https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:37:05 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426938 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:18:38 +0000 matador84 426938@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The nurses! My labor was extremely quick, no medication, extremely painful back labor. I barely remember it...but I guess I kept saying "I can't" and I remember one nurse being like, "You're a teacher! You can't say you can't!" </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426932 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 14:07:46 +0000 Tidybee 426932@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bebefly: not having a plan helped me too. It was great to just go with the flow?<br /> DH was amazing - supporting me by telling me each contraction would end, reminding me to relax my face (courtesy of prenatl yoga) and making me focus on him and nodding yes (insteadof no). And I fell in love with my nurse sherry who did not leave my side the last hour and knew just what to say and when.<br /> I still have to write my birth story but I didn't get an epi until I was 8 or 9 cm and by that point I was shaking and vomiting. 20 minutes later I started pushing so I didn't get to enjoy the break from pain! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426855 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:53:17 +0000 petuniasandpearls 426855@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I didn't get an epidural until I was 7cm, so before that my husband was rubbing my back &amp; putting pressure on certain spots (mostly around the small of my back). It helped a LOT. Also cat-cow yoga pose (I had to wait for the epi due to a paperwork issues so I was on the bed doing this). </p> <p>Then the epidural provided sweet, glorious relief. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426853 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:50:06 +0000 SAHM0811 426853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: haha I LOL'ed at your hubby being silent part. whatever works, right?! </p> <p>what worked for me a lot was deep breathing. i also accredit my fast labor to strong and efficient contractions. I drank a lot of red raspberry leaf tea the weeks leading up to delivery to possibly help with that. it's supposed to tone your uterine muscles.</p> <p>oh I also thought to myself, "every contraction has an endpoint". to mentally tell myself it was all a temporary experience really, really helped. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426790 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:56:32 +0000 SugarplumsMom 426790@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>To think of the pain as progress. The more painful and intense it got, means the closer I am to meeting LO. To welcome the pain because of it. And to relax completely in between contractions. (I was induced with a failed epidural). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426789 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:53:16 +0000 mrskc 426789@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My support team got me thru. My doula, DH, and mom were amazing thru the whole thing. Every time I said I couldn't do it, my doula told me I could and told me to say "yes" b/c I would start to say "no" during contractions. My DH held me thru every contraction and whispered words of encouragement in my ear. My mom held my hand thru every contraction. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426771 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:39:27 +0000 Foodnerd81 426771@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PrincessBaby: Tomorrow!? Good luck! Are you being induced? Does this mean your DH will definitely be there? I remember you were worried with his schedule. Not to threadjack... :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426762 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:30:54 +0000 littlek 426762@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@PrincessBaby: good luck! You will do great! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426760 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:30:10 +0000 littlek 426760@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My labor was short, 3 pushes. But what helped me was my OB coaching me on how to push. I was concentrating so hard on doing a good job pushing that I didn't think about anything else. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426748 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 11:18:11 +0000 Springtime 426748@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@London Mama: haha yep! Epidural was the best thing ever for me! I had an easy breezy labor! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426726 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:38:12 +0000 bpcmarj 426726@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The bath tub!! I would not have been able to get through my quick, intense induction without the tub. Having my husband there was really helpful, too. He was so supportive!</p> <p>@PrincessBaby: cervical checks before I went into labor were by FAR the worst part for me! Labor was painful, but checking for dilation was HELL. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426706 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 10:17:34 +0000 JoyfulKiwi 426706@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Like @Mrs. Pen: something happened each time I felt like giving up. Mostly I ended up dilating very quickly. When I got very tired during the pushing, it was really helpful to have DH, my midwife, &amp; nurse all saying really encouraging things: You're great! Yea, push just like that! You are the best laborer ever! Etc</p> <p>@FutureMrsMcK: my DH got stern with me too, but i liked it! He would say "pull yourself together!" When I lost focus/track of my breathing.</p> <p>Also I really wanted to see what he looked like &amp; if he had hair! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426687 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:57:05 +0000 hilsy85 426687@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@London Mama: ditto! Before I got my epi, I honestly did not think I could last until it was time to push. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426651 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 09:01:15 +0000 Andrea 426651@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Probably the epidural bc labor and pushing took so long for me. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426623 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:59:54 +0000 Mrs. Blue 426623@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Subscribing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426620 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:51:54 +0000 PrincessBaby 426620@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This thread is really helpful to someone who is going in for her first delivery tomorrow night and is kind of freaking out about it....I am really hopeful that the Epidural will be my BFF. Especially since a Membrane Sweep nearly brought me to tears, and I know I ain't seen nothin' yet!</p> <p>Me + Epidural = BFF </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426614 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 07:20:08 +0000 Beyond2 426614@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>For me it was a pillow! I had a natural home birth and during every contraction I buried my head in a pillow. Every picture of me during labor shows me with that dang pillow lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426595 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 06:27:06 +0000 mediagirl 426595@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>The nurses. They were amazing. I'm not a rah-rah type of girl but them telling me I was doing great made me feel like a rock star. They would tell me when I pushed well and I just wanted you please them and to get this baby out! It's weird thinking back on that now but, that's what worked for me! Oh, and having my husband stay completely silent. Lol! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426569 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:34:57 +0000 Ree723 426569@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@London Mama: Lol, I was thinking the same thing!</p> <p>The other thing that helped me was being Team Green - by the time I was in labour, I was bursting with excitement at finding out whether or not we had a daughter on the way or a son (turned out to be a girl!) Wanting to know was the extra motivation I needed to push me through. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426566 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 04:16:59 +0000 London Mama 426566@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>An epidural. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426547 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 02:24:17 +0000 lemondrop 426547@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My husband just being there, drugs, and going with the flow since no matter how much I prepared, I didn't really know what to expect. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426542 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:48:33 +0000 sera_87 426542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>i think not having a set "plan" helped me.</p> <p>and then the pain of pushing made me want to end it immediately. Thank goodness baby cooperated. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426539 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:38:57 +0000 glimmersnaps 426539@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I had a very long labor. My doula helped for sure, but I got to a point that I didn't really want to be with anyone anymore. I ended up holding (clutching) onto DS's sock. I don't know how or why it ended up in my hand but I liked the tangible reminder of what the agony was for. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426521 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 01:03:10 +0000 lovehoneybee 426521@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think I just hit a point where it subconsciously set in that I didn't really have a choice in the matter, and my body just sort of went on auto-pilot and surrendered to the pain (this was during that super not fun period when my epidural failed during transition all the way through delivery). And reminding myself after every contraction that I never had to feel that contraction again and every contraction that passed was one contraction closer to meeting my baby. </p> <p>My husband and mother were both wonderful. I didn't want to be touched, but just holding his hand and have him cheering my own was a huge help. And my mother had been a childbirth coach previously, in addition to birthing 4 babies herself, so she was a huge asset with keeping my breathing on track. She stayed calm and commanding and persistent whenever I was would start to get sucked under the pain--"Deep breath Sarah Caitlin, now let it out. And other..." (Yep, she middle named me during labor). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426511 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:47:45 +0000 BoogieBea 426511@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I just kept thinking about all the women that have birth before me and that my body was meant to do to this.<br /> But most of all, it was my husban's motivation. He helped me through each contraction, the breathing, the rubbing. I couldn't have done it without him. I just took it one contraction at a time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426502 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:35:13 +0000 Mrs. Pen 426502@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>It was definitely a culmination of things!</p> <p>I loved having my mom and my DH there - they were so supportive and encouraging.</p> <p>Each time I started getting discouraged and feeling like I couldn't do it, something happened that pushed me to keep going. Like when I felt I could do it anymore and I wanted to give up (my mom said that I actually looked like I was going to pass out from the pain) they checked me and I was at 10cm! That gave me the motivation to keep going! </p> <p>After about half an hour I was so weary and worn down, and felt like all my effort was going nowhere, and my midwife told me to reach down and feel his head! When I found out he was so close to being born I pushed SO hard! </p> <p>Another thing though small, but effective: My midwife gave me a bracelet that said, "I was born to do this" and I just kept saying that to myself over and over :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/what-helped-you-through-labor#post-426491 Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:22:16 +0000 Minnie_Girl 426491@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My sister is an elem. teacher who had a speedy, intense labor with my nephew (woke up in the middle of the night in labor, arrived at the hospital a few hours later in transition). </p> <p>One of her coworkers told her to think of the worst student mother she'd ever dealt with, and said: "Remember. If SHE can do it, YOU can do it!" Apparently that thought really helped her to push! :O</p> <p>Did any little things like that help you through your labor? Or was it more the big things that made a difference, like the presence of your SO? </p>