Support you through Labour and Delivery

What is labour and delivery support?

The prospect of becoming a mother is exciting; however, it could also be a time of uncertainty and anxiety, especially for new moms. Therefore labour and delivery support is essential.

Labour and delivery support is when you are with someone during labour and delivery whose role is to assist in making your stay comfortable, helps you move through the delivery process, remind you that what’s happening is totally normal and healthy, as well as give you information about your care. The labour support specialist or doula may be present during labour to offer emotional and physical support. Your obstetrician, spouse or relative can also offer support during labour and birth.

What are the benefits of labour and delivery support?

Some of the benefits of labour and delivery support include:

• Comfort measures during labour such as cool cloths, massage and hand-holding.
• Emotional support like reassurance, encouragement and honest praise.
• Suggestions on how to improve the labour process and ease discomfort.
• Help communicate your needs effectively to hospital staff.
• Create an intimate and safe atmosphere.

Support through labour and delivery can include:

• Ways to stay comfortable
  Whether you are planning on having a more natural approach to childbirth or want a traditional experience that includes pain medications, labour and delivery is a process. Pain medication helps you have an easier time relaxing and may seed up the labour process.
• Breathing exercises and visualisation
  There are several types of breathing and breathing patterns. It is important to remember not to breathe in a way that can result in more difficult labour and delivery. Do what feels and works best for you. Visualisation technique is a technique that helps you focus on an object or task like breathing in order to help with the pain and discomfort of labour.
• Hot and cold therapy
  This is a type of therapy that involves the use of therapeutic benefits of heat /cold to help tensed and painful areas of the body to relax. For some women, a warm towel or cold pack can be helpful.