The best way to feel as relaxed as possible during labour is to try and create a positive birthing environment. Not only will this help you feel more relaxed during labour but it creates a serene environment for your baby to be born into. One of the most important things we urge ladies to remember during labour is to listen to your body.
How the right lighting will improve your birthing environment.
Our top tips for the perfect lighting to help you relax in labour..
- Darkness or Dim lighting.
- Use fairy lights and/or LED candles.
- Use an eye mask to help shut out the outside world.
By focusing on the lighting, you will be creating a safe and intimate environment that will help you to feel safe and relaxed.
A really good example, imagine making love in a brightly lit room, surrounded by people telling you where you’re going wrong and how to do it better….it would be hugely distracting wouldn’t it! How could you even begin to relax and listen to what your body was telling you in that kind of environment and yet this is often the type of environment that we’re expected to birth our babies into.
Did you know… The hormones involved with making love, oxytocin and endorphins are the same hormones that are involved in giving birth.
How the right music will improve your birthing environment.
Our top tips for the perfect music to help you relax in labour…
- Create a few playlists for labour that contains music that makes you feel uplifted, motivated and relaxed.
- Listen to JustExhale hypnobirthing tracks.
- Use a speaker or headphones. Preferably headphones as they help to block out external noise.
- Consider a waterproof speaker or headphones if you’re hoping for a waterbirth.
Dancing around your kitchen, listening and singing along to your favourite song will invariably shift your mood and make you feel more positive, you’ll probably need a slightly more low key approach for when you’re in labour! The answer is anchoring, a fast, simple and easy technique that rapidly taps into your brains system for linking feelings to experience.
How aromatherapy will improve your birthing environment.
- Using oils to massage your skin.
- Use aromatherapy oils through a room spray, diffuser or flannel.
- Choose a scent that makes you feel relaxed and reminds you of happy times.
Again the answer here is anchoring, just like with music. A certain perfume or smell that reminds you of a special event or time in your life. Your mind creates a link, an anchor, between a powerful feeling and the smell.
A home from home environment.
Of course, when birthing our children, more often than not we are happy to be in a hospital or birthing centre surrounded by midwives and medical professionals who can help if something goes wrong, but realistically, we’d all rather be at home. Therefore, your environment will be greatly improved with the addition of some home comforts.
- Bring a pillow and/or blanket.
- Hot water bottle
- Fan
- Snacks and drinks.
- Positive affirmations.
Information from the environment around us controls how we feel much more than we are ever consciously aware of especially if that information comes to you via your skin or nose. Therefore, a combination of your home comforts and scents that you like is much more likely to help create an environment that is calm and feels safe. This will then stimulate feelings of comfort and relaxation.
I always recommend trying to incorporate some of these elements when listening to your JustExhale hypnobirthing tracks. Use a blanket and a pillow that you can take with you when you go into labour, close the curtains, use candles to dim the lighting, and vaporise your favourite essential oils to create the best possible environment for relaxation.
For more information on how hypnobirthing can help prepare you for labour, follow our Facebook page for regular updates: (1) Just Exhale | Facebook
