If you read part 1 of my blog, “How to Rock Natural Birth” – you’re already going to do so well with those simple and basic preparations! Part 2, the pro tips are for the moms that go the extra mile, and basic info isn’t enough. “Give me every tip you have!”  That’s what this part 2 is about. How to prepare throughout your pregnancy to give yourself the best chance at a great birth. It doesn’t matter what kind of birth you are having, natural, cesarean, induction, etc. Good preparation will make any birth have much better results, even in getting a quicker recovery afterward. Thrive in this labor. These labors happen all the time, but we only hear the horror stories because it is the traumatized people that are compelled to tell their stories again and again. You won’t be one of those. Rock your labor with these pro tips!

1. Nutrition is Key

Nutrition is the building block that everything stands on. If you don’t have good nutrition you can be sure there will be problems. So what does good pregnancy nutrition look like? For a healthy you and a healthy baby you need to be taking a good prenatal supplement to start. I recommend Thorne, Seeking Health, or Zahler Prenatal DHA. As far as what you should be eating, it is recommended that a pregnant woman eats:

• At least three servings of protein per day, about 100 grams a day.
• Five or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day three or more servings of healthy dairy products per day (for fat and calcium).
• Foods with essential fats (Omega 3’s and 6’s).
• Bone broth is a staple for pregnancy as it provides minerals like calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus and is rich in gelatin, collagen, glucosamine, chondroitin, and amino acids. It can also help you overcome morning sickness.

There are plenty of things to avoid as well, but we are all well aware of those and those have very little to do with how well your labor will go.

2. Exercise for Labor

Did you know exercising in pregnancy increases the IQ of your baby? Exercise during pregnancy is incredibly beneficial. If you work out all the time, you can keep doing that, but there are certain things that help prepare your body for labor. Ina May Gaskin recommends 500 squats a day for a quick labor. It may take some time to get to that point. Split it up throughout the day to do as many as you can handle. But you should be up to 500 before the birth of your baby. Walking: many midwives won’t even take on clients unless they agree to walk 5 miles each day, rain or shine. It must be important! And last, is stretching. Some may not consider this an exercise, but it certainly prepares you physically and mentally. Doing yoga or pilates stretches and holds for a minute at a time prep your mind to be comfortable in the uncomfortable and to breathe through a minute of contractions.  Learn more daily labor exercises you can do HERE. I always recommend moms do the Miles Circuit in early labor or if they’re having lots of prodromal labor.

3. Baby Positioning

There are many things you can do to improve the position of your baby. Most of us know that a sunny-side-up baby (occiput posterior) means a longer harder labor with a ton of pressure on your back. If this is the case you should spend a lot of time on your hands and knees every day doing some slight rocking. About 30 minutes to an hour every day can really help encourage your baby to move into optimal positioning. You can find out from your care provider where your baby is lying, and then do some belly mapping to fill in the missing pieces. From there you can get to work. There is rebozo sifting, yoga, and exercise that can get baby moving. Any movement is said to be good movement because it just gives your baby more opportunity to do what it already knows to do. If your baby is breech at full term it will usually result in a c-section, so it’s best to get to work on that from 32 weeks on. A few things have been shown to help with that. The first thing is frequent deep pool diving, this creates pressure that has been successful to turn many babies around. Having your partner speak or sing to the baby down low; your baby is attracted to the familiar sound and will draw near and hopefully engage in a vertex position when this is done regularly. The right kind of massage, acupuncture, and chiropractic care has been shown to help at times as well. If all of these things fail to engage a breech baby head down, then find a provider that has great statistics for ECV’s, a procedure where the doctor will attempt to turn the baby manually (an external cephalic version). For more information on how to turn a particular position visit spinningbabies.com

4. Perineal Massages

A massage (think intense pressure downwards) on your perineum. I didn’t used to be a fan of this because nothing can “stretch” you to prepare for having a baby come out. However I am now changing my mind due to a couple of moms that did this and had a beautiful crowning experience. They were able to wrap their mind around the intense pressure, slow down and breathe. These particular moms were grinning while a baby’s head was half way out!   It may be hard to do for yourself, you’ll need partner for this. Whoever is doing it needs to make sure hands are scrubbed clean! I recommend using coconut oil or vitamin E for this procedure, and to do it every day from 35 weeks on. Detailed instructions can be found HERE.

5. Stay Loose and Breathe

Now, in labor, there are things to remember and techniques to do. This is why it’s so helpful to have a midwife, she knows what these things are and how to help you in those moments. So first thing to remember is that a loose jaw = open cervix. There is a direct connection with the tightness in your mouth, and the tension down below. So keeping your sounds low and your jaw slack help keep the looseness needed to avoid fighting your own contractions. Then there are breathing techniques, which there is no ‘right one’ just pick one you like. They are designed to keep you breathing deeply and getting plenty of oxygen to the baby, keeping you calm, and… distracting you. That’s right. Counting those breaths through every contraction really helps to refocus you and distract you from any negative feelings. You will also want to mentally or verbally welcome the contractions. We know the contractions are bringing your baby to you and fighting them can cause pain or slow labor. I like to have my clients welcome the contraction to the degree of the pressure. So a bigger contraction is a louder (still low) “YES!”  Smiling through contractions or whenever you remember, is also very helpful, it tricks your body into a good experience.

6. Mental Preparation

I am all about mental preparation. In fact, I include meditation sessions with most of my packages, and will give them instructions on how to do it if they don’t choose that package. I think it single-handedly makes the most difference in the actual labor process. So there are many avenues of mental preparation. There is childbirth classes to educate you, a Bradley or Lamaze class to instruct you, and Hypnobirthing to change your mind. I think they’re all great, but if we are being honest we all have fear during our pregnancy lingering in the back of our minds concerning childbirth. This fear is ingrained in our body and even if we chant positive mantras, our body still reacts to the unknown with fear and negativity. I believe we can have positive labor, a pain-free birth, and a glorious experience (even without the medication). Since these are the ‘pro’ tips from a doula I will give you unconventional wisdom. In addition to meditation and the things mentioned in my last blog, EFT tapping is a way to address your fears and then rid yourself of them. Watch positive labors on Youtube or join BirthTUBE on facebook. Speak out what your birth will be and how you’re creating a pathway for it to be this way. Don’t speak anything that doesn’t feel honest. Speak only the truth. Ground yourself in nature for the meditation and visualize what your birth will be like because of your preparation and incredible birth team.
If you apply all of these things well, then you’re set up for an expert birth. You’re rocking this pregnancy, and you will rock motherhood as well. Just remember to hire your doula, and hire your midwife; knowing everything does not decrease your need for actual educated support during labor – physically, emotionally, spiritually, or as an advocate.
Let me know if there is anything I missed and how you are preparing for labor!