I have been using "ice contractions" to help clients learn coping techniques, but would like to do a little more...

I have been looking at the Labor Simulator (http://www.birthzone.com/LaborSimulator.htm) online and am curious if anyone has had any success with it....

I would potentially be using it as a background to our "mock labor" at the third prenatal with Doula Clients as well as with CBE clients...

I had actually thought about trying to make something like this (but WAY more amature I am sure) before I knew it existed, but wasn't sure it would work.... OR that I wanted to go through the hassle lol...

So love it or leave it, tell me your experiences!

We use this in our childbirth classes and like it a lot.

It has this noise on it that gets louder and more annoying as the "contractions" get closer together and longer lasting. They have the sound on their website so you can hear what it sounds like.

We use it in our last class, and put the DVD on (it's audio only) and teach the class as usual, and when the noise starts, they stop what they are doing to work through contractions. We give them suggestions for things to do during the contractions.

The DVD will go for 2 hours - we don't use it for that long; we start it at Late Early Labor and then have it on for about 45 minutes or so of class time.

Dorothy I wish I could sit in on your classes to see how you use it.
I have it, but I've never used it.
I thought about trying it during a doula training during our hands on time, but haven't thought it all out well enough to make a lesson plan of it.

I looked at the website and the link didn't work to play the sounds. I had a look at the lesson plans, thinking that it would provide an outline, but it's more a "fill in the blanks" sheet.

As a newer doula, I would have appreciated a bit more guidance on how to use it. I'm considering buying it for future classes, but I'd at least like to listen to the sounds.

Here is the link for the sound. You have to turn your speakers up. I just played it, so at least right now it's working.

http://www.birthzone.com/LSContraction.htm

They do provide more of an outline than they do online, but it's very basic. Pretty much during early labor contractions, you talk about early labor, during active labor you brainstorm positions, etc. etc.

If you want a simulator that makes a sound for about the length of a contraction, where the sounds get closer together and more annoying over time, it's good. It gives you a little bit of guidance on how to use it, but not a lot.

The way I use it right now is like this:

We start class. We have an opening activity. Then we introduce the simulator, let the couples know that when they hear that sound, they need to stop whatever they are doing to handle the contraction. Then we give out index cards - each card has a suggested thing to do during labor - as far as position, suggestions for the dad, etc.

Then we teach class. When the contraction starts, everyone stops, does what their card says through the "contraction". When the contraction is over, they exchange cards, so that eventually everyone works through all the cards. We work through around 10 contractions.

Afterwards we talk about it - the time in between, how labor is intermittant. We talk about what they found most helpful, etc. How the sound got longer, and more intense...just like labor over gets more intense and the contractions get longer and closer together.

We don't go through the whole two hours, only about 10 or so contractions. By the time we're towards the end of our practice, there is only a couple of minutes in between contractions.

We have gotten good feedback from the couples in our class.

I had thought about running the whole 2 hour program as a backdrop for our last prenatal ( I do 3) but was worried about families not really taking it too seriously... Have you had any resistance to this from your clients?

None at all. They seem to like it alot.

Just be aware that towards the end you will not get a lot of time in between contractions (just like real labor!)

If you start the soundtrack at the very beginning the sound is very low. The author suggests even just having it on and not even mentioning it until the couple/class gradually notices it and asks about it - opportunity to talk about early labor and discovering is this labor - are these contractions? etc etc and then as the sound get louder, using coping techniques.

Thanks Dorothy. It still doesn't play for me. Perhaps it doesn't like Firefox. I'll check with my IT guru, DH.

I like the idea of running a workshop for a couple of hours with lots of hands-on practice.

Same for me, it would not play on firefox. I tried it again on internet explorer and it worked fine.

:doh Erm ... yes, it played on IE. Thanks NovaDoula.

For some reason I was expecting actual labour sounds, vocalising etc. The music is probably much less confronting.

Ok, so I've gone ahead a bought an MP3 version. I was thinking I could use my Ipod & speakers for a workshop. I'm also wondering if it might be useful for a 1hr individual session with clients? What do you think?