Welcome back to the series! This is our fifth and final series of odd labor tools you have around the house that can help with labor! Thanks to a wonderful doula friend at A Caring Doula, TaKiesha Smith, who helped me when I was stumped on what to write about, giving me the idea for this blog post.
What happens when you’re stuck at a certain centimeter dilated for a while? Usually, the doula and the nurses will look for things that may be keeping baby from descending into the pelvis. One of the big culprits is having a full bladder. The solution: head to the toilet! Often, you’ll find that emptying your bladder makes room for baby to move down and progress can be made.
What about when finding a good position is tricky? You’re wanting to do a deep squat, but you can’t hold that position long, your legs are burning, and you’re feeling tired between contractions. What do you do? Head to the toilet! Sitting backward on the toilet with a pillow on the back of it, maybe even a cloth wrapped around the tank or pipe for pulling on while contracting will help you get that same squat position while being able to relax your leg muscles.
Doulas, nurses, OBs and midwives all refer to the toilet as dilation station. This is oftentimes where labor will progress faster. It helps with opening the pelvis, no matter the station of baby, just by placing your feet closer or further apart. Gravity helps bring baby down, and you’re not straining your muscles to hold that position.
So, what do you think? Will you be grabbing a pillow and squatting on the potty for your upcoming labor? Did you use the toilet as a place to contract and make some birthing progress?
DoulaWise 