So I haven't experienced any contractions yet (to my knowledge) and I'm due in two weeks. I know of the 5-1-1 rule, contractions 5 minutes apart, for 1 minute, for one hour, and I'm having a hard time imagining continuous contractions/pain for a whole minute (and more!). Time just seems to pass by so slowly, especially when I used to do exercises that required me to hold a certain position and feel the burn for 30 seconds or more. What did you personally do to cope with each contraction? Did you focus on them more, or try to distract yourself from the pain?
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I just sat still and focused on my breathing. Being in the car on the way to the hospital was a bit trying. Sitting seemed to make it hurt more.
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I breathed through them. Omgggggg.. gonna have to go through it again in a few short months!
Seriously. Epidurals are life savers.
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Lot's of concentration and breathing. Sitting definitely made it worse. I found that leaning over the side of the bed and stretching out my abdomen helped (though there's only so much stretching that you can do with a giant belly :))
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I just walked around until I couldn't. Then I leaned over the bed and huffed and puffed. I was not the poster child for proper breathing techniques.
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I was no poster child either. I was just doubled over in pain with my eyes squeezed shut.
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i seriously cried until i got my epidural. it was so painful!
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For me, early labor always starts out with 1 minute contractions, 2 minutes apart. True fact. Active labor for me is 2 minute contractions, 1 minute apart. So I've never experienced this 5-1-1- deal, except during false labor!
In the very beginning, when it's not too bad, I can walk in between the breaks and sway and breathe through the contractions. Once active labor starts, though, and it starts getting intense, I have to lay down because I can't hold myself up during contractions. I moan really low and loud, and my husband talks me through each one. And then I get an epidural, lol.
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I just focused on breathing through them until the very end! I was so incredibly tired at the end that I was falling asleep between them even though it wasn't for long.
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I hummed as I breathed out and swayed or rolled my hips. It worked great until transition when DH held me up and I vocalized more (low toned "hum" with my mouth open)
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I breathed long deep breaths with my eyes closed, and I counted my breaths through each contraction. 10 deep breaths took me through a minute long contraction. 20 breaths for a 2-minute contraction. I always knew that by the time I counted 10 breaths I should passing the peak of the contraction. Low moaning also helped. I thought I would be very quiet while I was in labor, but the moaning is pretty involuntary.
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in prenatal yoga, we did "mock contractions" where we used different techniques to get through pain. most techniques were about distraction or deep breathing. for distraction, we did exercises like counting our fingers backwards and forwards.
in actual labor, i just did deep breathing and told myself that "every contraction has an endpoint". i said that to myself over and over again. i didn't dwell on the pain... i just kept focus that each contraction was temporary... this really helped my mental state, and i know it sounds crunchy, but i really think that one's mental state during labor can effect how someone experiences it.
i also had my DH and/or doula massage my lower back when a contraction would come on. I found myself relaxing my jaw a lot too.
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