Labour and birth
From the first twinges to the first cuddle: how to tell labour has started, when to pick up the phone, what each stage feels like and every pain relief option explained, so you can go into labour knowing your choices.
- Early (latent) labour can last hours or even days. Staying at home, resting, eating and drinking usually helps.
- Call your maternity unit straight away if your waters break, you bleed, or your baby is moving less than usual. Day or night.
- For a first baby, a common guide is regular contractions about 3 in every 10 minutes, each lasting around a minute. If in doubt, call.
- You can change your mind about pain relief at any point. Keep an open mind and ask what's available where you're giving birth.
- Write birth preferences, not a script. Include what you'd like if plans change, such as an assisted birth or caesarean.
- Signs labour is startingShow, waters, tightenings and the early clues
- When to call your maternity unitContractions, waters, bleeding and movements
- The stages of labourLatent, established, pushing and the placenta
- Pain relief optionsWhat each one does, pros, cons and where you can have it
- Active birth and your birth partnerPositions that help and how your partner can support you
- Home, birth centre or hospital?Comparing where you can give birth
- Birth preferences, assisted birth and caesareanPlanning for every route your baby might take
- Straight after the birthSkin to skin, cord clamping, vitamin K and first feeds
If you’re trying to conceive (TTC), you probably know that there are certain foods and nutrients that become especially important once you’re pregnant. But nutrition plays a vital role even when trying to conceive, much like laying a strong foundation before constructing a house.
Certain nutrients create that foundation by supporting egg and sperm health (yes, nutrition matters for both partners), hormone balance and creating a hospitable environment for a fertilized egg to implant. In fact, studies show that certain nutrients can help increase fertility and improve success rates for both natural conception and fertility treatments.
In other words, nutrition is a key player in the TTC journey, but getting the right nutrients in the right quantities can be tricky. That’s where supplements come in. Just as you’d take a multivitamin to fill in nutritional gaps for optimal health, fertility supplements can give you that extra nutrient boost.
Choosing supplements for your fertility journey
When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.
When choosing a supplement to support your fertility journey, look for science-backed, high-quality ingredients. Our editors are careful to select and partner with brands that use ingredients that have been clinically studied to support fertility. Eu Natural® (pronounced you) covers all those bases and more. We love knowing that Eu Natural® products contain zero artificial additives, binders, or fillers and are lab-tested to ensure purity and potency.
