Labour…

Labour is a microcosm of life. It brings pleasure and pain, joy and sadness. It is a beginning and an ending. Labour will put you in touch with both your strengths and your vulnerabilities and offer you an opportunity to learn more about yourself. Labour is one of the most challenging experiences of a woman’s life; it is also one of the most rewarding.

Labour is teamwork. It is mother and baby learning together, how to yield and how to separate from the union of pregnancy, how to push and how to be born. You are not in control nor are you out of control during labour. The best way to approach labour is with an attitude of learning, of cooperation, of harmony of mind and body. To bring optimism rather than expectations and acceptance as events unfold. Most women really do not know what they are capable of, and they have inner resources and strengths they have not encountered before. It is important that your caregiver, your support people and especially you do not underestimate what you are capable of.

Some labours will be short and intense; some will be long and drawn out. There may be plateaus of varying lengths. Some women have an irresistible urge to push at 7 centimetres; some wait an hour after being fully dilated to begin to feel like pushing.

As your labour progresses, as you adjust to the increasing intensity of the contractions you may gradually enter a somewhat altered state—you could call it “Labourland”. Contractions have a particular rhythm and pattern of their own. For each woman it is different; for each baby it is different.

This is a unique journey you are about to embark on; one that has been done many times before by many, many women. Your body knows how to do this work, how to birth this baby. Even now your body is preparing itself, adjusting, changing, getting ready to birth. It is not possible to control labour. It is, however, possible to influence labour in a positive or negative manner. The best approach is to follow the process and meet whatever it may offer. Be confident and believe in your inner resources, your strengths and your physical ability to complete this journey in your own special way.

Courtesy Village Health Clinic, Surrey BC