Tiredness is often a normal sign of the natural endorphin release by the woman in labour. Try not to panic too much if the woman is looking drowsy and tired as the labour progresses. True exhaustion is possible, but not that common in reality.
If the woman is truly exhausted and tired (and not just in the transitional phase of labour), then she can become irritable and feel less able to cope with her labour pain. The pain can feel more intense and be less tolerated by her, especially if the prelabour or labour is prolonged. Dehydration can compound this causing the woman to feel weak and lethargic, as well as possibly slowing the labour down. You may wish to revise or read
dehydration and ketosis.
Positive thoughts....
Sometimes if the woman is given space to rest and refresh, then she can 'regroup' to continue her labour. It may be that using a bath or medical forms of pain relief such as a Pethidine injection or an epidural are needed to help with this.
Ways to avoid exhaustion can include:
Ignoring prelabour as much as possible, keep resting or sleeping until the labour is strong.
Keep eating good energy foods for as long as you feel like it during prelabour and as far into the 1st stage of labour as possible.
Keep drinking throughout the labour.
Rest and reserve your energy between contractions, remind your partner / support person about the 'body check'.
If you are in the bath and it is too hot, get out for a while, it could be zapping your energy.
If your partner is tired, call in another support person to keep the woman motivated.
Consider using herbs, aromatherapy or homoeopthics to stimulate contractions and revitalise the woman's mood, if the contractions slow or stop. You may wish to revise slow progress in
Class 4.
Complications arising
How the woman's labour unfolds can impact on her tolerance of the pain.