Kissing with contractions

Published

Specializes in Cardiac.

I'm currently reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth and notice they recommend kissing through contractions to help progress labor. I'm guessing this helps with the release of oxytocin therefore augmenting labor, like nipple stimulation does?

Anyone see this practice where you work?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Emergency Department.

kissing as "practice"? LOL... sorry. i see plenty of people kissing in labors at home but don't imagine it happens a lot in the hospital. it's not very intimate there.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC, Memory loss, PDN.

Hmm. I don't remember my wife being in a kissy mood. She sure was verbal ' though, and strong. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Aged Care, Midwifery, Palliative Care.

I think I might bite my husbands face off if he came at me for a kiss while I was in active labor :devil:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

I remember reading that part of Ina May's book and thinking there would be no way in hell I'd ever feel like kissing my husband during labor. I kicked him out of the room last time around because I thought his breath smelled....:devil:

Never seen it at work, not even with the folks who come in and birth naturally.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.

I have seen it a few times, and in natural childbirth. But I have not seen anyone kiss to specifically get labor going/keep going; just to kiss because they wanted to, and generally quick pecks (no make out sessions:clown:)

Up Vote Up Vote ×

hahaha I agree with others; I don't see how this could make it into common practice. I'll never forget one woman going through labor who kept trying to bite her husband every time he came near. Even after she got her epidural, neither of them would've been in any mood to be kissing. Good idea in theory, though...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

A lot of Ina May's book is a little too "woo woo" for me.

We recently had a midwife mention sex as a way of jump-starting things. Keep in mind, this was a woman who was being induced via Cytotec, and the suggestion of sex was while there, in the hospital room. The nurses joked about putting a "do not disturb" sign on the door.

With my last baby, I was teetering on being in active labor, and a couple minutes of self nipple stimulation was all it took to bring it on full force.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Cardiac.

Yea, I could not imagine wanting to make out with my husband in the middle of labor either. As I'm reading these birth stories I find it hard to believe that these women had went along with the idea!

I didn't really think that this was being used in hospitals, but I was curious if it ever caught on at homebirths or birth centers.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

It's much easier for this to come naturally when there are no strangers around and people are in their own homes. I'd suspect it's far more likely and comfortable when people are having UC (Unassisted Childbirth).

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion