Birth Prep

I’m not going to lie; my planning, type A self went a little crazy researching and preparing for my first birth. I may have gone a little overboard BUT I do believe that it played a big part in how smoothly my labor went and how little fear I have around birth. I think the more you understand about the process of pregnancy/labor/birth, the less there is to fear about it because you know what is happening to your body. All of the random and seemingly strange things that can happen become normalized when you are prepared for them. I have a whole big document with all of my research, but this is going to be a cleaner, pared-down list that will hopefully be helpful for any pregnant mamas out there! I have also tagged all of the Instagram accounts that sparked my research and were helpful to follow along with on my most recent Instagram post: 

Posture:

This is a seemingly simple one, but was probably the most challenging for me to do consistently. It is important to have good posture, including not crossing your legs while pregnant to keep everything lined up properly. Having a desk job, I tried standing up for a little bit every hour as well  to promote movement (frequent bathroom breaks helped with this). While sitting, especially towards the end of pregnancy, I would focus on leaning forward rather than relaxing back so that baby would remain in a good position, trying to limit my chances for back labor. Sitting on a yoga ball at home helped with this too; all easier said than done when tired, huge, and just wanting to relax after a long day.

Yoga:

I have the Yoga for Beginners | Mind+Body app on my phone and during pregnancy, I made a custom plan based on different stretches that I found to be helpful for pregnant women in my research. I also added some exercises that a pelvic floor specialist gave me. Side note on that subject: I went to pelvic floor therapy once in my second trimester because I had some bladder leaking I was concerned about. She ended up saying my pelvic floor was fine and I didn’t need to continue therapy. She sent me home with some exercises to keep my pelvic floor strong though. Feel free to reach out to me if you would like a copy of my custom pregnancy yoga plan!

Walking:

I’m not a big exerciser so taking our dog on walks was one of my main forms of exercise during pregnancy besides yoga. Walking helped keep my joints loose when I got sciatica pain in my second trimester.

Chiropractor:

I had gone to a chiropractor occasionally before but sought-out a Webster Certified chiropractor once I got pregnant. Webster Certified chiropractors use gentle techniques specifically designed to help pregnant women and babies. Chiropractic care can help alleviate pregnancy pains as well as make sure that baby is in a good position. My chiropractor asked me if my midwife told me what position baby was in at every appointment towards the end because if she was breach or in a bad position, he said he would be able to try and flip her. Here is the chiropractor I went to for those in the Wenatchee area: https://www.abundantlifechiropractic.com/ or find one near you using this tool: https://icpa4kids.com/find-a-pediatric-chiropractor/ 

Vitamins:

The vitamins needed during pregnancy (and life in general) obviously vary from person to person but during pregnancy I took a prenatal vitamin, omega 3 supplement (because my prenatal didn’t have DHA), and magnesium. 

Books:

Along with exercising, I’m also not a big reader but the one book I read cover to cover during pregnancy was The Mama Natural Week-by-Week Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth. It was nice because you just read one section at a time, following along with the week of pregnancy you are in, and there was a lot of helpful pregnancy information as well as birth/postpartum prep. I also skimmed through Ina May’s Guide to Childbirth, which also had some helpful and interesting information from a famous midwife, but was harder for me to sit down and read. I guess I prefer illustrated, easy to read books over chapter books.

Christian Hypnobirthing App:

When I first heard the term hypnobirthing, I assumed it was some weird practice that wouldn’t apply to me but it is defined as “a method of managing pain and anxiety during childbirth, involving various therapeutic relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing and visualization.” More specifically, I downloaded the Christian Hypnobirthing app to combine faith with pain management. A couple of the tracks are included with the free version, so I listened to those at the beginning of my pregnancy and waited to subscribe to the paid version until I was 30 weeks along. Then I started listening to the tracks every night as I was falling asleep so that my body would associate them with relaxation when I played them during labor.

Breathwork: 

Breathing was the main tool I used for pain-management in labor and it is very important to control your breathing in order to not get panicked or lose control of your focus. Breathing is a big part of the Christian Hypnobirthing app and yoga, and I practiced controlling my breaths throughout my pregnant days in other ways as well. One example is holding an ice cube in your hand for a minute while you practice breathing through the intensity and finding what helps you stay calm and get through the minute (simulating a contraction). Another kind of strange, TMI example is when you are on the toilet (going #2), you can practice breathing down the baby (poop in this case lol) instead of straining. 

Visualization:

Aside from tracks on the Christian Hypnobirthing app, I often closed my eyes and played-through how I wanted my birth to go in a perfect world. I don’t believe in manifesting since I know that God is ultimately in control, but I do think that visualization can be a helpful tool to set you up for success and almost a type of prayer where you let God know the desires of your heart. That said, I also think it is important to hold your plans loosley and be open to unknowns that are bound to happen so you don’t set yourself up for disappointment by viewing your visualizations as the only positive outcome. 

Birth Class:

Most hospitals offer birth classes that I’m sure are also helpful, but I opted for a birth class taught by a former birth center midwife because her views on childbirth align more closely with mine. It was also nice to be in a more intimate setting where we were comfortable to ask questions; it was just us and one other couple in the class because Eva caps them at 3-4 couples/class and also provides one on one classes if desired. I have heard that hospitals tend to teach you a more medicalized view of birth and how to follow their policies, rather than listening to your intuition and body. I especially think it is important for husbands to attend the birth class with you so that they are prepared for what they are about to experience. Like I mentioned before, a lot of fear is rooted in the unknowns of childbirth so the more your labor support person knows, the less afraid they will be and better able to support and encourage you. Our birth class (linked here if you are local to the Wenatchee area: https://www.honeyleafbirth.com/) also did hands-on practice of support measures such as counter pressure, which was helpful for my husband and me to learn. 

Breastfeeding Class:

My husband and I did attend our hospital’s free breastfeeding class (https://www.confluencehealth.org/events-calendar/event-details/?event=10842). This class was very helpful and I would recommend taking one if you are hoping to breastfeed your baby. Husbands don’t necessarily have to attend but I think it is helpful for them to know the basics so they can remind you when your sleep-deprived self can’t remember a technique or certain point from the class. 

Miles Circuit:

The Miles Circuit can be practiced prenatally, as a natural induction method, and during labor. It is something I did often towards the end of my pregnancy to make sure that baby was in a good position for birth. Rather than explaining it, I have linked the website to the header above.

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea:

Red raspberry leaf tea is claimed to help decrease labor time, strengthen the uterus, and improve labor outcomes in people who are pregnant, according to healthline.com. It is not recommended to drink during early pregnancy, so I started drinking it daily(ish) at 28 weeks. It tastes like black tea, which I’m not a huge fan of plain, and since it was summer time during my third trimester, I would brew the tea with some raw honey to sweeten it up and then pour it over ice! I went through a few different brands of tea, but ended up liking this one that has some other herbs in it as well: 

https://amzn.to/3WIuYjn 

Dates:

Eating dates at the end of pregnancy is also said to shorten the duration of labor and possibly stimulate contractions. I’m not a huge fan of dates but I forced myself to eat them as a snack with peanut butter or in smoothies during my third trimester. Dates are something to be careful about because of the high sugar content, especially if you have gestational diabetes. 

*Perineal massage:

This is something I did NOT do in my birth prep, but I know a couple people that had their husbands give them a perineal massage with oil almost every night of their pregnancy and they didn’t tear at all or at least not much. I, on the other hand, tore pretty bad with Nora - something I would like to try and avoid with my next birth since that wasn’t my main focus last time around. 

Please remember that all of this information is my personal experience and not medical advice. Consult your medical provider about all information provided.