You know all those things you've been told to do once you realize you're in labor? Well, they may not be as pressing as you think. There's a lot of outdated information and even misinformation out there about giving birth, and wading through it all to figure out what you should do when the big day arrives is quite the task, especially if you're a first-time mom.
One mom on Instagram is trying to make it all a bit easier for pregnant moms, though. Lo Mansfield is a former nurse and birth and postpartum expert who shares her knowledge on social media, and we're obsessed with her informative and relatable videos.
One in particular caught our attention because in it, she debunks so many of the things women have been told to do when they go into labor but never felt quite right to us.
Most of us have a plan for when labor begins.
"I remember feeling my first contraction. It immediately caught my attention — and I lay in my bed, wide awake, waiting to see if there would be another. Tell me friend, what are you going to do when you start to feel them?" Lo captioned a video she posted on Instagram.
With my own first child, the plan was to labor at home for as long as I could, but there was still a lot of doubt that came along with that choice. How long was too long? How would I know when it was really time to go in? Should I eat? Was it OK to keep drinking water? What about showers?
Most of us completely overthink it.
"Can I tell you something? You should probably do NOTHING. You should probably ignore them. Unless there is a reason to head straight to hospital or call your provider, that first contraction is exciting, yes, but it is not a reason to start doing all the things," Lo continued in the caption.
Labor usually takes quite a while.
Think about it. When someone talks about being in labor for five hours, we usually consider that a short labor. It's a process — usually a long one — and for most women, there's no need to rush or go into hyper-drive, "time to give birth" mode.
You probably have hours still to do all of the birthing things. At the beginning, you can probably just chill.
"For most of us, labor is long. And early labor is often THE longest part (6-20 hours on average)," Lo writes. "The longer you can ignore early labor, the shorter your full labor process is going to feel (and maybe, the easier to deal with both mentally and physically)."
I can vouch for that. In retrospect, with my first child, I'm pretty sure labor actually started the night before she was born. I felt contractions and didn't tell anybody. We had houseguests so I hung out for a few hours breathing discreetly through the contractions.
Then I went to bed and did my best to get some sleep, still not fully acknowledging that I was in labor. Now I consider her labor a short and easy one, because by the time I confirmed it was happening, she was born fewer than 10 hours later.
There are six things you absolutely do NOT need to do as soon as your contractions start and labor is underway.
According to Lo, there are at least six things you've probably been told to do once your labor starts that you do not need to do immediately.
Forget about grabbing the contraction timer (unless they are obviously coming hard and fast). Most likely trying to time them will just annoy you and it doesn't change much of anything. Trust us: Your body will feel it when they are getting closer together and more intense.
Lo says a ton of movement, changing positions, or "exercise," isn't necessary either. If it feels better to move, then move. If not, don't worry about it. Your baby is going to take its time getting into position. In those early hours, you might as well get some rest and save the movement for later in your labor.
You do not have to "head to your birth place" immediately. For most moms, it's safe to labor in the comfort of your own home until your water breaks. Check with your doctor first, but there's no need to rush to the hospital or birthing center as soon as contractions start. If you do, you might even be sent back home.
Don't "focus on each surge." It's totally not necessary and might trick you into thinking that you are closer to giving birth than you actually are. You also don't need to "stay awake and pay attention" the entire time. You are going to be exhausted; rest while you can. If you can sleep through the contractions, you've probably got plenty of time.
Finally, Lo wants birthing moms to know they do not have to stop eating once labor starts. That's outdated advice. Food is energy and you're going to need it.
