This is one of the top questions I get asked as an antenatal teacher. And it’s a really important question!

If we take the time to learn about contractions during our pregnancy they suddenly don’t seem so scary. This helps us get into the right mindset for a positive birth. So I’ll do my best to share my insights here.

 

What do Contractions in Early Labour feel like?

Contractions feel a little different for everyone, but generally, you will feel them as a steady increase in intensity or pressure in your abdomen and/or lower back that comes and goes in waves.

In early labour they may feel a bit like period cramps or a dull backache, lasting a few seconds and then recurring every few minutes. This is a great time to practice your breathing and relaxation techniques and find your own rhythm in labour. You can also use clever tools such as a tens machine or an acupressure comb to to see what works best for you.

As your labour advances, the intensity, frequency and duration of each contraction increases as the muscles of your uterus work hard to bring your baby to you.

 

What do Contractions in Active Labour feel like?

Each contraction steadily builds in intensity up to a powerful peak and then gradually fades away, like a bell curve or a wave in the sea. This is why Hypnobirthing women often call contractions “surges”. 

Contractions last for about 45-60 seconds during active labour. The intensity will be higher now and you will need to focus more inwards on your body during each wave. The brilliant design of our bodies means you will have a couple of minutes rest in between each contraction to allow you to rest and get ready for the next one. Yes your body is doing it’s own very special HIIT workout!!

 If we use the visual of each contraction as a powerful wave, a great technique is to imagine you’re surfing that wave!

 

• For the first 20-30 seconds focus on breathing deeply and slowly as the intensity builds. This ensures lots of nourishing oxygen is getting into your blood to fuel the muscles of your uterus.
• When the wave is at its peak, marvel in how amazing and powerful your body is as it brings your baby to you.
• Continue to breathe deeply as the surge gently melts away, knowing that it gets easier once you’re past the peak.
• As the surge finishes, tell yourself well done! Each and every contraction brings you one step closer to meeting your baby!

 

How painful are contractions?

Contractions feel powerful, intense, sensational, crazy, strong, mind-blowing, unstoppable, all-consuming…but I wouldn’t use the word “painful”.

Why?

Pain is pathological. It is a signal your body sends to say something is not right and needs to change in order to protect you. If you put your hand too close to a flame, it will hurt, telling you to remove your hand before it gets burnt.

Birth on the other hand is a normal physiological process. If labour is progressing as it should, there is no reason for your body to tell you to stop - that baby needs to be born!! Unfortunately, many modern practices in childbirth are not conducive to the way your body is designed to labour. For example, being made to labour on your back, being thrust under bright lights, having multiple vaginal examinations, labour augmentation drips, being told you’re “failing to progress”…

So if you find it is hurting, this is often your body’s signal that something needs to change: change position, get up and walk around, sway your hips, ensure your birth partner knows how to help you relax and create an optimal birthing environment wherever you are, make informed decisions that are best for you and your baby, ensure your voice is being heard…

Many women do have pain-free births (myself included!) However I would never say that my Hypnobirthing courses can guarantee you a pain-free birth. You are moving a whole new human being through your body so of course that is going to feel intense and challenging! However, once you know that contractions are simply our uterus muscles working hard, not something scary and uncontrollable, you can accept and even enjoy the powerful sensations that you will feel during labour and birth.

Contractions are your friend!

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard is to welcome your contractions. Strong powerful contractions will bring your baby to you quicker. The stronger they are, the better! So as you feel a contraction start to come, don’t shrink away from it, don’t fear it.

Instead, welcome the contraction with a smile, marvel in how powerful and strong and AMAZING your body is for bringing your baby to you. Relax, breathe, keep smiling.

And remember…

Every contraction brings me closer to meeting my baby.

 

Do you want a Positive Birth? 

My antenatal Hypnobirthing courses are available both in-person and online, and are designed to be a fun and relaxing experience for you and your birth partner - a real highlight of your pregnancy.

I offer different formats suitable for every budget as it is important that Hypnobirthing is accessible and affordable for everyone.

Find the perfect class for you: 

• Private 1:1 Birth Coaching
• Group Hypnobirthing Courses (Bexley, Sidcup, Woolwich & Greenwich)
• Online Hypnobirthing Workshop

  

Not sure which course is for you? Sign up to my next FREE Online Mini-Masterclass to start your journey to a glowing pregnancy, a positive birth, and the best possible start to parenthood!

 

 

I was 37 weeks and 2 days pregnant when labour started on the Saturday morning. I was expecting to have another few weeks before birth, but I’d felt symptoms building over the week prior that gave me an inkling our little girl might make a surprise arrival. Whilst I hadn’t nested in the traditional sense, I had the most intense urge to bake a Victoria sponge cake the night before I went into labour - perhaps it was my body telling me I’d be needing the extra sugar and energy? Regardless it came in handy as a tasty snack over the next couple of days!

My waters burst at 5:30am on the Saturday morning- I was in bed asleep and I felt a pop and small gush, so immediately jumped out of bed and grabbed a towel. I’d expected to go into a bit of a panic when labour started, but thanks to all of our preparation, I felt really calm and excited that it was actually happening, even if it was earlier than anticipated! We set about calling maternity assessment and they advised we try and get a couple more hours sleep and then come in just after 9am to confirm that it was my waters that had gone. We went back to bed for an hour but at 6:30am my contractions started and I couldn’t sleep through them (mainly due to the excitement!). I decided to let my partner Jordan get a couple more hours (I knew I’d be needing him to be awake later!) and so I went into the living room to bounce on my ball and then had a hot shower. By 7:30am the contractions started coming every 15 minutes, and so I used my breathing exercises to get through each one. They really were like a wave and it helped me to know if I could breathe through the first 20-30 seconds, the intensity would then decrease.

We went to the hospital at 9:30am where they confirmed it was my waters that had gone and explained that I would need to be booked in for an induction in case my labour didn’t progress naturally. They initially suggested we book in for an induction 24 hours later but we used our BRAIN and discussed options with them, resulted in us agreeing to commence the induction 48 hours later if labour hadn’t progressed. However, during this discussion I had a pretty intense contraction and the midwives response was, “I think we’ll be seeing you before Monday!”.

We were sent home to labour and so we set about having the best day we could. We first had some of the Victoria sponge and tea, and switched Saturday Kitchen on whilst I bounced on my ball. I love watching cooking shows and so this was a perfect way for me to relax. My partner was there to support me through each contraction, which were now coming every 10 minutes apart. After an hour of being on the ball, the fatigue had started to kick in and so I decided to have a nap on the sofa. Jordan decided this was a good time to build the cot in case we were able to come straight home (we had really been counting on having a few more weeks to get ready!).

We had a small lunch of pasta and salad - I was told to eat little and often by the midwives so tried to eat enough to give me energy without feeling too full. After lunch the contractions really started to ramp up and so we put our labour playlist on and danced and bounced around the living room. By this point I was using Jordan to help support me through the contractions and count my breaths with me. After some dancing and bouncing, Jordan gave me a foot massage and then ran me a bath. This was exactly what I needed at the time and really helped relax me just as the contractions were really ramping up.
By 5pm contractions had stepped up another gear, although they were still 5 minutes apart - so not yet at the 3 every 10 minutes stage that they tell you to wait for before calling the hospital. But I was then sick and the intensity ramped up so I told Jordan to call - they said to come in as being sick was a sign things were progressing well.

We put our labour playlist on in the car and when we arrived at the hospital I found that contractions really ramped up. I was assessed and found to be 5cm dilated which was further ahead than I’d expected so that got us really excited for meeting our little girl. I think I really progressed as we were waiting to be taken up to labour ward as I had a noticeable transition moment where I started to freak out a bit and feel the urge to push. Jordan helped keep me calm with my breathing exercises and by providing positive affirmations and gently massaging my back.

We were taken to the labour room with a birthing pool and so I got straight in. I’d packed a bikini top for some semblance of dignity but I was so keen to focus on birthing that I completely forgot about it! Jordan placed some LED candles around the pool, got out my handheld fan with essential oils and put on our labour playlist. The midwife read our birth plan and once I’d got settled into the pool left us to do our own thing. I used gas and air to take the edge off the intensity of the contractions which really helped and Jordan held me from outside the pool. The warm water instantly helped sooth the feeling of the contractions and I laboured for an hour or so naturally until I could feel her head. The midwives used the sonocaid monitor to periodically check baby’s heartbeat and that helped give me reassurance that she was doing okay.

After 1.5hrs, it became obvious that no matter how much I was breathing down and pushing, baby’s head wasn’t coming any further. So I came out of the pool to try some different positions. Another hour passed and baby’s head was still stuck so I agreed for the midwife to make a small incision to help get baby out. Prior to labour an episiotomy would have been the last thing I wanted, however in the moment we used our BRAIN to evaluate our options and decided that a small cut to me was worth the benefit of getting her out safely before she got into distress and whilst I still had a last bit of energy left. This part was actually much better than expected thanks to some local anaesthetic and Jordan holding my hand and breathing with me. The midwives helped coach me to push and after some big pushes, our daughter finally arrived just before midnight. It was such a surreal moment having her placed on my chest but it really was magical. We had immediate skin-to-skin, delayed cord clamping to the point where the cord had stopped pulsating before Jordan cut the cord, and we delayed getting her cleaned and weighed for the first couple of hours so we could just keep her on my chest.

I had an active management for the delivery of the placenta and honestly barely felt birthing it as I was so distracted by our daughter snuggling into my chest. We had a good natter with the midwife as she was stitching me up (again, this was much less unpleasant than I would have anticipated) and then we were brought some sweet tea and left to have more cuddles before being moved up to the ward.

Overall I can honestly say that labour was an incredible experience and even though it didn’t end exactly how we envisioned, every single moment was a really positive experience and I am so grateful for that. The hypnobirthing techniques that we used help keep me calm and focused throughout the day, and the knowledge gained through the course meant I felt confident and excited at every stage. Most importantly it enabled Jordan to be the best birthing partner I could ask for- he knew exactly what I wanted at each point and I couldn’t have done it without him.

 

 

Do you want a Positive Birth too? 

My antenatal Hypnobirthing courses are available both in-person and online, and are designed to be a fun and relaxing experience for you and your birth partner - a real highlight of your pregnancy.

I offer different formats suitable for every budget as it is important that Hypnobirthing is accessible and affordable for everyone.

Find the perfect class for you: 

• Private 1:1 Birth Coaching
• Group Hypnobirthing Courses (Bexley, Sidcup, Woolwich & Greenwich)
• Online Hypnobirthing Workshop

  

Not sure which course is for you? Sign up to my next FREE Online Mini-Masterclass to start your journey to a glowing pregnancy, a positive birth, and the best possible start to parenthood!