Coping with Long Labours

Remove the clocks and anything else that displays the time, or cover them up.

Try and identify any factors that may be prolonging labour. They can be simple things like moving the woman, car trips, lack of privacy, lack of peace or space, her children's needs, the woman's feelings about her environment, herself, her abilities, her baby, or the people present at her birth. Fears or expectations of birth can also prolong labour until women work them out.

Baby's position may be less than ideal. See Posterior Babies, Breech Babies, Transverse Babies.

Rigid Cervixes / Failure to Dilate

Visualise yourself opening up like a flower. Open mouthed kisses, open loose slack mouths and jaws can help relax your cervix.

Warm baths and listening to relaxing music.

Change position or environment.

Take 50-150 drops of lobelia tincture in half a glass of water, repeating twice with 30 minutes in between doses if neccessary. Lobelia is used for rigidity of the vagina, perinium and cervix in labour. If taken in a large enough dose, lobelia will relax muscles in your body, insufficient doses will stimulate.
CAUTION: Lobelia is considered a dangerous herb and can produce nausea, burning in the throat, stupor and other side effects.

Some women use evening primrose oil rubbed on their cervix to soften and relax it, but this may not relax the woman if she does not want anything inserted into her vagina during labour.

Exhaustation

Sip Ginger root infusion or tea mixed with Raspberry leaf infusion/tea increases energy and reduces mental resistance. Don't drink if you think you will give birth within an hour as ginger increases circulation and may increase your risk for post partum haemorrhage.

Ginseng Root - can be taken as capsules or as an infusion but traditionally women chew on the root of the ginseng during labour.

Other Resources