below :)
The next thing that you must avoid doing if you want to dilate faster during labour
is having a full bladder. Often, during labour, women don't realize that they need to pee
because the contractions can be masking the sensation but also your baby could
be pressing on the nerve that sends a signal to your brain telling you that you need to pee.
Basically, your baby could be interrupting that connection between your bladder and your brain.
That's why, every hour, it's a good idea to sit on the toilet and try to pee
because a full bladder makes it very hard for your labour to progress and it prevents your baby from
descending smoothly into your lower pelvis. Your bladder is located in front of your womb in your
pelvis and during labour your womb and your baby are sharing the available space with your bladder.
This balloon here represents your bladder and if it was full of water it would probably
be holding about 400 mls of fluid. A bladder can hold up to 600 mls of fluid
and if I place this balloon into the pelvis can you see how much space a full bladder is taking up!?
If I then get the baby and try to push the baby through the pelvis it's very very
hard to do so and that just demonstrates really that it's so important to have an empty bladder
so that your baby can descend into the pelvis easily which makes cervical dilation quicker
and it helps labor to progress faster. The fourth thing that you must avoid doing during labour is
tensing up your body. If you don't know how to stay calm and relaxed throughout your longer and
stronger contractions, your automatic reaction will be to frown, clench your jaw, raise up your
shoulders and tense up your arms and your fists. The problem is that upper body tension creates
lower body tension and, during labour, upper body tension can restrict the space in your pelvis
and your abdomen. It can make labour last for longer. Tension can slow down the cervical dilation
process because it causes your body to release adrenaline which will draw blood and oxygen
away from your uterus and your baby this will make contractions less efficient and more uncomfortable.
Tension in the body can also stop you from breathing properly during contractions
which will disrupt your labour progress so please make sure that you check out my hypnobirthing
breathing technique video so you know how to stay calm and relaxed during your contractions.
My fifth tip is to avoid eating too much or too little during labour. If you eat too much your
intestines and your colon will be full of food and this is going to restrict the amount of space that
your uterus and your baby have in your abdomen and your pelvis. If you eat too little, your body won't
have enough energy for labour to progress smoothly and comfortably. It can slow cervical dilation down
if you don't have enough food going through your bloodstream so it's important to eat little and
often to keep your energy levels up so that you don't slow down the cervical dilation process.
If you want to find out about what foods you should be eating during labour, please check out
the video on this screen right now but I'll also link it in the video description below.
Another thing to avoid during labour is stress! Stress cuts off the production of the two hormones
that you need flowing around your body during labour. These are called Oxytocin and Endorphins.
Oxytocin helps your labour to progress and keeps your contractions flowing effectively.
Endorphins are your body's natural pain relieving hormone. Without Oxytocin and Endorphins, labour can
be really challenging. Now stress can come in many forms and during labour it can be related
to childbirth fears, not feeling relaxed or calm in your birth setting or not feeling fully supported
by your partner or your maternity care team. But my hypnobirthing mini-course will help you to combat
any potential stress triggers so if you'd like to find out more about my hypnobirthing mini- course
the link is right at the top of the video description below :) My final tip is to avoid
continuous fetal monitoring during labour if possible. Continuous fetal monitoring is a
way of constantly checking your baby's heart rate and if your baby's heart rate is being constantly
checked during labour you'll have elastic straps with sensors attached to your belly.
With continuous fetal monitoring, women often experience more restriction in their movement as
they have to stay close to the monitoring machine and they usually have to remain on a hospital bed.
Being restricted in the amount that you can move about during labour can slow
down the cervical dilation process and make it harder for you to feel comfortable and relaxed.
My midwife friend told me that unless your care team are especially concerned about your baby's
welfare during labour, continuous fetal monitoring can actually be detrimental to your labour progress.
It can lead to increased chances of assisted delivery and unnecessary medical interventions.
If you're experiencing a low-risk pregnancy (which means that neither you or your baby
have any diagnosed health concerns) intermittent fetal monitoring during labour is usually best.
I'll link the scientific studies to fetal monitoring in the video description below :)
Thanks so much for watching this video today! I hope that you found it helpful and informative.
If you've got any questions please leave me a comment and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!
Take care and see you in my next video :)