First-Time Mum's Tips and Tricks for Labour

If this is your first baby, labour can feel like a big unknown, and a little nervousness is completely normal. The truth is that your body is built for this, and a handful of simple, practical tips can make the whole experience feel far more manageable. Here are the things a midwife would genuinely want you to know, from getting your head in the right space to the comfort tricks that really help on the day. It's general information, not medical advice, so always follow the guidance of your own midwife or hospital.

Get your head in the right place

So much of coping with labour is mindset. Try to think of each contraction as your body doing exactly what it's designed to do, bringing you closer to meeting your baby. It helps to learn a little about what happens in each stage, so nothing feels alarming, and to remind yourself that the intensity comes in waves, with a rest in between every one. You only ever have to get through the wave you're in.

Tips for before labour starts

A bit of preparation in your final weeks pays off enormously once labour begins.

• Go to an antenatal or birth class, and take your support person so you're a team on the day.
• Write a short, flexible birth plan so you've thought through your preferences without locking yourself in.
• Pack your labour bag by around 36 weeks and keep it easy to grab.
• Gather your comfort tools early, such as a birth ball, heat packs, a playlist and a labour TENS machine, and practise using them.
• Rest and bank sleep where you can, especially in the last few weeks.

Tips for early labour (at home)

For most first-time mums, early labour is the longest phase and happens quietly at home. How you spend it really matters, so the golden rule is: don't rush, and save your energy.

• Rest or even sleep between contractions if early labour starts overnight. Resist the urge to stay up timing every twinge.
• Eat light snacks and keep sipping water, because labour is hard physical work.
• Distract yourself: watch a favourite show, potter about, bake, or go for a gentle walk.
• Try a warm shower or bath, and a heat pack on your lower back.
• Start your TENS machine early. Early labour at home is exactly when many women pop the pads on, and it tends to work best when you build it up gradually from the start.
• Time your contractions just enough to see the pattern, not every single one.

Tips for active labour (staying comfortable)

As contractions become stronger, longer and closer together, these comfort measures come into their own. Most women mix and match, and change what they're doing as things progress.

Keep moving and change position

Staying upright and mobile uses gravity to help your baby move down, and it often makes contractions feel more bearable. Sway, walk, rock on a birth ball, lean over the bed, or get onto hands and knees, which is especially good for easing a sore back. Simply changing position every so often can make a real difference.

Use water

Warm water is a wonderful comfort. A shower aimed at your lower back can take the edge off, and a deep bath or birth pool helps many women relax and feel weightless. Ask what's available where you're planning to birth.

Breathe through it

Slow, steady breathing is one of the most powerful tools you have. A long breath out through each contraction keeps you calm, saves energy and stops tension building. Anchor to the out-breath and let your shoulders drop.

Lean on your comfort tools

A TENS machine gives you something to control with each contraction, with a boost button for the peak. Heat packs, massage and firm counter-pressure on your lower back from your support person can all be hugely soothing, particularly with back labour.

Tips for your support person

A calm, useful support person makes a huge difference, and most partners just want to know how to help. Share these with yours.

• Keep the mood calm and encouraging, and follow her lead rather than taking over.
• Offer sips of water and snacks, and remind her to go to the toilet regularly.
• Help with counter-pressure, massage, or holding the TENS machine and hitting boost.
• Be the one who times contractions and talks to the midwives, so she can focus inward.
• Offer steady reassurance, especially if she hits a wobble and says she can't do it. That moment is often a sign things are progressing.

Knowing when to go in

Every hospital gives its own guidance, so follow the advice you've been given. As a common general guide, many services suggest heading in when contractions are around 5 minutes apart, lasting 45 to 60 seconds, and have been that way for about an hour. Go in sooner, or call, if you live far away, your waters break, or you simply don't feel comfortable at home anymore. When in doubt, ring the midwives. They would always rather you called. Our guide to coping with early labour at home covers this in more detail.

Things first-time mums often wish they'd known

• The intensity comes in waves with a rest between each one, so you're never in constant pain.
• There's often a moment near the end (called transition) where you feel you can't go on. This usually means baby is close.
• It's completely normal for your plans to change on the day, and choosing pain relief is never a failure.
• Little things like an empty bladder, dim lighting and your own music genuinely help.
• Your body may do unexpected things, like shaking or feeling sick, and your midwife has seen it all before.

Stay flexible, and trust yourself

The best labour plan is one that can flex with how your day actually unfolds. Learn your options, gather your tools, lean on your support person, and take it one contraction at a time. You are stronger than you think, and your midwife is right there with you the whole way.

References and further reading

• Raising Children Network (signs and stages of labour and birth)
• Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (early signs of labour)
• healthdirect (giving birth: contractions)
• Better Health Channel (pregnancy and labour)

Frequently asked questions