RT Book, Section A1 Aristizabal, Michelle SR Print(0) ID 1159260418 T1 The Environment for Birth T2 Natural Labor and Birth: An Evidence-Based Guide to the Natural Birth Plan YR 2018 FD 2018 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259862878 LK obgyn.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1159260418 RD 2024/11/13 AB I felt the first signs of my labor in the early evening and by midnight my contractions were strong enough that I had to breath through them and I was beginning to feel myself tense up in anticipation of each one. They were still too far apart to go to the hospital, so I woke my husband up for some support. He could see I was really stressed, so he turned down the lights, lit some candles, and played some music. I began to feel better though the contractions kept coming. By three it was time to go to the hospital. The ride was hard and when we arrived everything was so loud and bright. They asked me a lot of questions and I realized my body was really tense and cold. My contractions had spaced out too. Luckily we had hired a doula and the first thing she did when she arrived was to turn down all the lights, put on some battery candles and music, and I felt like I was at home again. My labor picked back up but it was more manageable in a calm space. I definitely feel like mood of the room changed the mood of my labor.—E. P., new mother