Episode 15: Stages & Phases of Labor starting with Prodromal Labor

How do you think labor usually starts? Just like the movies, right? Water breaks, then BAM super strong contractions? Not necessarily! More often labor starts slowly, and for some, labor starts with prodromal labor.

Prodromal labor is a start and stop labor pattern that can go on, for - sometimes - days. This start and stop labor pattern can be so very discouraging -- labor and birth is such a mind game and prodromal labor for days in a row really messes with you. It can also truly exhaust you via on-again-off-again contractions interfere with your sleep. However, until labor is really rocking and rolling with steady contractions increasing in length, strength, and frequency... often the best course of action is to do body balancing movements, rest, and wait.

Over the next few weeks in the free weekly Brave Journey Birth Prep videos we'll be going over the stages and phases of labor in the medical / linear birth model (e.g. Prodromal, Early, Active, Transition, Pushing, Delivering the Placenta, etc.). The linear birth model is super useful to understand as a birthing person as it is the language used by medical care providers and it's the framework medical care providers and systems use to determine recommendations. It's also useful to understand as it may give you a framework to conceptualize what's happening during labor, and your birth story after the fact.

Notice the word MAY. The truth is, labor doesn't usually feel linear when you're in it -- and due to the beauty of the laborland mind state (a helpful altered mind state many birthing people descend into during labor) , most memories of birth aren't linear, either. Who's to say this made up linear framework is the only tool we have to frame our experience of birthing a baby? Also to keep in mind while we're discussing the linear birth model, this model is a massive oversimplification. Every birth is different, even when the same person is birthing different babies.⠀

Full Video Transcript:⠀

Hello, and welcome to episode 15 of the weekly free, Brave Journey Birth Preparation videos. This week, we are talking about prodromal labor as we start discussing the stages and phases of labor.

And again, this video is one that I originally recorded for a different purpose. I was thinking that I would use it for the first module of my full brave Journey Birth Preparation Program, as I've been developing that curriculum. How however I completely reworked and reorganized how I'm introducing concepts. So these videos are no longer useful for that purpose. So I'm offering them for free. I split up the videos into weekly segments.

And this week, I'm sharing the one where I talk about prodromal labor. And just a quick note, I may mention things like in this lesson, we're discussing X, uh, and in the next lesson or in a future lesson, we'll just discuss what XYZ. Um, and that may not be relevant since this was originally recorded, like I said, for the paid program.

But I'm offering it here for free. So without further ado, let's discuss prodromal labor.

There is this assumption that labor will start and that it will immediately dive into active labor. And I think it's unfortunate because I think that's what's shown often on tV or movies. The representations of birth. We don't often get to see our friends and sisters and siblings and community members give birth throughout our lives.

We're really only introduced to birth through perhaps our parents' stories and through movies. And the movies always seem to show labor, just kicking right into active labor. And that's not often how it starts.

Early labor would be a regular rhythm of contractions. Prodromal labor is a start and stop labor pattern that can go on for a couple of days and it can be really discouraging.

Prodromal labor contractions do feel different than Braxton Hicks contractions. Braxton Hicks, contractions are just tightenings of the uterus. They don't tend to feel uncomfortable. There's not a lot of discomfort. Prodromal labor and early labor contractions do have sensation to them. They can be intense, but with prodromal labor they'll they'll contractions will start, they'll be 5, 10, 15 minutes apart, and they'll go on for an hour or two, and then they'll go away until the next day.

And this can go on for days and it can be really, really discouraging. It can be discouraging and difficult in particular, if the birthing person is experiencing these overnight and if it's interrupting their sleep.

Some people say prodromal labor happens when the baby is struggling to come into optimal position, but it's not always known why prodromal labor happens.

Because of this assumption that prodromal labor happens because the baby's trying to come into optimal position some people will recommend gentle movement that balances the body like walking or yoga. And I am going to offer a bonus yoga video - body balancing poses that can perhaps help with bringing baby into optimal fetal positioning.

And there's also something called The Miles Circuit which is a sequence of positions, miles, M I L E S you can Google it. And the sequence of positions are, are positions that you hold for like 10 minutes, and that's meant to bring the baby into optimal position.

And these can work. But honestly, as difficult as it is, and this is often the lesson of birth and parenthood to be honest- sometimes you just have to wait and there's not a whole lot you can do, but just process through this part of the journey. And if prodromal labor is a part of your labor journey, it can be discouraging.

It can really mess with your mind.

So much of labor and birth is a mind game.

So here's a story about prodromal labor where I was a doula for a birthing family and the birthing person began having contractions off and on over the course of a few days. This was a few days before her labor eventually ended up starting . And it was very, very frustrating for her. So contractions would come on in the evening. They would last a couple hours. They would mess with her sleep and then they'd go away during the day.

And it was so frustrating for her. She was getting really tired. So I went over to their house and I helped her with some gentle body balancing yoga. Um, we did do the Miles circuit. We did some gentle yoga and the intent was to help bring the baby into proper position. But also I really wanted to give her a sense of release and ease and peace in her body after a really discouraging couple of days.

So that night she slept better. And then the next evening she called with the exciting news that labor had finally started. And within a few hours later that evening, she had birthed her baby. So there's a story on prodromal labor.

Next, we will discuss the first stage of the first phase of labor, officially, early labor.

So some could argue that prodromal labor is just a really extended early labor. And that may be true, but it does feel different.

Okay. That's it for this week's free weekly video. Next week, we will continue our discussion of the stages and phases of labor with the discussion on earth, early labor and what that often looks like. And I thank you so much. Please reach out. I'm [email protected]. Please email me. I love it hearing from and discussing anything with pregnant and expectant families.

I'd love, love any comments or thoughts or questions you have, please reach out to me. I, like I said, I enjoy it. So thank you. I appreciate you. And I will see you next week.

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