Stress activates the "fight or flight" reflex. The same thing happens when a mother cat, who is in labor or giving birth, is discovered. She stops laboring and goes to find another quiet hiding place.

Fear and tension inhibit your labor's progress. The stress hormones signal your body to send blood (hence energy and oxygen) to your limbs. Staying relaxed keeps all the body's reserves in your core, with your baby.

The level of endorphins in a laboring women's bloodstream can by 60 X higher than normal. If she is having a difficult labor, it can be hundreds of times higher.

Use of narcotic medications and pitocin can circumvent labor's natural process. With these drugs in your system, the feedback mechanism is disturbed and your brain doesn't correctly sense the higher levels of oxytocin (hence harder labor) so it doesn't send out more endorphins to help reduce your perception of the pain.

This is why a women, late in labor or transition, can often look like they are sleeping during contractions.

There will be discomfort and some pain, but you have many natural coping mechanisms and built in breaks during labor. Unnecessary pain occurs when interventions disrupt labor, if the Mom is afraid or tense, and if the Mom is not taking care of her physical needs: food, H2O, changing position, etc.

All the options. Mom feels the warm water on her body, and yes, the natural buoyancy allows you to get into positions that are good for relieving discomfort, but would be difficult to sustain on dry land.

Again all options apply. Conserve energy by resting or sleeping when you are tired. Eating when you are hungry, drinking plenty of fluids. Yes, using distraction techniques in early labor helps keep your focus OFF the labor, until it needs more attention. Relaxation techniques support the need to rest in between contractions and allow all energy to go to the uterus for it to work during contractions.

Fear causes tension. Tense muscles take energy away from the uterus at work. Tense muscles can't work as well! Also, the release of stress hormones can upset the process of labor.

It allows you to conserve energy and helps to take your "brain" out of the birthing process. Birth is a physical and mental activity. Relaxation allows the Mom to tune into her body, listen and move instinctively to become more comfortable and keep her labor moving.

Physical, mental, and emotional. Its best to learn many different relaxation techniques because everyone responds differently in pregnancy and in labor. Trying different techniques in advance will give you a tool kit during labor's difficult stretches.

Its possible that a Mom can labor successfully staying in one position. Its much more likely that staying in one position too long will cause tense and fatigued muscles and stall your labor. Movement and labor go together. Sometimes Mom won't want to move and if her labor isn't progressing Dad/Coach needs to encourage her to change position (about every 20-30 minutes).

I know its hard to believe that you will have to remind a pregnant woman to go to the bathroom, but she may be feeling so much pressure that she won't realize that she has to go. During later stages of labor and pushing, a full bladder can actually get in the way of the baby descending. Gentle reminders are good since Mom may not be too anxious to get up and move.

Mom is in labor...she needs to be brought nutritious snacks and beverages. This is especially true in active labor when she needs to work to relax during the contractions. The uterus is a working muscle. It needs fuel.

Coach also needs to stay well fueled. Coach, don't forget to eat in early labor...you may not have many chances for a snack as things move along and get more intense.