Little Things can make a BIG Impact on Labor

These little things can shift the energy in the room from frantic to calm, and help keep labor progressing! We suggest packing these in your hospital bag. (If we are your doulas we will be bringing these things with us!)

1. LED candles + Twinkle Lights. 

Hospitals can be intimidating places with bright overhead lights and machines beeping. Our goal is to transform that hospital room into a birthing sanctuary for you. We want to create an atmosphere where you feel safe because labor progresses best when moms feel safe, strong, and supported! Feelings of safety can boost oxytocin, the hormone that signals the uterus to contract. Creating a dark, cave-like experience, and adding some twinkle lights, can set the mood to help mom (and her partner) feel cozy and relaxed, and help moms labor to progress.

3. Washcloths. 

It's really hard to articulate the POWER of a cold washcloth. Labor is hard work, the hardest most important work of your life, and a cold washcloth on mom's forehead or the back of her neck in-between contractions can give her the energy boost she needs. As doulas, we normally fill up a basin with ice chips, water, and lots of washcloths, so that that the washcloths are ice cold and refreshing.

4.    Comb. 

Did you know squeezing a comb with teeth facing the palm can help moms manage contractions? How does this work? The Gate Control Theory!  This theory states that the brain can only focus on a small number of sensations at once.  The the comb works by distracting the brain, which allows more of your attention to focus on the sensation of squeezing the comb and away from the contractions. The comb can also help hit acupuncture points on your hand. Pro tip, bring a wooden comb and not a plastic one. A plastic one may break, but a wooden one is strong enough to withstand even your strongest squeezes!

5.  Peppermint Oil.

Peppermint oil can give moms a boost of energy in labor and also help with nausea, a common side effect of labor.  A whiff of peppermint oil can help subside those icky feelings. We do not suggest using a diffuser for essential oils, instead we recommend putting the peppermint oil on a cotton ball and using it as aromatherapy, that way you can quickly get rid of the smell if it's no longer helping. 

My mantra as a doula is "Little things make a BIG impact" and I see it every day! This simple tools can transform how a mom is managing labor and how her labor is progressing.