Preparing for Laboring at Home

The best way to avoid unnecessary hospital interventions is to labor at home as long as possible. With my third birth, my son was born 16 minutes after we arrived at the hospital. Yes, he was almost born on the way there. Had I not had my doula with me, he would have been born in our van on the way there. We joke had that happened there would have been a sign on the van "Van for sale cheap. Small stain on seat." It was an incredible birth. They didn't even have time to put one of the dreaded hospital gowns on me. I felt strong and empowered having labored and birthed my baby without a doctor telling me how to do it. You can to.

How do you prepare for laboring at home? Part of laboring at home is having places to labor. Labor stations can be prepared ahead of time. An important part of preparation is walking through your home

with your birth support team and identifying the potential labor stations. Making them aware of your options will help them to guide you when labor becomes all you can focus on.

Some possible options:

1. Sitting backwards on the toilet. It is called "dilation station" for a reason.

2. Leaning over a counter.

3. Sitting on a birthing ball.

4. Pillows strategically placed between knees or stacked on floor for an inverted position.

5. Bed - on all fours, flying cowgirl position, on your side.

6. Couch- laying on it, kneeling in front of it.

7. Walking- around the house, your yard or even your neighborhood.

In the beginning of labor, baby is usually higher up and your body is working to get baby into the pelvis and "engaged". Creating space side-to-side so baby can wiggle into the pelvic inlet by using positions and movement can help labor to progress efficiently.

Once you have identified your labor stations and labor has begun, focus on what your body is telling you to do. Trust your instincts. Trust your body to know what it needs.