Ways to conserve energy in between contractions - My top 4 tips

Pure exhaustion during labour can be so difficult to manage and can in itself lead to further interventions.

Most people in labour will get breaks in between contractions, we need to make sure that we use this time wisely. Labour can last a good chunk of time (of course we can never predict the length of labour) but conserving energy is super important and we can do that in between contractions. Some people will experience a very quick labour, known as Precipitous labour, you can find out more about this here but these tips will still be important.

The majority of people will spend more time in-between contractions during labour than in a contraction, this is really important to know.

Never underestimate the power of the breaks that your body gives you, use this time wisely.

Here are 4 simple but very effective things to consider doing in-between contractions. Tip 4 just makes sense:

1/ Sleep or rest

In the very early stages of labour, most people will get a good amount of time in between contractions. Instead of rushing around, go to sleep if you can or even just rest your head, rest is just as beneficial as actual sleep. It’s important for your birth partner to be able to get some rest too, if they are able to sleep too then I would recommend doing this.

As labour progresses the amount of time in between surges typically becomes less but you can still rest your head. I see a lot of people sitting on their birth ball and resting their head on the bed.

As we are aware, for some people, labour can last a long time, sleep and rest are so crucial, especially in the early stage of labour.

2/ Eat or snack

Energy comes from food as well as sleep. Most people forget to eat during labour. If you are able to eat something substantial during the early stages then this will set you up well for the rest of labour.

As labour progress, you probably won’t want to eat something big but snacking can provide you with small boosts of energy. Think about things such as nuts, Jaffa Cakes, energy balls, Jammy Dodgers, Jelly Babies or fruit. All of these are a marathon runner’s choice of snack.

Don’t forget to drink plenty too, hydration is so important for the uterus - find out what 4 things the uterus needs during labour here.

3/ Use Energy Boosting Essential Oils

Essential oils can be so useful during labour. I often recommend to my hypnobirthing clients to find a relaxing essential oil but also an energising one too.

I would recommend the relaxing scent for the majority of labour as we know we want to relax the uterus muscles as much as possible, click here to find out why (you need to make sure that you pair this relaxing scent when practising your hypnobirthing techniques during pregnancy).

Towards the end of labour, if you are feeling tired, your birth partner could switch the scent, even just 1 drop of energy-boosting essential oil on a tissue that you can sniff will be enough.

*Please note that essential oils are powerful, it’s not just a case of them smelling nice, they actually work on the brain. Some essential oils can even help the uterus muscles to contract. For this reason, you need to make sure that you are using pregnancy and labour-safe essential oils. You can tell if an essential oil is pure as it will have the Latin name on the bottle. Please consult an aromatherapist if you have any questions.

4/ Use all of your hypnobirthing techniques in between contractions as well as during. Here’s something you might not know:

Those who are scared of contractions will find themselves tensing their body, even when a contraction has disappeared, this wastes energy. They will start to panic about the next contraction before it has even arrived. Now, considering that the majority of people will have more breaks than contractions during labour, this can present a big issue.

But never fear, your hypnobirthing teacher will help you feel calmer about birth so that when you do get breaks, you can use this time wisely. Instead of fearing the rest of labour, your hypnobirthing techniques will allow you to stay present and feel prepared to cope with the next contraction.

The techniques that you learn on my hypnobirthing courses can be used in between contractions as well as during contractions. All of the tools you will have been provided with will help you to conserve energy and flood your body with essential oxygen.

Hypnobirthing techniques can be used for the whole of labour.

One final tip below…

There’s so much more that you and your birth partner can be doing to support you for the duration of labour. My hypnobirthing courses will fully prepare you for the whole of labour, right up until you birth your placenta (which in itself needs a whole blog post).

FINAL TIP: If you are feeling really exhausted during labour, then laying down on the bed is an option but consider laying on your side so that your pelvis can still open to let your baby out.

Take a look at what courses I have available here:

More birth and labour tips here: