Most hospitals encourage moving around in early labour. You may want to adopt one of the positions learned in your classes during these early contractions:
1. Sitting against a table relaxing forward
2. Kneeling against a chair or piled pillows relaxing forward
3. On all fours
4. Leaning against a partner with arms around his neck and your head resting on his shoulder
5. Standing, leaning your back against the wall with feet well forward
6. Sitting the wrong way round astride a chair relaxing forward onto the back

If you feel the pain of labour in your back, rocking your pelvis rhythmically in one of the forward positions may help.

Your partner (or other supporter) can help in the following ways:
encouraging you to relax and breathe calmly
rubbing your back
suggesting a change of position
cooling your face with a flannel
offering sips of water,
(and most important) giving you emotional support and encouragement

Choose a comfortable position and go through your relaxation. The contractions are now much stronger and more painful. Think of them as "hills" or "waves" which you have to ride over on your journey towards the baby.

When the contractions starts, give a long sighing breath out, keep relaxed with natural breathing throughout the contractions. (As the contractions builds up you may find the pace and level of breathing alters ( just keep it low key). End each contraction with a long sighing breath out. Immediately check through your body mentally (with the help of your partner), and get rid of any tension so that you start the next contraction completely relaxed.
If at the peak of the contraction you feel you are about to tense up,switch to the "S.O.S." breathing (" Sighing Out Slowly") learned in your class. It helps if your partner does this with you. If your labour is long and difficult, be ready to accept further pain relief if and when you need it, in consultation with your midwife.

If you have a premature urge to push before full dilation (due to an "anterior lip") try to control it by one of the following:
1 The Entonox inhaler
2 "S.O.S." breathing with a partner
3 "Pant-pant-blow" breathing with a partner

Sometimes it helps during this period to adopt a kneeling forward position. When the cervix is fully dilated the midwife will guide you to adopt the position of your choice. Listen to your body an be ready to change position if you feel the need.

Breathe gently in and out as the contraction starts and when the urge overwhelms you, tuck your chin and bear downs towards your vagina keeping the pelvic floor relaxed. Try to keep your mouth and face slack and try not to hold your breath (unless you are instructed to do so by the midwife).
As the baby's head is about to emerge, work with your midwife to control the speed of the delivery. You will do this alternately pushing and panting or doing your "S.O.S." breathing as she directs you. The baby can usually be delivered onto you tummy it this is your wish.

During the third stage, the placenta has to be delivered. You may be asked to help by pushing. Whether you have an episiotomy or tear requiring stitches, or whether your perineum has remained intact, remember to start gentle pelvic floor contractions within the first hours after delivery.

Also do some deep breathing to expand your lungs fully and vigorous foot exercises to help the circulation. This is particularly after a Caesarean delivery.

At last! Your baby has arrived. The months ahead, as you get to know each other, will almost certainly be among the most exciting of your life.

It's easy to see why. After the huge physical effort of carrying and giving birth to your baby, your body probably feels sore, heavy and drained of energy. You may just want to lie down and sleep. Instead you have to cope with broken nights, a completely new routine and the amazing responsibility of caring for a new, precious life. There are bound to be tears - not all of them from the baby.

WHEN CAN WE MAKE LOVE AGAIN?

When you want to, basically. It probably won't do you any harm to have sexual intercourse within a week or two of giving birth- but it would be far too painful to enjoy.

Most doctors recommend women wait until after their six week post-natal check-up before re-starting sexual intercourse. But many women choose to wait much longer. In fact, half of UK couples delay sex for more than three months after having a child, and some leave it for a whole year.

The important this is not to feel pressured about sex. Lots of new mothers find they lose interest, for a while. If you feel like this, talk to your partner about it ant try to get him to understand, In time, your normal sex drive will almost certainly return.

PELVIC FLOOR EXERCISES

During labour you may have also strained muscles which you use to control the flow of urine from your blabber. This is quite likely if the birth was sudden or very difficult. If this has happened you may find that you have started to lose a little bit of urine when you exert yourself, or when you cough or sneeze. The cure is usually simple: exercise! Pelvic floor exercises will hurt at first because your whole pelvic area will be sore from the birth. But the sooner you start them, and more you do, the better chance of you regaining a watertight blabber. The pelvic floor muscles also control your 'grip' during sexual intercourse, so if you keep them fit you may improve your sex life too!

Your periods could start one month after delivery. If you breast-feed they may not come back until after your baby is weaned. They may take on a slightly different pattern from before - be more lighter or heavier.

Most women wait until their second post-natal period after the birth, before using tampons simply because they still feel sore. If your period flow has altered you may need to use different absorbency tampons from the ones you used before.

However fit and well-prepared you may have been before the birth, after it you will feel sore. Labour it just that - hard work, and your muscles will be stretched and aching. If you had a vaginal delivery you will be extremely tender and if you had stitches to repair the opening they will take time to heal. If your had a Caesarean your internal stitches may make it difficult to move without pain.

After the birth you will have a pinky-brown discharge and you will need to wear sanitary pads to stop it staining your clothes. This is not a period - the discharge is called lochia and it is quite normal. It usually tails off after about four weeks.

During pregnancy your uterus was stretched to about four times its normal size. After childbirth it shrinks back to about the size of a pear and this may cause pains, rather like period cramps. This discomfort is most common in women who are breast-feeding and who have already one or more babies. Your breasts will be swollen with milk, and may be a bit sore or painful for a few days.

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You may have PND if:

• You are persistently sad. Some women feel so low that they avoid meeting other people, and some cry too easily.
• You feel you are the only mother who cannot cope.
• You feel a failure, and feel guilty because of it.
• You are anxious and irritable. Many women worry over trivial problems or world problems. Maybe you cannot leave your baby with others, yet cannot cope with the crying.
• Either you can't sleep even though you are exhausted, or you endlessly crave sleep.
• You lack energy and enthusiasm. Many women know they should get on with things but their body seems to heavy to move.
• You are off your food. Some women nibble all day on whatever comes to hand. Others cook for the family but can't eat anything themselves.
• You can't cope with daily chores or do the most trivial of tasks, such as deciding what to wear.
• You can't concentrate or remember things. Many women lose the thread of ordinary conversations and feel stupid. This undermines confidence and self- esteem still further.
• You suffer a variety of physical symptoms. There may seem to be endless stream of aches, pains and illnesses. Some women have only physical symptoms.