On Thursday, May 9 I will be a panelist at the FREE Prenatal & Postnatal Seminar for Moms at 5 Koshas Yoga and Wellness in Wausau. In preparation for this event, I will be writing a few posts about things that worked for me during these times: prenatal, labor, and postpartum.
This list is not meant to be all-encompassing. Rather, it is a short list of the advice I found most useful during my two pregnancies. Congratulations on this wonderful chapter of your life, and please remember to consult your health care provider before making any medical decisions!
Congratulations on this wonderful chapter of your life!
1. Choose your Team
Will you have a home birth or a hospital birth? Start thinking about what you hope your birth experience will be like and who will be supporting you during this time. Will you hire a doula?
Both of my births were in hospitals. One with a midwife at a hospital in St. Paul, MN and one with an OBGYN at Saint Claire’s Hospital in Weston, WI. I was originally thinking of hiring a doula, but my husband and I decided to take a multi-week Bradly Birth Method class instead which teaches the dad how to be a “birth coach” for the mom.
2. Think About Your Labor Goals
Do you want an epidural? Will you try to have an un-medicated birth? Are you planning to just see how things go and decide from there?
For both of my pregnancies my goal was to have an un-medicated labor and to avoid any interventions. The Bradley Method aligned well with these goals. Our instructor in St. Paul was awesome. One of the most important things she told us to remember was that the ultimate goal of a birth is, “healthy baby, healthy mom”. If you want a natural birth and end up having a c-section, you aren’t a failure. You achieved your ultimate goal.
The ultimate goal of birth is, “healthy baby, healthy mom”.
3. Take Care of Yourself
Eating well doesn’t mean never having ice cream or french fries. It just means that it’s important to focus on eating nourishing food to help you and baby during this time of growth. Taking good care of your body also means staying active during your pregnancy. It’s also a good idea to schedule in times for relaxation. Taking a nap, trying meditation, and get a prenatal massage are some great options.
During my first pregnancy I did Jazzercise for the first two trimesters. By the third trimester I could no longer do the hopping, kicking, or core-work, so I switched to prenatal yoga. It was an awesome experience to be in a room full of pregnant women and to feel positive and uplifted every time I left the studio. For my second pregnancy I started out doing Zumba and then transitioned to a Prenatal Yoga class at 5 Koshas Yoga and Wellness. My prenatal yoga classes always made me feel better both physically and mentally.
It was an awesome experience to be in a room full of pregnant women and to feel positive and uplifted every time I left the studio.
3. Prepare for Birth
You will not only need to collect and prepare physical things, but you will need to prepare yourself for this experience. I highly recommend going to every birth related class and seminar you can find. Birth isn’t something we know anything about until we’re about to do it ourselves. Read books, talk to friends, and ask questions.
Birth isn’t something we know anything about until we’re about to do it ourselves.
My mental preparation was taking a Bradley Birth Method class, reading pregnancy books, reading birth stories, and going to some events at our hospital. I also prepared by writing a birth plan, planned some postpartum self-care to help offset the baby-blues, talked to my husband about strategies for labor, and gave guidelines to our relatives about their involvement for the first few days postpartum. I also made some freezer meals, got everything ready for baby (crib, car seat, clothes, diapers, etc. – there’s so much stuff!), and made some frozen pads.
4. Enjoy this Time
Childbirth and babies are both amazingly wonderful and amazingly difficult. Even if you don’t feel great, I hope you are able to enjoy this time and embrace these experiences!
Stay tuned for my labor advice later this week!