Curriculum Topic: Group Activity, Practice
Activity Type: Shared Decision-Making, Multi-topic, Healthy Birth Practice 4, Birth Planning, Medical Interventions
Supplies: You can make small illustrated posters for each labor station by cutting out pictures from Lamaze handouts, childbirth magazines, taking pictures of students in your own classes in a variety of positions, or from the Birth Companion pamphlet by Childbirth Graphics. Print and handout the "Labor Rehearsal" situation cards.
Instructions:
For the final labor rehearsal of the series, many instructors set up labor stations. The instructor will post illustrations of a position and/or activity and have the necessary equipment available so that the students can practice using that equipment and/or position. It is ideal to have as many labor stations as you have pairs of students. Each pair can begin at a different labor station.
The instructor will describe a possible situation or contraction and ask each pair to “act out” the scenario or “practice” the contraction, using the equipment and/or position at their station. After each scene or contraction, the instructor will encourage discussion about what they liked or didn't like. Then the pairs will rotate to another station and “act out” another scene or practice another “contraction.”
One benefit of doing a labor rehearsal in this way is that one pair may be practicing a transition contraction lying on their side with pillows, while another pair may be slow dancing during the same contraction. Even during the second stage practice scenarios, birthing individuals will be in a variety of positions.
Possible Labor Stations:
- Sensory Station: This table may be set up for couples to borrow “tools” as they rotate stations, or as a station on its own, for the students to gain ideas on things they might like to take with them to labor. Set out items relating to the senses: hot and cold packs; music, scented votive candles unlit; hand lotions; baby lotion); variety of flavored hard candy or lollipops.
- Standing Position Station: Provide a birth ball to lean on against a wall. Include standing position pictures such as slow dancing, standing - either leaning forward or leaning back, and abdominal lifting.
- Sitting Position Station: Provide a chair and/or mat and a birth ball along with pictures of sitting position such as sitting upright, sitting leaning forward, sitting backwards in an armless chair, sitting leaning back, knee press, and a hip squeeze.
- Kneeling and All-Fours Station: Provide a mat, knee pads, a chair, and birth ball with pictures such as kneeling, leaning into someone's lap, kneeling over a ball, all-fours, and a lunge.
- Side-Lying Position Station: Provide a mat or blanket with side-lying pictures and relaxing images. You can also provide a small "peanut ball" for practice. “Peanut” balls are gaining popularity in many labor and birth areas, especially for laboring individuals who have had epidural analgesia. Labor nurses and doulas have found that labor progress is enhanced when the laboring individual either sits up with one leg draped over the ball or lies on their side with the upper leg resting on the ball.
- Touch Relaxation Station: Provide mat or chairs with handouts for hand massage and touch relaxation. It is nice to add music and pillows to this and other stations, or to have students bring their own.
- Movement Station: Provide chair and birth ball with pictures of movements to help labor progress, such as swaying on birth ball, rocking, swaying, stepping, and dancing (standing).
- Other stations can be added as needed or desired: pushing station, breath awareness, birth art, and/or parent's choice
Talking Points:
You can use labor stations to teach your students that there is not an ideal position for any certain phase of labor – instead laboring individuals are encouraged to change positions frequently during labor, and to use whatever position feels best and seems to enhance labor progress. This is also an ideal way to paractice all of the elements of coping through contractions (position, comfort, focus, breathing) that have been taught throught the series.
Modifications:
If your stations are based on position alone, add a sensory stimulus such as a music player or a warm/ice pack to each station, so that students can practice the position using a comfort strategy. The more creative you are, the more tools your students will have for labor. There are as many ways to set up labor stations as there are childbirth educators. You may want to assign a certain position to each station, or have themes for each station. You can also use the "Labor Rehearsal" situation handouts either as a complete handout or cut apart into separate cards for practice.
Reference: Adapted from the Lamaze Toolkit
Download Handouts
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