*This entry is for educational purposes and is not to be taken as medical advice.*
Not all births are created equally.
Some births are extremely straightforward and some face some bumps in the road.
Common situations that may or may not occur in your labor include:
Prodromal labor.
Going well past your due date.
Prolonged rupture of membranes (water leak for extended period of time).
Meconium-stained amniotic fluid.
Nausea/vomiting.
Back labor.
These situations can’t exactly be prevented, but it’s a good idea to discuss their reality and make a plan just incase you come across one or some of these bumps in the road of your labor journey!
Prodromal Labor.
No one can expect someone to ever experience prodromal labor until it happens. The best advice for this as a “hopeful” preventative measure, is to continue chiropractic care with a Webster Trained chiropractor. FYI- there is a huge difference between a Webster trained chiropractor and a regular chiro. Yes, most chiropractors will claim they specialize in pregnancy. While that is true, that doesn’t mean they have all learned the Webster Technique, which specifically targets the alignment of the pelvis and uterus and supports the ligaments in ways a regular adjustment cannot. Ensuring your body and baby is nicely aligned may help prodromal labor stay at bay. If you do however experience this, it may help to call your chiro right then and there to be adjusted immediately. Some may even offer to come to your home for a quick fix. Other positional tricks that may help is to be sure your belly isn’t hanging too far over and in front of the pelvis. we want baby lifted up and inward to get deep down in the pelvis. If your uterus is pendulous, meaning hanging down over the front, so may be your baby and so that creates a struggle for your contractions. Contractions are working hard to move baby down, meanwhile baby is nowhere near engaged. Thus, contributes to prodromal labor. Which sucks!
Going well past your due date.
We all know by now that due dates are only estimates, and all babies are born on their own time. No your placenta won’t fail you, and even the hot shots at ACOG say it is perfectly reasonable for a pregnancy to go up to 42 weeks and 6 days before alternative measures become strongly recommended. Let’s keep in mind, there are plenty of things to try at home before walking into the hospital for medically managed induction- unless that’s what you want! Orgasms, nipple stimulation, herbal remedies, and also what was mentioned before with prodromal labor- chiropractic care, as well as other positional techniques to encourage engagement and efficient uterine contractions. In my experience, once a mother surrenders her worry and accepts that her baby needs more time, is when labor will finally begin.
Prolonged Ruptured Membranes.
prolonged ruptured membranes also known as broken water, can occur sometimes. This can be due to many different reasons but more often than not is no cause for immediate concern. Your water may be broken for several hours or even days before active labor begins. When this happens it is recommended you take an added bit of caution to prevent infection. You’ll want to try to avoid any contact with bacteria in your vagina, and monitor yourself for any risen temperature. Take note of the color. Clear, pink, even a little orange-looking, is normal. When it crosses over to a green or brown color that will indicate meconium, staining (which i will cover next so hold on tight for that.) Taking a quick peek at your babys heart tones may be a good idea as well if you so choose to, just to confirm that there wasn’t any urgent situation that led to your water breaking. Some other fun facts about ruptured membranes is 1) It is very easy to test at home whether you are leaking amniotic fluid or it’s something else such as urine or discharge. Common urinalysis or ph strips do the same job as the swab the hospitals use. Gather the fluid sample on the swab or strip and read your results. A result higher than 6.5 often indicates amniotic fluid. 2) there are two layers of the sac or water bag. sometimes one layer may develop a small tear and leak while the other remains intact. baby is still safely incased and that small tear could even heal itself. 3) Fluid can and will replenish as you stay hydrated so unless you are having an issue staying hydrated, all should be just fine. Your labor will most likely begin soon.
Meconium-stained Amniotic Fluid.
No one wants to see it, but it is more common than any other on this list, in my opinion. If your water breaks and it has a green or brown tint to it, this means your baby has made a bowel movement. Really this signifies they are ready for birth. And it’s often associated with scary birth stories and emergency C-sections. While it’s true, some babies may need help after struggling with meconium for an extended period of time in utero, most are born just fine. Most mothers will feel safer monitoring their babies heart rate more often if meconium was present. But let’s also ponder how many babies were born with meconium completely unbeknownst during labor? The biggest risk to the baby when meconium is present, in my opinion, is what happens to baby immediately after birth. Does baby get to travel through the birth canal and get the good squeeze? Remove all that fluid from its nose and airway naturally? Or is baby being attacked with a suction bulb the second it hits air, often causing one to gasp and ingest and inhale the surrounding fluids which is meconium stained. That invites bacteria into the brand new set of lungs, and a guaranteed NICU stay to follow if that does indeed occur. A gentle welcoming to earth hold less risk, allowing a baby to work out the fluids on their own, or even assisted by mom is fine, but those suction bulbs can cause harm. So that is the biggest thing I would consider when it comes to meconium.
Nausea/Vomiting.
This is another thing no one really wants to experience, but it’s fairly common and often can be a good thing. Vomiting during transition can help with dilation and is often a sign birth is imminent. However if you experience nausea and vomiting the entire labor, dehydration and exhaustion may be unavoidable. Obviously keep bins, bags, or buckets around to catch the vomit. (And partners- try to empty them as often as possible please) But creating and following a solid plan to stay as nourished and hydrated as possible can really help avoid the troubles that come along with too much nausea and vomiting. Electrolytes, Minerals, light snacks, easily digestible foods. Soups, broths, smoothies, fruit, cucumbers, the real hydrating foods. Partners, please take note of when and how often she eats and offer sips of water as much as possible. Have a diffuser with soothing essential oils, ginger candy, etc. Not much to say about this topic other than its unfortunate but luckily doesn’t always have too much of an effect in one’s birth experience. Something to consider and be prepared for, just in case!
Back Labor.
Ugh, the dreaded back labor. This is often caused by a posterior baby, but also can occur when baby is deeply engaged. You may feel a ton of pressure on your sacrum and having someone or some way to apply pressure there can relieve so much discomfort. I remember being in my bathtub pushing my sacrum into the wall, and then having the water blast right on it before transition came. Luckily my baby wasn’t posterior that time, however my first child was and that was absolutely due to 1) my lack of knowledge of anything positional for pregnancy and 2) being stuck in a hospital bed for an entire day. (which btw ended in a C-section with a SERIOUS cone-headed baby.) Had I known more about supporting my baby’s position during pregnancy and labor, perhaps he would have been in a more ideal position. Again, Chiropractic care, avoiding a reclined position for too long, and some daily light movements on hands and knees can encourage a baby’s position and keep them anterior, meaning facing your back, in hopes to avoid the dreaded back labor, and the complications that can result from that. Posterior babies can totally be born vaginally that way, or it may take a lot of position work in labor to encourage them to turn. Meanwhile the back labor from a posterior baby can be BRUTAL, so preparing your partner and birth team on how to help manage that is key. Preventative care and supporting optimal positioning is crucial. So strap on those support bands and don’t forget your cat-cows!
So there are my thoughts on common bumps in the road during labor. I hope you found this informative! If you have anything you’d like to add to this list please do so in the comments.
This entry is not to be taken as medical advice.
Birth is not a medical event. It’s physiologic- a natural body function.
Happy Birthing!