Walk, Walk, Walk....or don't? 5 Tips for Early Labor

So often I hear the well meaning friends and family of an expecting loved one tell them that the only way to get baby out is to "get moving!". This isn't terrible advice, but it's also not really true. Being active, changing positions, walking, dancing, etc. are all beneficial to help labor along, but giving this advice to someone in early labor can be detrimental.

Here are 5 thing I do recommend for early labor:

1. Sit down!
   Okay, you don't actually need to stay seated through early labor, but you also shouldn't walk through it all. Sure, a gentle walk is fine, if you feel like it, but it's not at all necessary. Labor that comes on spontaneously (not induced) is going to progress and cause dilation, almost always. Of course, there are some maternal and fetal medical issues that could cause that to not be true (walking won't change that either), but generally speaking, a body that is ready for labor, will progress, even if you spend most of labor sedentary.  If you wear yourself out too much in early labor, you may find you just don't have the energy to keep up in active labor, and that can cause progression to slow significantly, as well as a sense of defeat in the person laboring. Once that happens, things can snowball, and you may find yourself with interventions you were hoping to avoid, or a really unsatisfactory birthing experience. Save the activity for when things pick up, and try to get in some rest if you can.
2. Eat Up!
   Not only do most people not feel like eating once active labor has begun, many hospital policy's don't allow it. Early labor is the perfect time to enjoy a bigger nutritious (no judgement from me if it's a big juicy cheeseburger either) meal, or snack frequently.  Making sure to get some calories in your body, and your energy reserves up, can make a big difference when you're working so hard later on.
3. Be Calm!
   Early labor can take a long time! It can take several hours, or even several days. It's normal, especially for first time parents, to get really excited and anxious at the first signs of labor. Getting too worked up can lead to major disappointment. Did you know active labor doesn't even begin until you're 4-6cm dilated?! Your body needs time to get the hang of things, baby may need time to shift positions, and contractions take time to build up. Don't start timing every single contraction. You can record a few, but then wait until you feel like they're making a more significant change before recording a few more. Timing contractions becomes a little disheartening after 10 hours (believe me, I've done it). Also, unless there's a medical reason for you to do so, don't rush to the hospital. Getting there too early can set you up for unnecessary interventions, wear you down, and leave you missing the comforts (and ample food) of home. Take a deep breath, and try to enjoy the slowness, before things pick up.
4. Don't tell!
   This goes hand in hand with being calm. Telling too many people (hello Facebook!) that early labor has begun can leave you with endless comments, messages or phone calls asking for progress updates, and people giving well meaning, but unsolicited advice. Not only can it get really annoying, it can leave you exhausted. Not to mention, all that unsolicited advice may leave you confused, or doing something that may not be right for you (remember all that walking I was talking about in tip 1?). It's best to not share the early labor news with anyone that doesn't need to know!
5. Find something to do!
   Since early labor can take such a long time, resting, while super important, may not fill up all the time you have. Instead of spending that time focusing on each contraction, it's best to find something to do. It can be something productive, like cooking up a meal to put in the freezer for after baby comes, or something fun like binging some Netflix, sipping tea with a friend, or reading a good book. Keeping yourself focused on something besides labor keeps the long stage from becoming daunting and can help keep you in good spirits!

I hope these tips help you to have a productive, enjoyable, and low stress early labor!