How to make Hot Towels

Terry towelling nappy squares are easiest.

• Take one towelling nappy, fold it in half, then half again to form a square.

• Sew the edges up using large and loose stitches (so you can undo them later - doesn't have to be perfect). This makes the 'hot towel' for the back as seen in the picture above.

• Take another towelling nappy, fold it in thirds to form a rectangle. Sew the edges up. This rectangular nappy makes the 'hot towel' for the labouring belly!

• After you have done this, make one more set so that while one set is being used on the mother, the other set is waiting in the hot water bucket. A labouring mother DOES NOT like to wait!

How to use Hot Towels

Use hot water, as hot as the mother can bear it, in a nappy bucket, preferably with a lid to keep the heat contained. A drop of lavender essential oil in the bucket can create a calming, nice smell if you like lavender.

You can use other oils if you wish. Clary Sage helps labour along, Sandalwood has a deep calming property to it, there are others, but be careful in what you select. Rosemary has the ability to raise blood pressure, so you probably don't want that one for labour!

As you can see in the picture above, one person can do the hot towels, you put the back towel on first and then the belly towel and hold them in place. If there are other people present, giving them the task of keeping the water hot and handing towel sets over, will give them something to do!

Here are some comments from other women;

"Hot towels are EXCELLENT! They were a focus away from the intensity of the contractions, I found that they helped me to focus on something other than my belly getting tighter and tighter and tighter AND tighter, which helped me to keep breathing. There were a few contractions where I found myself not breathing as the contraction peaked and I had to remind myself to relax and to breathe. The towels helped immensely!"

"I didn't have a great need for the hot towels but they gave my husband something to do! They gave him a reason to feel he was doing something supportive and to help me! I enjoyed the warmth they provided during the height of some contractions."

"One of my favourite memories of my long labour was the scent of the hot towels. Along with the heat, it helped me to relax and drift off to sleep in between contractions! We used sandalwood and even now, when I catch the scent of sandalwood, it brings me back to that labour and that birth."