Pregnancy
How to Induce Labor With Castor Oil
At the end of your pregnancy, it may seem like a lifetime until you finally go into labor and welcome your new bundle of joy. If you're full term and have yet t
Pregnancy
Pregnancy
How to Protect Your Perineum From a Tear or Episiotomy
Damage to vaginal tissues during birth is a common concern. It usually takes longer to heal with a tear or a cut and can make your postpartum experience unpleas
Pregnancy
How to Understand Fetal Monitoring
Fetal monitoring is watching and listening to the baby's heart rate for indicators of stress, particularly during labor and birth. There are essentially four di
Pregnancy
How to Do the Seated Knee Press
Back pain in labor is very common. Although there are many positions you can try to alleviate the pain, the seated knee press is one that has yielded great resu
Pregnancy
How to Recognize Emotional Dystocia in Labor
Emotional dystocia in labor that is unresolved can lead to a cesarean. Emotional dystocia is the clinical term for emotional stress. When a woman experiences em
Pregnancy
How to Use a Supported Squat Position With an Epidural
Moms who choose an epidural in labor often get stuck in bed. If the epidural works properly, your bottom half (from your waist to your toes) is usually too numb
Pregnancy
How to Make Difficult Decisions During Labor
Having to make difficult choices while you're in labor may be one of the hardest and most frustrating things you'll have to do. Before consenting to certain pro
Pregnancy
How to Massage a Woman in Labor
You don't have to be a certified massage therapist to give a laboring mom a good rub down, as long as you are careful. Moms in labor are usually quite sensitive
Pregnancy
How to Use Movement With an Epidural
Movement in labor is a good tool to use to help the baby descend more quickly into the pelvis and also to descend in the proper position. Walking, squatting and
Pregnancy
How to Do the Double Hip Squeeze
Many moms in labor experience low back pain or pressure. As the baby settles lower into the pelvis, the head puts more pressure on the sacrum. To counter this p
Pregnancy
How to Handle the Transition Stage of Labor
Labor is broken up into four stages: early, active, transition and pushing. Transition is the shortest phase, but often the most challenging phase of labor for
Pregnancy
How to Handle Back Pain in Labor
In most cases, a woman feels some achiness or cramping in her back during labor, reveals the American Pregnancy Association, and for around a quarter of women b
Pregnancy
How to Calm a Panicky Woman During Labor
Many women in labor handle every contraction they have with dignity. Sometimes it's hard to even tell when they are having contractions and when they aren't. Ho
Pregnancy
How to Handle Early Labor
There's no turning back now. Early labor is the first phase of labor, and you'll probably find it's the easiest phase. Though early labor shouldn't be too painf
Pregnancy
How to Hire a Home Birth Midwife
Home births in the U.S. increased by 29 percent between 2004 and 2009, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you decide to go the home
Pregnancy
How to Write Your Own Labor Relaxation Script
The process of giving birth is called "labor" for a reason -- it's hard work. Although there's nothing relaxing about the physical process of giving birth, you