The day you welcome your child into this world is one of the most important days of your life. It is stressful, exciting, and full of anticipation. So much effort goes into preparing for this day. And the more prepared you are, the smoother your experience is.
If you are a first-time mother, the day of your child’s birth will be more of a learning experience. However, even if you have undergone childbirth before, no two instances are the same.
Having a smoother birthing experience is crucial not just for your mental and physical health but also for the connection between you and your newborn child. While you never know what can happen at the last minute, much can still be done to make the birthing experience easier.
Some things you can do as you navigate your maternity care to make your birthing experience smoother are the following.
During pregnancy
Some things you can do during pregnancy are given below.
1. Get awareness
Everything starts with getting awareness about the process or the event you are about to go through. Therefore, signup for antenatal classes to know what you can expect. Often this exercise targets reducing fear and anxiety during and after childbirth.
These classes generally make you understand what your body is going through, the birthing process, and what strategies and techniques you can employ to make it smoother. They may also guide you about relaxation techniques during labor.
Some instructors even go to great lengths and discuss birth injuries. They tell you to take steps to prevent childbirth injuries in your baby during and after pregnancy.
One essential thing to do about birth injuries is to discuss this issue with your doctor and read about it through different resources. You can visit childbirthinjuries.com—an excellent resource to learn about birth injuries and the legal help you can get if it happens due to medical negligence.
2. Care for your nutritional intake
Proper nutritional intake during pregnancy ensures the healthy development of your baby. Your diet should contain proteins and vitamins from plant-based and non-plant-based sources. Along with that, low sugar intake prevents many pregnancy-related illnesses.
A healthy diet during pregnancy also strengthens your body, preparing it for the pressure and resistance of labor and childbirth. According to a study, women who eat six dates per day during the last four weeks of their pregnancy experienced increased dilation and natural labor and a reduced need for medicine-induced delivery.
3. Practice breathing moments
Many women find it tough to manage their breathing moments during pregnancy. But it is no secret that breathing moments are crucial to a successful birthing experience. Breathing in a certain way during labor helps reduce tension in your muscles, relax, and promote natural dilation of the cervix.
Therefore, before the day of the birth arrives, practice breathing. This ensures you know how to do it in the delivery room.
4. Plan your birthing day
Planning makes the experience easier. With proper planning, you will know what your day of delivery will look like. Talk to your family and make a birthing plan. Your birthing plan may include the following:
- People who will accompany you on the delivery day
- Preference for pain relief
- Your choices about cord blood donation and cord clamping
- Any backup plan
- The type of treatment you want your newborn to get
- Medication and postpartum care preferences
5. Engage in physical activity
You can make childbirth safer by making your body stronger for the experience. Staying active is a surefire way to strengthen your body for upcoming events.
Physical activity helps improve sleep, reduces backache, increases stamina, and maintains weight. It also enhances confidence, reduces tension, and calms nerves. Keeping your body active helps with natural dilation and increases the chance of vaginal delivery.
Physical activities include walking, jogging, swimming, and yoga. Yoga improves your balance and the most crucial breath control you will require during labor.
Apart from these activities, you might benefit from asking your midwife about things you can do to make the whole process easier. They may recommend perineal massage.
6. Practice positivity
If you want to have a positive birthing experience, practice positivity. Put some energy into thinking about the positive aspects of birthing. Avoid people who share stressful details of their pregnancy. Such people make you nervous, stressed and hopeless about your situation. When someone tries to share the horrors of childbirth and how things went wrong, politely change the subject.
Surround yourself with people who share happy and positive stories and what makes the birthing process easier. Also, focus on the excitement of holding your baby, not the pain or difficulties of labor.
Furthermore, remember that everyone has a different birthing experience; if someone had a bad experience does not mean you will go through the same issues.
During labor
Some things that will help through labor are the following.
7. Keep moving
During labor, movement can make the process of childbirth easier. Therefore, don’t remain stagnant in one position for extended intervals. Activities like light walking, sitting on a birth ball, or soaking yourself in a tub full of water keep your body moving. It immensely helps with the discomfort of the birthing process.
8. Make a noise
Birthing is the most challenging time of a woman’s life. It is not the time to think about others or how they will gossip about you. So, don’t suppress your cries or impose societal rules of behaving in a certain way that makes the process more challenging than it already is.
Make noise if it is what makes you relax. Making noise has a lot of benefits. For instance, moaning and opening your mouth for crying relaxes your birthing muscles and allow them to dilate more easily.
9. Go with an open mind
Regardless of how planned your childbirth is, a lot will come to you as unplanned details. But that’s okay because life does not always go according to your plan. The more flexible you and your family are about making last-minute changes, the less stressful you will feel about unexpected events. And the smoother your pregnancy will be.
Conclusion
Childbirth is the most crucial time of a woman’s life. It is not just about bringing a new life into this world but also getting a new life yourself. Therefore, you must do everything that makes this process easier. Some of the ways to make childbirth smoother are mentioned above in the article; follow them at your convenience.
