What did u do/bring to hospital that helped you through labor? [Archive]

Bluekrushbabe

21-01-2012, 17:17

Hiya all,
just wondering if those of you who have had babies can suggest anything that helped you get through your labor? Or essential things to bring to the hospital to help?

Here are a few things I have heard that will help. Wheat bag, spray bottle, lollies, iPod/music etc...

Any suggestions are appreciated :-)

headoverfeet

21-01-2012, 17:19

An awesome support person would be my top pick :)

Sent from my iPad using Bub Hub app

MummaOJ

21-01-2012, 17:22

I didnt use anything I took with me, except my husband :) I just sat on a fitball in the shower - bliss.

Sent from my LG-P500 using BubHub

missie_mack

21-01-2012, 17:43

Tens machine- the epidural you have when you aren't having an epidural ;)

sweetpeamummy

21-01-2012, 18:43

I didnt use anything I took with me, except my husband :) I just sat on a fitball in the shower - bliss.

Sent from my LG-P500 using BubHub

This is me also.
Literally took my clothes off and had my babies.
DH is irreplaceable to me when I'm in labour.

WillowRaine

21-01-2012, 19:40

Great question :)
With my first I had a doula- and was fortunate enough to have a wonderful midwife who was on. They were both very kind and supportive.. Completely saved my sanity.
With my second, I had the same doula, and a bloody horrid midwife! Visions of stabbing her helped!
I'd brought music and wheat packs, etc.. But the midwife really put me into the wrong frame of mine and place, so every little thing was epically ****ing me off.

THIS time around, I'm having the same doula (she's a total gem!), plus I signed up to the midwife program, and I've had every antenatal appointment with her so we know each other well, etc, and she keeps everyone away! Between her and my doula we've worked out a great plan of water birth, mobility, Guns N Roses :D And rescue remedy!

breakthemould

21-01-2012, 20:42

Weird but I visualized a bottle (wine bottle type) and with breath out I would imagine some of the substance in the bottle disappear, until at the end of the contraction the bottle was empty.

Juju Sundins Birth Skills is a great, practical book :) from it I used controlled AHHH noises, drumming my feet, and sensory distraction like scratching my nails on a corrugated vinyl chair seat repetitively for an hour (poor DH!) and scratching the bed sheets.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using BubHub

3 Little Pigs

21-01-2012, 22:15

With my last birth I found those squishy stress balls really good. I was using stomping,swaying and squeezing the stress balls in the shower during each contraction. Saved my poor hubby and mums hands from getting squished.

<3 Awaiting the arrival of our 4th little pig due on boxing day <3

ohdear

21-01-2012, 22:30

anything that helped you get through your labor

drugs wonderful things

babycart

21-01-2012, 22:39

I second the tens machine.

I also second/third/fourth juju Sundin's book! I was a counter and a focus on a particular point in the room.

Combs.

Yes - old school style men's combs. Squeezed between my palms/fingers/knuckles. It gave me an alternate source of pain that distracted me the contraction pain.

Someone to apply counter-pressure on your hips/back during contractions.

These things got me through dd2's birth. Only drug relief was 2 panadol and a shot of maxalon to stop me vomitting.

zzz

22-01-2012, 10:03

I had lots of things that I thought I might use, most of them recommended in juju's book. I had essential oils, massage oils, a massager, stress balls, music etc.

On the day I didn't use any of them, just got in the bath and focused on my breathing and visualised the labour progressing. That got me through my 10 hour labour with no drugs. It did get very tough at one point but by then I was fully dilated so I knew the end was in sight.

Despite not using the labour tools I brought along, I felt better knowing I had them....i didn't know what I would feel like on the day.

Good luck :)

Sent from my LT15i

davally

22-01-2012, 10:18

I did not use much of what I took but we had the I-pod going stocked up with songs that meant something to us (or I liked). While I was oblivious to it I did remember it stopping and asking DH to restart it. Also as DS emerged into the world Mama by Il Divo was playing and it was the song that we played at MIL's funeral and it seemed perfect, like she was with us.

I also used a heat pack (supplied by the hospital) for a lot of it.

I actually found laboring on the toilet really comfortable for a huge chunk of it.

Other than that, I was just lost in my own world doing what I had to do.

SugarSkull

22-01-2012, 10:28

Juju Sundkin's book has some great suggestions on what to take to the hospital. Here are some things I took:

Exercise ball- I'd sit on it and bounce up and down between contractions, sometimes even when I had a contraction.

Stress ball- while sitting on the exercise ball, I'd squeeze or hit the stress ball against the bed as a distraction and something to concentrate on.

Oil burner. Buy an electric one if the hospital doesn't allow candles.

Lavender oil- helped me relax.

Peppermint oil- great for when you need the energy. I used it while pushing because I was exhausted.

Relaxing music

Wheat packs were amazing!!!! I'd keep it on my lower abdomen (where I felt the pain) and it really helped ease my contractions.

Gatorade

Chocolate = D

teenie

22-01-2012, 13:46

Number one - DH.

Number 2 - 3 litres of half strength Powerade/Gatorade. I drank the lot. Actually with DS I ran out! Drank a few mouthfuls between each contraction.

Number 3 - not something we brought from home but at the hospital got a jug of icy water and a washer. This was the best thing ever - I hate feeling overheated and had this on the back of my neck through both labours..

Little-Pink-Hen

22-01-2012, 13:47

Subscribing

4underfour

22-01-2012, 14:16

A stack of magazines to distract me between contractions.
Wheat pack
Lollies and chocolate (hid them from the midwives in case they told me I couldnt eat lol)

captainscaptain

22-01-2012, 19:07

My mommy :) She kept me hydrated and gassed :P

Littlemissmetal

22-01-2012, 20:44

I brought an open mind, best thing you can have when going into labour.

Painwise, I used a Fitball, pregnancy beanbag and water(shower,bath) I also had music playing which helped distract me.

mumsrulz

22-01-2012, 21:26

My husband :)
All you need is a great support partner as you will be that far into "the zone" you won't have time to be playing Uno or eating lollies haha

I spent six hours in the shower that was the best spot for me, so little things I packed didn't even get used :)

Hollywood

22-01-2012, 21:31

DD was born just 16 minutes after I was wheeled into the delivery suite in a wheelchair, so I had no time for the music I'd packed or barley sugars...lol

With DS all I had was one juice popper the whole 7 hours I was in labour, just didn't want anything else.

Uniquey

22-01-2012, 21:33

I brought a fantastic, on the same page as me support person (DH).

In my first labour I had 'stress balls' and when the contractions got particularly nasty, I would squeeze the you-know-whats out of them and it worked a treat.

Other than that I brought a positive attitude, I wasn't negative or afraid of labour or the birth.

Cue

22-01-2012, 21:43

As a PP said, an open mind. I ran with it and didn't set any expectations. Despite having an epidural about 28hrs into it and delivering with forceps I have no regrets or bad feelings about the birth. I think it was amazing :)

Also DH was amazing. Support is critical for me. I grabbed his hands and shook them back and forth through contractions - for some reason it really helped!

curlyhead21

22-01-2012, 22:31

During my contractions I didn't want anyone near me, so unlike lots of PP's I didn't really need DH in such a big way. The midwife popping her head in every now and again telling me I was doing fine was enough. So my important things were things to keep DH occupied, because while I wanted him there, I didn't need his active help.

We had a contractions recorder app on DH's smartphone. I would tell him when a contraction started and then finished, then it would tell us how long he contraction went for and how long it was between them. It involved DH and he felt needed because I was always asking him about my stats. He's a very logical minded man.

Also, the midwife gave him a very important job. She ordered him to always have a bottle of water with him and to make me drink some after each contraction. I stayed nicely hydrated, and again DH felt useful.

Contraction app, water to drink, shower, standing, swaying hips, vocalising, squatting to deliver...that is my labour in a nutshell

trishalishous

23-01-2012, 00:18

Tens machine- the epidural you have when you aren't having an epidural ;)

This! I used the tens from hours 9-16 of labour, then the bath, and managed 21 hours drug free :)

Raff

23-01-2012, 00:40

Icypoles were a Godsend to me. Perfect for a bit of electrolyte/sugar fix for energy and the icy cold made my sweaty contractions easier to cope with.

Sent from my HTC Desire using BubHub

Bluekrushbabe

25-01-2012, 08:09

captainscaptain

26-01-2012, 06:11

Thank you everyone for all your advice and sharing your experiences. I will defiantly be bringing along a lot of those useful bits and pieces to help make things easier. Am trying to go in with an open mind and to remind myself that billions+ of women have done this before me and my experience is my own :-)

Yea! Also, I always thought women eggagerated how pianful birth was so I went in with a "I can handle a few contractions and some burning" frame of mind. As unrealistic as it was, it helped being so over confident beforehand. You can do iiitttttttt! :laughing: