Secrets to a Great Birth: Environment
You already know that relaxation is the number one key to having a great birth. But relaxation has so many facets; it’s important to focus on every aspect of relaxation to make sure you’re not missing anything. This is where your environment comes in to play. If you’re uncomfortable with your surroundings, is it going to be super easy to relax? Probably not. You need your surroundings to be as comfortable as possible to make sure you’re as relaxed as possible.
Hospitals are so comfortable
Not.
I mean, no offense meant to hospitals. They’ve made great strides in recent years to create something similar to a comfortable environment. But you and your partner will definitely need to add your own personal touches to make sure your hospital room is more comfortable. It’s also good to recognize that when you make the switch from your home to the hospital/birth center, your relaxation will be disturbed and your labor may even slow down temporarily. Some women choose to labor in the comfort of their homes as long as possible to avoid this apparent “stall” in their labors.
The comfort of your home
To make your hospital room environment as comfortable as possible, try to bring aspects of home that make you comfortable. This could mean bringing your pillow, blanket, pictures, and anything else that makes the space more home-like for you. If you have scented candles, reed diffusers, or other types of home fragrance, you can bring those with your hospital’s blessing. Although the hospital will generally not let you light your scented candles, you could still smell them! Remember that during labor, your nose may be more sensitive, so try not to put any strong fragrances on your person or you won’t be able to get away from the smell. You can also adjust the temperature of your room to make sure it’s not too hot or cold for you.
Creating the mood
Most women find dimming the lights to be quite relaxing during labor. Hospital rooms tend to have an overabundance of lighting so health care workers can do various aspects of their jobs. But you can keep the room lighting as dim as you want unless brighter lighting is needed. Background music might be something you want to use as well. This can either be the playlist you learned about in Relaxation Techniques: Mental Relaxation or just pleasant elevator music to cover up the pervasive hospital noises.
Invasion of the labor watchers
During your hospital stay, a large variety of health care workers will be knocking on your door for various reasons. It can be very un-relaxing to have someone walk into your room in the middle of a contraction. Have your partner or doula prepare a nice phrase ahead of time like, “The nurse (or insert hospital personnel here) just walked into the room, so we’ll chat after we finish this contraction.” You also, by choice, may have friends or family members in the room with you. If they’re making a nuisance of themselves, it’s okay to have your partner, doula, or even your nurse kindly ask them to temporarily leave your room depending on your needs during labor.
But what will I wear??
Really, you’re going to a hospital, does it matter? Yes, it does! You have two clothing options when you go to the hospital for your labor; you can wear your own clothes or you can wear a hospital gown. This is entirely dependent on you and your comfort level. If you feel much more comfortable in your own clothing and would prefer that to a hospital gown, wear your own clothing. Make sure it’s a loose, long shirt, a maternity dress, or a labor dress. If you feel much more comfortable in something the hospital provides that you won’t have to wash afterwards, wear a hospital gown.
Ultimately these are all only suggestions for improving your hospital room environment. You’ll have to think about how to make your own environment more comfortable for your labor. Just make sure your surroundings relax you as much as possible and you’ll have a better chance at having the wonderful birth you want!
