Does Labour always start at night?
No, not everyone will go into labour at night, but I do notice that the vast majority of my clients will feel their first signs when it is dark outside. I suspect this is because they are typically at home, their partner is with them, and they feel safe and warm.
In addition, the body produces melatonin at night, which can help to promote relaxation and relieve stress. This enhances your ability to produce oxytocin, the hormone responsible for triggering contractions, which may explain why many so women experience the onset of labour during the night or early hours of the morning, because they are more likely to be asleep and feel relaxed.
If you are at at the end of pregnancy, and you want to produce optimal amount of melatonin and oxytocin, to enhance your chances of labour starting at night, here are my 5 top tips for you:-
1 – During the day, go for long walks in nature. Have as much time without social media and pressure from the outside world as possible. This is particularly important if your friends and family know your due date and are checking up on you far too regularly.
2 – Dim the lights in your house when it gets dark outside, and stay away from blue/white lights. Choose warm white for optimal melatonin production. This is especially important if you have bought lights to decorate your birth space.
3 – Don’t chase your labour. The more you try to make birth happen, the further away from your goal you could potentially become. Ideally you should snuggle up each night with a warm drink and a nice book, a relaxation track or funny movie, and/or have a lovely bath with some epsom salts to relax you.
4 – Supplement with Magnesium Glycinate at bedtime. When you take magnesium at night, just before bed, it has a calming effect on the body and can help you get into a deep sleep.
5 – If you do have any signs of labour at night – don’t wake your partner or get out of bed and move around. Any excitement or overstimulation at this stage will set you back. In order to continue to produce high levels of oxytocin, stay warm and in the quiet and dark. If it is labour it will continue and be unmistakeable. If it is not and you fall back to sleep, you will at least have had a restful night.
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