Ten Tips to a Great Birth Experience
Enjoy the journey!
TIP ONE: Your support team.
A good support team can include one (or all) of the following:
Husband, partner or friend
An obstetrician (OB doctor), a doctor that can separate facts from fiction and help you have a safe experience for your and your baby.
An anesthesiologist who can be there to make your birth experience more comfortable or cesarean delivery as comfortable or safe as possible
Acupuncturist
Massage therapist
Midwife
Therapist / Hypnotherapist
Birth and Postpartum Doula
WHAT IS A BIRTH DOULA?
If you are wondering what a Doula does, she is someone who is there to help guide you during the birth process and can help you prepare for the birth in advance. She does not replace your husband or partner, but rather, supports you and your partner.
For example, some labors can be quite long. It’s very helpful to have an extra person available so that each one can take breaks to be refreshed to help you while you are in labor.
TIP TWO: MEDITATION AND HYPNOTHERAPY
Techniques like hypnotherapy, meditation and deep relaxation can help you train your mind on the subconscious level (Which is the true motivator for 99% of what we do).
Hypnotherapy can be very helpful to release fears that may be holding you back and to help you practice what it will be like during labor. Women who practice hypnotherapy or listen to meditation experience faster and more comfortable labors. They also feel less anxiety in the days and months leading up the birth.
The more relaxed you are, the more positive your experience and the less pain is perceived. For
example, even thinking of contractions as being moments of pressure rather than pain, can be
very help full.
Has there ever been a time where you were jogging or playing real hard and only realized
several hours later that you were bleeding somewhere or got a bruise?
At the time you weren’t even aware that it was happening! So much of pain is our perception of
it. Not the actual happening of it. A hypnotherapist or meditation tape can help you reframe
the way you look at a contraction. For example, think of every contraction as a wave slowly
gathering power, reaching a peak and coming back down again.
Or the contractions can be viewed as hugging your baby. This is called re-framing. Or you can
do visualizations imagining that when the time is right (and not before!) your body will know
exactly how to open up like a flower, or a ripe fruit ready to be picked. It will open up easily
and effortlessly.
TIP THREE: EXERCISE: Evidence based studies have shown that women who exercise have
shorter, faster and less painful births. Get lots of exercise.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
TIP FOUR: CHILDBIRTH CLASSES: Attend a childbirth class early on. Lamaze, Bradley or
hospital classes are just a few of the many options available to you. Take one, two or as many
courses that resonate with you, and also take the time to practice what you know. This creates
an imprint on your subconscious mind so that when you go into labor you will instinctively know
what to do.
TIP FIVE: Make sure you are well hydrated and have adequate nutrition. This will help your
tissues stretch and can help minimize tearing or the need for an episiotomy.
TIP SIX: Watch positive videos of other women in labor. This will help you and your partner
become more comfortable with what a positive labor experience looks and sounds like.
TIP SEVEN: If you are at home, hospital or birth center, set the scene with soft lights, warm
bubble bath, scented or electric candles, soft music playing in the background and dim lights…
This cocoon like setting along with techniques like aromatherapy, sounding and a supportive
birth team (such supportive doctor, midwife and doula), offers the opportunity to enter the
meditative, non-thinking portion of the brain. The more you can get into this state of mind, the
better your experience will be. For those accompanying the laboring mom, please remember to keep questions to those that
can be answered simply with a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’.
TIP EIGHT: Instead of thinking of contractions as being painful, it can help to REFRAME the m
as “pressure” or “waves”. Another helpful thing to remember or think about is that the letters
that spell PAIN stand for P (Purposeful, it’s helping your cervix open and make room for your
baby to come down), A for Anticipated (meaning you can prepare for the waves of contractions,
breathe through them, massage area that’s uncomfortable etc). I is for intermittent (meaning
that it’s not one steady stream of discomfort. Rather it’s short bursts of intensity followed by
moments to rest and recuperate. Just like when you do high intensity sports and do brief
s prints with rests in between) N is for Normal, meaning that the discomfort is not a signal that
something is wrong, it’s a sign that everything is working in concert to help your baby be born).
TIP NINE: Use aromatherapy and hot and cold therapy while in labor. This technique require a
bit of advanced planning but is well worth it. Take about 20 washcloths, dip in water and ring
them out so they are damp. Roll them up and place in freezer. You can put a few drops of
lavender oil in the water if you like the scent of lavender. Use a cooler to transport the frozen
wash cloths to the hospital. These cold washcloths can feel like heaven to a laboring mom,
whether placed on her forehead, abdomen, or any area of dis com fort.
TIP TEN: Remember that a positive birth experience is about letting mom decide what’s best
for her and being involved in the choices and decisions that are right for her and her baby.