What to Do in Early Labor (Before You Go to the Hospital)

Early labor can be a tricky time for a variety of reasons. Today I want to give you 3 ways to handle it at home before you head in to the hospital. They’re things that will help keep your stress level low, help labor progress and make sure you’re safe!

Problems with Early Labor

I think when we think about going into labor we don’t think it will be tricky but there are a few problems with early labor…

It’s confusing. I have a friend who says that labor comes in hindsight because you really only realize you’re there once you’re in it. So, early labor can be happening while you’re not sure if it’s the real thing. Many people have a long prodromal labor period where it goes on and off which is super annoying. That article has some great tips too!

Your Best Spot is at HOME. I know, I know –the movies make it seem like you have one contraction and you should be in the car by the next one — but the best place for you when labor isn’t taking your breath away is at home. Which means it’s just you and your partner trying to manage this part. Which leads me to…

Partners hate it. And this includes my own partner. He didn’t like having the pressure of helping me out (which didn’t come naturally when I was stressed and in a lot of pain), plus helping to decide when to head into the hospital. I think that helping your partner understand early labor can be a BIG win. That’s why I recommend this for both of you. Big help!

Talking about your birth plan can also be a good way for you guys to get on the same page — get my free series here:

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What to do in Early Labor?

Today I want to give you 3 things to do in early labor. Since this is such a tricky (and can feel lonely) part of labor, I go into much more detail about it in here. << that’s so helpful!

Ignore It

Like a whiny toddler, early labor isn’t something you want to give a lot of attention to. This means you ignore it as long as you can.

Many people are up timing contractions that are 15-20+ minutes apart when their energy would’ve been better spent ignoring it.

That means finding something else to do, napping, prepping your house/nesting. All of these things can help you ignore it, and not give it the weight it wants to take all your attention (right as it goes away).

Yes, that’s right — I said it might go away. Just because you have contractions now, doesn’t mean it’s going to stay that way. I have more tips about labor here:

• You Don’t Need to Know Everything—Just This Before Birth
• 5 Things I Did for a Faster Labor
• 3 Things to Prepare For Labor
• Labor Contractions Explained: Your Ultimate Guide
• Why Most Birth Classes Fall Short: Preparing for the Unexpected in Labor

Call Your Provider

I get the feeling that not a lot of people know that they can often get hold of a professional when they call their provider’s office. That may mean speaking with them directly, a nurse that’s on call (who would upgrade to a doctor/midwife if they felt it was necessary), speaking to someone in labor and delivery or another provider who’s on call for the practice.

Giving them a quick call can give you a lot of reassurance in early labor. They can remind you what to watch for to head into the hospital. Review when you should head in and can honestly do a quick “phone assessment” to see how you’re doing. As a nurse I could most often tell in a phone call if the patient was ready to come in, or could probably still labor at home for a bit longer.

It’s not so simple that you call your provider’s office and speak to someone 24/7 — most often there’s an emergency line on their message, you call that number and likely will speak with an answering service who will pass your information on to whoever is on call. Just helps to know that going in. If you like tips like this — check out this!

Move

Ok, so we’re feeling good about being home and we’re not actually asleep (because if you can sleep — I think that’s a big win) I would encourage you to MOVE. This can look a variety of ways:

1. If you’re exhausted, it can be just turning over in bed, or using extra pillows to prop your hips in new ways.
2. Going on a walk.
3. Lunges around your house for a few minutes.
4. Trying different positions to hang out in. I have labor movement cards in here that can help give you ideas for this.

The idea is to be changing positions every 30 minutes or so. This is a GREAT job for your partner to be doing at this point. They can set a timer and then help you move and give you ideas for a new spot (that’s where those labor movement cards really shine).

Your pelvis moves when you move and it helps give baby find their best spot to get down into the birth canal when you combine movement with gravity. I’m a big fan of it.

TLDR: Here’s my 3 main points for you…

1. Early labor can come and go like a thief in the night — so ignoring it is a big win.
2. Incorporating movement into early labor is a BIG win. Don’t just lay on your bed in the fetal position afraid of what’s going to come — that helps no one!
3. Early labor can be more scary then you’d plan on. Getting prepared for it is a big win << and, involving your partner puts much less of the burden just on you.

I’m so glad you’re here. This is honestly advice that so many people ignore about labor, but so important! What are YOU planning to do in early labor? Tell us in the comments.

I will say in here I have a tip that people just HATE but solves so many problems. I did it in early labor too and while it made me angry it did help. 🙂 Let’s get prepared together!