Hospital Room Set Up

Turn off the Lights

Keep the big fluro lights off. If they need to be turned on for some reason, turn them off again. Melatonin is important for labour progress.Melatonin is a hormone our body makes at night, our sleep hormone. It is disrupted by bright lights. Melatonin works with oxytocin for our contractions, so it is important to keep a dimly lit room.

Bonus: Make the room cosz using some LED candles or fairy lights. Create a beautiful, safe, romantic type atmosphere.

Move the bed.

If the bed is right in the middle of the room, see if you can move it to one side, so you can walk and move around the room more. If you can’t walk around the bed and back again in a U shape. Some hospital rooms are fairly small, so make the most of the space. Ask if you can go for brief walks up the corridor if needed..
You can also use the bed, not just by sitting or laying on it (you can do that too, especially if you feel you need a rest - lay on your side or sit quite upright and lower the foot of the bed). If you are walking around the room, lift the bed up high, so you can lean over it and rock your hips. If you are sitting on a birth ball, lower the bed so you can lean over the bed between surges.

Get a Floor Mat.

If you are wanting to kneel, lean on a birth ball or all-fours (very comfortable positions) ask for a soft mat for the floor. Even standing this can be lovely. You can move it to where in the room you want, pop a sheet on top and have a comfortable surface to kneel on that won’t hurt your knees. If for some reason you can’t use a floor mat, kneel on the bed. Lay the bed flat and you can be on hands and knees. Put the head of the bed upright and you can lear up over the top of the bed in a kneeling position. 

Get a Birth Ball.

A birth ball is AMAZING.

You can use them so many ways, lean on them, sit on them, your birth partner can sit on it behind you.

This allows you movement of your hips, rocking, circling etc on the ball between or during your surges. Your birth partner can do some light touch massage on your back or apply pressure to your lower back during surges.

My favourite was sitting on the birth ball and leaning on the lowered hospital bed for a rest between surges.

Scent.

1 - Bring your own pillow.

Hospital pillows are plastic. Enough said.
Your own pillow will be much more comfortable and will also be a familiar scent for you.

2 - Bring a portable diffuser or something to replace the bleach, clinical smell you will otherwise get in a hospital room. Smells can be very comforting, promote relaxation and calm, so find something you like and use it.

If you are on monitoring - CTG

If you require monitoring for your baby ask for wireless, telemetry monitoring, most hospitals should have this now. Sometimes it might just be in a different room or need connecting. Then you can move around freely. Keep in mind that the monitors can slip around and may need adjusting regularly to keep in the right position to pick up baby’s heart rate. Your midwife may need to keep adjusting or holding it. Try to find a position that you are most comfortable in. If you want you can hold it or get your birth partner to. Positions like all fours, on the bed, kneeling over the bed are great for this.

If you need an IV connected.

Get a wheely pole for it, so you can still walk and move around. If for some reason you can’t use a birth ball to sit or lean on next to the bed, or stand, move and sway next to the bed. Keep as much upright positioning and movement as you are able to.

When you get your IV inserted, see if they can put it in your forearm so you still have full movement of your hands, if not the back of your hand still works well. 

Use Water

Make use of a bath or shower in your hospital room. Make sure you check beforehand if your hospital requires consents or paperwork to be signed. Water provides great comfort and pain-relief, so make the most of it.
Many monitors are now water-proof, so ask your hospital about what they have if you need a CTG or IV.

Use the Toilet

This one might sound a little strange, but trust me! The toilet is known among birth workers as “The Dilation Station.“
The toilet is a great place to go for some privacy. It’s a place your pelvic floor is used to relaxing. Plus, emptying your bladder regularly is very important during labour. Win, win, win.

If you want to learn more about positions for labour and birth, benefits of upright positioning, tools and techniques for labour see The Positive Birth Program™.