Labor Coping Skills: The Nest
Learning all you can about labor and childbirth is one of the best ways to help you manage your expectations and experience when the time comes. After all, labor isn’t called ‘labor’ because it’s a walk in the park! However, there are ways to reduce your discomfort and to stay calm, comfortable, and focused throughout your birth.
The pain of labor is primarily caused by contractions of the muscles of the uterus and by pressure on the cervix, as well as other effects unique to your own labor experience. Most of the time, women can labor most effectively when they feel like they are in a calm, safe environment. Being in this kind of environment make it easier to enjoy some of the many coping strategies you can use to work through the discomfort. Some strategies can help you reduce pain, while others can help you cope and manage it better. A great way to learn about coping skills and which ones might best suit you during your birth is to attend classes dedicated to giving you the information you need. The Labor Coping Skills class offered by our nonprofit partner The Nest is a great place to start!
In this class, you will learn a variety of ways to help you remain relaxed and in control during childbirth without the use of pain medication. Women who birth without medical interventions see many benefits. These include: less pain after birth, faster recovery, less chance of cesarean section, and less likelihood of depression after the birth. During this two-hour class, you will be move through a sort of “circuit training” where you will get a chance to practice several of the techniques that are taught.
Topics covered range from preparation and education to skills on how you can set yourself up for an easier labor right at the start of your contractions.
Labor coping skills you will learn are:
- how to avoid the “fear-tension-pain” cycle,
- proper breathing techniques,
- how to choose your support team,
- the difference between practice contractions and baby-bringing contractions,
- the whole-body impact of relaxation techniques,
- and coping during transition, crowning, and delivery.
There are a variety of ways you can decrease and manage the pain of labor. This class will help you understand these techniques and choose which ones might be right for you as your labor progresses. For a full list of the topics covered, head to thenestlakeland.org.