8 ways to beat contractions

No matter how many films you’ve seen with a woman rushing off to hospital at the first twinge of a contraction, only to deliver her baby moments later, the reality is usually much less dramatic.

For most women, there are several hours of mild contractions. And what eases the pain of labour for one woman might annoy the hell out of another.

Even how your labour starts is individual, depending on your body as well as the position of the baby, says midwife Sue Macdonald. For some, the first contraction could be a dull backache that slowly spreads across their belly. For others, it could feel like a period cramp. For a smaller number still, the first sign something is up is their waters breaking – a warning that contractions aren’t far behind.

Whatever the symptoms, the good news is that the nine-month waiting game is over. But labour can be frustratingly slow, as well as increasingly painful, so make sure you’ve got some tricks up your sleeve to help you cope.

1 Take your mind off it

Best for…early labour

Distraction is the best policy, says Bridget Baker, co-chair of Doula UK and an independent childbirth educator. This could mean watching a DVD or doing the ironing. ‘You feel pain more when you’ve got nothing else to think about,’ says Claire, 32, mum to Arthur, four, and Daisy, three months. ‘During both my labours, I did a big cooking session. I’d lean over the counter and take long, slow breaths when a wave came. I kept burning things, but it did take my mind off labour.’

2 Hire a TENS machine

Best for...all of labour

It sounds like an instrument of torture: a small black box that delivers tiny electric shocks to your body through electrodes you place on your skin. But for many women it reduces the agony of a contraction by confusing the body’s pain signals.

‘I loved the TENS machine I borrowed from hospital,’ says Ella, 27, mother to four-month-old Jasper. ‘I just wish I’d put it on sooner.’ Indeed, the earlier you start to use a TENS machine the better, because it allows endorphins (feel-good hormones) to build up and fight off the pain of contractions.
 
3 Take gentle exercise

Best for...early/middle labour

Janey, 26, mum to six-month-old Sacha, felt her first contraction on a freezing January day. ‘I wasn’t sure it’d help, but a slow wander around the park, holding onto my husband when a contraction came, took my mind off things and cleared my head.’ A gentle walk also encourages the descent of the baby, advises Bridget, although she says you must walk without exhausting yourself.

Other mums find something as simple as doing the washing up or cleaning the house is a good distraction – plus it has the advantage of letting you welcome the baby into a gleaming home.
 
4 Run a bath

Best for...early/middle labour

Light candles, put on some music and have a soak. Lying in warm water is soothing, says Sue, and it can affect your hormone levels, encouraging your labour to progress quickly. For some, including Harriet, 36, mum to Lara, eight months, a shower does a better job. ‘My contractions seemed much more powerful when I lay down, so I found standing in the shower more comfortable than lying in the bath,’ she says. ‘I didn’t budge until we ran out of hot water.’

5 Rest as much as possible

Best for...very early labour

‘New mums always say they wish they’d rested during the first few hours,’ says Bridget. ‘So if there’s any chance to have a nap, take it.’ This helps later as being overtired lowers your pain tolerance, making contractions seem worse. ‘I cat-napped between contractions,’ says Amelia, 29, mum to Ivo, seven months. ‘They were 15 minutes apart and it was night-time, so I forced myself to shut my eyes and breathe deeply.’
 
6 Fill up with food

Best for...early labour

By the time you reach hospital, chances are you won’t feel like eating. So while you’re at home, choose something that will give you energy and is easy to digest, such as pasta or an omelette. It’s also important to keep hydrated, so keep some water to hand, with a straw if that helps. Why not treat yourself? ‘If there’s one time you deserve chocolate cake, it’s now,’ says Becca, 39, mother to one-year-old Archie. ‘It’s worth it, even if it only takes your mind off things for a few minutes.’

7 Enjoy a massage

Best for...all of labour

Pressure on your lower back can relieve pain so ask your partner to try out a few techniques. For Lynn, 29, mum to six-month-old twins Felix and Oscar, rocking gently on all fours with her husband putting firm pressure on the bottom of her spine helped when a contraction came. ‘Even in hospital I was more comfortable moving, so the midwife let me bounce on a ball while she fixed the monitor to my belly to keep an eye on my babies’ heart rates,’ she says. 

8 Focus on breathing

Best for...all of labour

‘Any kind of breathing exercise that helps you to relax and not tense against the pain will help,’ says Sue. ‘Every time a contraction started, I’d breathe in then out as if trying to see my breath in the cold, which helped me,’ says Anita, 35, mother to James, nine months.