Sometimes labour slows down. This might also be called stalling or “failure to progress” (bleurgh, nobody should be using that phrase if they’re giving proper personalised care). When labour slows down, contractions aren’t as effective and as efficient as they could be. Your body might need a little help increasing the frequency, duration and intensity of contractions in order for your labour to progress.
This is a checklist of things for you or your birth partner to consider if labour has slowed. Trying some or all of these might help ‘unstick’ whatever’s made labour get stuck and take a holistic view of what’s happening during the birth experience. Depending on what’s happening in your individual circumstances you may be offered medical augmentation of labour – all of these methods can be used before or as well as medical methods.
Progress Ps
Position: Are you in your preferred position? Is your position giving space for your pelvis to open, and is it using gravity to help your cervix to dilate and baby to come down the birth canal? Would moving help maximise your physiology? Do you need help and support to move?
Preferences: Has your birth plan been read and understood? Are your preferences being actively listened to? Are you being supported to work towards your preferences? Have your preferences changed?
Personal: Are your physical needs taken care of? Have you eaten and drunk to make sure your birthing muscles work effectively? Are you breathing to ensure your muscles are well oxygenated? Is your jaw (and therefore your pelvis) clenched? Have you had a wee recently – full bladders can impede baby’s progress.
Place: Is the room you’re in promoting oxytocin? Is it too hot, too cold, too cluttered to mobilise?
People: Who is present in the room with you? What are they doing? Do they make you feel safe? Do they need to be there if they’re not? Are they giving unbiased evidence based information for you to make your decisions? Are they asking consent?
Prohibitors: Are there any inhibiting factors that might be slowing your labour progress? Fear, stress, energy levels, mobility…?
Partner Potential: Is your birth partner/s doing everything they can to help labour progress? If not, what’s stopping them? Are they hungry, tired, in need of a pep talk? Do they understand what’s happening in the labour? Are they being respected in the birth room?