Naturally Stopping and Managing Premature Labor
It Can Usually Be Halted at Home
If you suspect you are going into labor prematurely, the first thing you should do is drink an 8oz glass of water and lay down. Dehydration can cause premature labor, and activity encourages labor to strengthen. Most of the time, laying down and relaxing while taking in fluids will stop premature labor. You should stay well-hydrated and well-rested at least for a few weeks until the threat has passed. This will keep your uterus relaxed.
Your doctor may recommend that you go on bedrest if you are high risk for or are threatening to go into labor prematurely. He will stress the importance of staying off your feet and staying hydrated. If he advises you to do this, take it seriously. Get up only to use the washroom. This may be difficult to arrange, but it is well worth it. If you don't have a friend or husband who can stay home to help you and care for the kids, there are doulas who cater to the needs of women on bedrest. Staying in bed can help keep premature labor at bay.
Alcohol can also help halt preterm labor. Some doctors and midwives advise that women have a glass of wine, rather than water, and lay down. Alcohol is a depressant that relaxes the body and thus the uterus. It has been proven to help stop and prevent premature labor. This mild use of alcohol is unlikely to cause fetal defects. Studies have shown that using alcohol to stop premature labor does not cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Pace yourself. Have a glass of wine, and wait about half an hour. If labor continues, have another glass--or even a shot of whiskey. Stay off of your feet. This should work within a few hours, but there's no guarantee.
Some women recommend upping your protein and calcium intake. Calcium especially is supposed to help prevent preterm labor. One midwife recommends 1500mg of calcium and 750mg of magnesium daily for this purpose, as magnesium sulfate is used in hospitals to stop labor. Re-examining your diet to make sure you are meeting all of your nutritional needs is never a bad idea. Again, remember to drink plenty of water--eight 8oz glasses a day. Be sure to take your prenatals or vitamin of choice. Having a nice, filling meal while you rest and drink your water and wine can't hurt.
A warm or hot bath is said to be helpful at halting preterm labor, too. This is because it relaxes you. Relaxing and relieving your stress is one of the best ways to stop premature labor. We see this in the effectiveness of bedrest, alcohol, and other methods that relax the body, mind, and uterus. Anything that will help accomplish this is bane to premature labor, be it watching TV, reading a book, or meditating.
Hyland's Calms Forte may help with premature labor. It is a homeopathic remedy that is used to relieve tension and treat insomnia. There is no medicine in it, and it doesn't cause any side effects. As with other methods, the goal is to calm and relax yourself. Take them with water or wine, and lay down in bed or in the bath. Another thing you can try is rescue remedy, available at most places that sell homebirth kits, which is very helpful at relieving stress and stopping preterm labor.
Valerian root, a herb that promotes healthy sleep, may also help relax the uterus. Wild Yam capsules also discourage contractions. Crampbark and Black Haw are recommended as well. Flaxseed Oil is not difficult to come across and is believed to be helpful, too.
Premature labor is often associated with toxins and stimulants, namely drugs. Women who smoke and use recreational drugs are at a much higher risk of premature labor than those who do not. If you have not given up these things and are threatening to go into labor prematurely, it is worth it to quit--cold turkey. You also need to cut back on stimulants such as caffiene--or eliminate them completely from your diet.
If you have not succeeded at halting your labor within a few hours or if your contractions are increasing in frequency and intensity, you do need to go to the doctor. He will give you medicine, such as terbutaline or magnesium sulfate, through an IV to stop your labor. You may be sent straight home, kept overnight, or even hospitalized depending upon how worried your doctor is. There are risks and side effects associated with these drugs, such as liver and brain damage which may be associated with terbutaline.
Good ways of preventing premature labor include staying well-hydrated, well-nourished, well-rested, relaxed, and stress free. These are also excellent ways of halting labor when it does occur prematurely. There are also several herbs and remedies that may help stop contractions. If you cannot stop labor naturally, you will have to seek medical treatment. However, these are not without risks and side effects, so it is worth it to attempt to discourage preterm labor naturally.
Various Authors, "Vol 1 Issue 32, Aug 6, 1999" Midwifery Today E-News. URL: http://www.naturalchildbirth.org/natural/resources/prebirth/prebirth05.htm
Unknown, "Expert Premature Labor Tips" LifeTips. URL: http://childbirth.lifetips.com/cat/10143/premature-labor/index.html
Various Authors, "Must pre-term labor be treated allopathically" Mothering.com Discussion Forums. URL: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-18648.html
Janet Lynn Golden, "Message in a Bottle: The making of FAS" Google Books. URL: http://books.google.com/books?id=pZYegBeJeLkC&pg=PA33&lpg=PA33&dq=halting+premature+labor&source=web&ots=LoPEei1van&sig=3nUr9P27GAmetTgGdUgm0nbstNM
Various Authors, "stopping preterm labor" Midwifery Today Forums. URL: http://www.midwiferytoday.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=8837&whichpage=1
Published by Heather B.
I'm young single mother of two boys, a liberal Democrat, and a born again Pagan witch for nearly 14 years. I write about natural family living, pregnancy, homebirth, attachment parenting, and religion or pol... View profile
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9 Comments
Post a CommentI don't "recommend" drinking alcohol, but I sure would LOVE to see the evidence linking SMALL quantities of alcohol to fetal alcohol syndrome--which is caused by binge drinking during pregnancy, not by a glass of wine at dinner. Labor progresses factor when women are active; this is why midwives recommend moving during labor. The first thing doctors recommend you do when faced with premature labor is to drink an entire glass of water--and lay down immediately.
I am quite concerned about this article, in particular the recommendations to drink alcohol and take calcium supplements. The most recent scientific research has shown that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption in pregnancy - very small amounts have been linked to fetal alcohol syndrome. This is why the departments of health of several countries strongly recommend absolutely NO alcohol. In regards to calcium, this contradicts research that suggests calcium-blockers may have a role to play in preventing premature labour, due to the need for calcium for muscles (including the uterus) to contract. In addition, you've recommended lying down. While bed-rest has been frequently recommended, there is little evidence that it is effective, although it may be if the woman lies on her left side, not her back. The only recommendations that seem to actually have some solid evidence are to avoid becoming dehydrated, and avoid stress as much as possible.
Actually, magnesium sulfate is no longer recommended for premature labour because it has not been shown to be effective. However, Heather, you're right in that it has been used in the past. Needless to say, if your labour occurs prematurely your baby should not be born at home. You might also want to go to the hospital earlier if the nearest hospital does not usually handle preterm babies and if it is a considerable distance from a major hospital. Ex-I work in a small rural hospital that is a half hour flight from the nearest substantial city. Because we're too far to use helicopters, we use fixed-wing aircraft which have to land at the airport, so you're looking a more than half an hour because you'd have to be driven to the hospital. This is also not counting the amount of time required for the Critical Care Line to find a bed for you, and for us to get the team organized to take you there. We do sometimes handle preterm births, but then we have to get the NICU transport team
Actually, there's not tons we really can do even in the hospital to stop preterm labour. The only medications that are currently approved in Canada are calcium-channel blockers and an antiinflammatory called indomethacin (Indocid). I should point out, also, that fluid bolus and bed rest haven't really been shown to be effective at preventing preterm delivery, though Heather's comment about avoiding dehydration is certainly on the mark for PREVENTING preterm labour from starting in the first place. Plus, if you start to feel pressure in your pelvis or if you have a gush of vaginal fluid, you need to get to a hospital NOW.
i myself was a month early. good info
Good stuff. I used good ol' Coors to stop preterm labor a couple times during my pregnancy.
Very interesting stuff, I wasn't aware of a lot of what you wrote. I really enjoy reading your articles and always learn a lot from them.
Great information indeed, nice job Heather.
Great information, Heather. This will be very useful for a lot of women. I think I'll print it out and take it to my next LLL meeting -- there's a woman there who's at risk for premature labor.