05/28/2025
If labor comes on suddenly and strong take a deep breath and remember - you are not alone. Call your doula or have a partner call. As your doula I offer comfort and reassurance that what you're experiencing is normal. I remind you how to relax the parts of your body where tension isn't needed to help you feel like you can stay on top of your process đ
While a speedy labor might sound desirable when youâre thinking ahead to birth - as any mama who has had a âprecipitous laborâ can relate - it can also feel intensely overwhelming - and even traumatic, especially if youâre not prepared for that reality.
Most women who go into labor spontaneously will experience a warm-up period that gets their body and mind ready, slowly, over hours and days, throughout various early labor stages.
Precipitous labor jumps right into the intensity + speed of active labor, sometimes right into the depth of transition - skipping over not only the mental warm up but the oxytocin buffer that evolutionarily has been developed as natural pain management.
A short labor can feel overwhelming and scary - like a freight train moving through you, while youâre trying to grab onto the handrails! This isnât unsafe for you or baby - itâs just moving FAST!
Key: Stay calm, trust your body, and use your skills like comforting positions and deep breathing techniques.
If youâre trying to get to the birth center or hospital and feel like pushing (or pooping!)
* Try hands and knees or elbows down with butt up in the air to take the pressure off + pant like you are trying to keep a feather up in the air.
* Laying on your side with your knees drawn up can help.
* Blow like you are extinguishing a candle to reduce the intensity of the push - you canât stop it per se, but you can ease it a bit.
The good news is these births often go really well. Your mind just needs to catch up to what your body is doing! Sometimes easier said than done - with some need to process it postpartum.
Friends saying âYouâre lucky that was so fast!â? Well.... itâs actually totally valid to feel that the experience was overwhelming - or traumatic - and youâre the only one who gets to make that call.
What were your births like? Were your labors fast? Long? How did that feel to you? How did you integrate and process this postpartum? Love to hear your stories in the comments!
For the most comprehensive birth prep course - taught by a Midwife-MD join me in BirthWise - the Mama Pathway complete birthing course - deets at the link in bio.
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