#prepareforbirth

1. Prenatal Yoga:

Private prenatal yoga to be exact. When you become a part of a private prenatal yoga session with one of our instructors they design the class specifically to you, your symptoms, your pains, your changing body, all in a natural holistic way. These one-on-one classes are the best way to help prepare your body for natural birth. You’ll not only gain breathing, meditation and visualization techniques but also the flexibility, strength, and balance in your pelvic floor, core, and entire body to help prepare you and open your body for a healthy natural birth. It’s literally the best recipe you can get, but don’t take our word for it- try it for yourself and see!

2. Take A Natural Birth Class:

This does not include a lamaze class in a hospital setting. No, we are talking about taking a natural childbirth class where the classes are intimate, in a cozy setting that focus on methods such as: Birthing From Within or The Bradley Method. There are many natural birthing classes around your area, you just have to seek them out. Be sure to call and speak with the instructor and see what their class is about. It should involve both you and your spouse. You want to make sure they focus on breathing techniques, pain coping techniques, mental/ visualization and what you should expect when giving birth at home or at a birthing center WITHOUT medical intervention. Your class should not be revolved around what medical interventions usually take place, epidurals, etc. (this is usually the case in a hospital setting lamaze class). These classes are fantastic to help prepare both you and your partner for a healthy, natural, normal vaginal birth. Bring a pen and paper to take notes, especially your spouse so they can best support you when the time comes!

3. Read Books/ Listen To Podcasts/ Watch Documentaries:

Oh yes, reading books, listening to podcasts, and watching documentaries are a GREAT way to help prepare you for natural birth. Before we share with you our favorites in each of these categories, make sure you are following us on both Facebook- click like and Instagram-click follow, why? We focus on educating you on a new topic each week so you can make the best decisions possible for you and your developing baby throughout your pregnancy and delivery. Our Facebook page shares our blog posts, videos, and other articles while our Instagram provides trimester specific information so no matter where you are at in your pregnancy you can benefit! It’s all about knowledge Mamas! Knowledge= power…Plus, you never know when a technique, story or tip will set a light bulb off in your head and really resonate with you. You can start to create your perfect birth recipe as early as your first trimester!

Our Favorite Books:

Ina May’s Guide To Natural Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin

The Nursing Mother’s Companion by Kathleen Huggins, R.N, M.S

Birthing From Within by Pam England

Our Favorite Podcasts:

Fear Free Childbirth with Alexia Leachman 

The Head Trash Show with Alexia Leachman (not specific to childbirth, but great for stress and mindset)

The Fertility Friday Podcast

Our Favorite Documentary:

The Business of Being Born  (it’s on Netflix, about 75 minutes long)

4. Proper Nutrition/ Hydration:

“Even if you are the most calm, confident and determined woman in the universe, if you ignore proper prenatal nutrition, you’re setting the stage for intrusive, possibly traumatic, birth interventions.” - Birthing From Within

This quote is so strong and powerful that it should not be ignored. You know the importance of nutrition when it’s just you, but when it comes to you and a tiny human you are creating it gets serious. We totally understand pregnancy cravings nausea, vomiting, indigestion, heart burn, diarrhea, constipation and every other pregnancy symptom that may alter your diet. However, if you eat a diet rich in fruits, veggies, phytonutrients, a good omega 3:6 ratio, lean protein and healthy carbs then a lot of these symptoms will dissipate or become less severe. It’s okay to indulge in a pregnancy craving here and there, but do not make it a habit or stick to junk, processed, or fast foods.

The easiest way to do this is to eat with awareness. Every bite of food you take isn’t just going to you anymore, it’s also going to your baby and it’s what is nourishing them. Ask yourself, “Is this something my baby would benefit from, or would I be feeding him or her empty calories with no nutritional value.” This little statement helped one of our instructors throughout her entire pregnancy make healthier more conscious choices when it came to her meals, snacks, and cravings.

We aren’t going to give you a specific diet to follow because every pregnancy and pregnant woman is different and your nutritional needs may vary. That is why it’s extremely important you speak with your Midwife and/or doctor about what you’re eating and what you should be eating. If your doctor seems to lack knowledge in this field, then PLEASE find someone on the side who can help you with your prenatal nutrition. It will only allow for an easier, healthier pregnancy, development of your baby, and delivery.

Hydration is important for all aspects of your pregnancy, your body, your baby and everything in between. Here is the best way to make sure you are staying well hydrated throughout your pregnancy:

Take your current weight and drink 1/2 of it in ounces (water). Then add 2-3, 8oz of water on top of that.

For example: If you weight 140 pounds. You’ll want to drink 70oz of water + 2(8oz) of water = 86oz of water PER DAY. This is the minimum.

Your body needs more water due to your increase in blood volume, your amniotic sac, to prevent unnecessary pregnancy symptoms, early contractions, and to keep you and your baby hydrated. You can also just drink a gallon of water per day to make it easy. One of our instructors carries around a gallon water bottle with her all day, and does not allow herself to go to sleep for the night until it is gone. You’re already peeing extra due to your uterus pressing on your bladder, so if you need to go a few more times to stay hydrated DO IT!

5. Mental Training/ Visualization:

When you decide to give unmedicated, natural vaginal birth at home or at a birthing center, it becomes much more mental then physical. Sounds crazy right? No pain meds, long labors, and we’re telling you it’s all in your head. Well, it is. You see, you do not actually feel “pain” until a pain response happens, and this happens in your brain. There are electrochemical signals that get sent from the area that is causing you pain, up through your spinal cord, and to your brain. Then and only then do different areas of your brain collaborate and produce a pain signal which you then interpret as “pain.”

If you start now, no matter where you are at in your pregnancy to work with your pain rather than against it, then labor will be much easier for you. This can be done through breathing techniques, visualization, yoga poses, continuous movement, support from your spouse, affirmations, and a change in your mindset. If you take the word “PAIN” out of your vocabulary and call it a feeling, a sensation, or even use the word intense then you’re setting yourself up for an easier coping routine throughout your entire pregnancy, labor and delivery. We also like to use the word RUSHES or SURGES rather than contractions because it will create a different association in your head. Giving natural birth isn’t this painful, traumatic, awful experience if you set your mind up in advance. It can be a beautiful, intense, orgasmic experience it’s up to you, how you speak to yourself, and how you mentally prepare for the upcoming event. You can visualize anything- something that brings you love, joy and happiness. You can imagine you are riding a wave as a rush starts, or your siting calmly in a storm. Find something that resonates with you, create a visualization around it and start practicing it now, so when labor comes you are ready!

6. Get Your Partner On Board: 

Natural birth is often overlooked by partners and spouses especially when they involve a Midwife, home birth, or birthing center. Since our society does not have a good understanding of the whole “birthing process” and there is such a lack of education- your partner may feel a hospital birth and a doctor is best for you. While you can’t blame them, because that is what’s portrayed in the media, television, and from obstetricians, you should be able to shift their perception with the proper knowledge and education. Try educating them on other options, take them to a birthing center so they can just see what it’s about, meet with a Midwife and just talk about your goals for your pregnancy/ delivery, watch documentaries, read books, listen to podcasts, follow Prenatal Prep on Facebook and Instagram ;) and that way they can become educated and feel like they have say in the process. Once you start gaining the necessary knowledge, it’s hard to fall back on a hospital and doctor, trust us. Be open with your spouse and communicate with them, let them know WHY you want a natural birth, how you want them to be a part of the decision making and process, and listen to their concerns. That way, you can address them with facts, information, education and knowledge. When you communicate properly without letting your emotions take over (which we understand is hard during pregnancy), you’ll be surprised to see they may come around.

We have an instructor who wanted a natural home birth and her husband would not budge on a hospital. She decided to do her own research and found a happy medium at a birthing center. He was on board with natural birth, but was not on board for any facility besides a hospital. She started sharing information from books she was reading, documentaries she was watching and watched her husband’s facial expressions begin to change as he heard some of the information. However, he still wanted a hospital. They were not happy with their current OBGYN and wanted to change anyways, so she decided to make an appointment at a birthing center just so he could see what it was about. He agreed to go, but told her not to get her hopes up. Once they went there, spoke with a Midwife and saw this completely different option, he completely flipped his perspective and wanted a birthing center. They are SO happy with the change they made together, have amazing prenatal care with hour long appointments, and are giving natural birth at a birthing center at the end of the year (2016). We aren’t saying this is the case for everyone, but if you educate and communicate you’ll have a much better chance of making the change together :)

7. Get A Midwife For Home Birth Or Go To A Birthing Center:

Yup, just as you read above, if you truly want a natural vaginal birth experience the best way to make sure it happens is with a Midwife at home or at a birthing center. They have hospital midwives and hospital doulas, but unfortunately they usually are held to hospital rules and cannot deviate from them. This means if you are in labor for X amount of time, they may not have a choice but to induce you, etc. When you are in a hospital setting the stress and anxiety that comes along with the lighting, people, environment, temperature, medical tools, noises, IVs, lack of food/drink, and not knowing whether or not you’ll need medical intervention can actually reverse your labor. The worst part is, what you feel is felt by your baby too. They say they will accommodate you, but when you get there, it’s set up one way with one kind of birth, specific rules that must be followed, timelines to meet, etc. When you have a midwife and are in a comfortable, natural, warm, loving setting, you are in a safe place to birth your child without distraction. You get the proper prenatal care throughout your pregnancy to ensure a healthy safe pregnancy. They are your advocate, treating you holistically, trusting your body, and letting you do what your body was made to do…give birth.