If your birth plan includes an unmedicated, natural birth with no interventions or pain medicine than it’s time to get serious. The unfortunate truth is you can’t just show up for labor and delivery and have a natural birth if you haven’t done anything to prepare. To get your mind, body and baby ready for a natural delivery, start by practicing these top tips for natural birth preparation.
[convertkit form=1775034]
Natural Birth Preparation Tips
Women’s bodies were literally designed to grow and birth babies, but that doesn’t mean natural birth isn’t hard. It takes a different level of mindful focus and endurance than you might be used to. Take for example, running. Our bodies were made to run, but that doesn’t mean you can just get up and run three miles.
It takes education, intuition and an excellent support team to have the natural birth you’re dreaming of. It’s a gift that baby takes 10 months to grow. It lets you prepare for birth and motherhood.
Instead of spending all of your pregnancy planning a baby nursery you won’t use for six months, take some of that time and put it toward having the birth you want for you and baby. The more time you spend on natural birth preparation and following these tips, the easier and more enjoyable your birth will be.
PREGNANCY
Choose a Health Care Provider
When it comes to having your baby, you have three options for where you want to birth baby. You can choose between a home birth, a birth center or traditional hospital setting. Not to add pressure, but who and where you choose to deliver your baby can make or break your natural birth plan.
Birth Center & Home Birth
If you’re in good health, a home birth or birth center is an excellent option if you desire a natural birth. Both lean toward a natural approach to pregnancy, labor and delivery and postpartum and baby care. A midwife, someone who specializes in little medical intervention, accompanies you through prenatal care, labor and delivery
However, you may not have these options in your area, and they typically aren’t covered by insurance. If that’s the case, or you’re more comfortable with a traditional approach, the hospital will be your best option.
Hospital & OB/GYN
Often, most women stay with their gynecologist through pregnancy and delivery. It doesn’t occur to most people that you can switch! Obstetricians are medically trained and deliver a majority of babies via medical interventions. With such few women delivering naturally, it’s not a skill set doctors often practice.
That’s why it’s important for you to interview your doctors. Ask him/her questions to ensure they respect your birth plan and have experience in natural births. Keep in mind that your doctors work for you. If you like them, great! If not, it’s time to switch. Additionally, not all hospitals’ policies allow the best environment for natural birth. You want to make sure they have and allow things like: intermittent fetal monitoring, showers, pushing in any position, a doula, and baby rooming in. Do your due diligence when choosing a health care provider. Go on hospital tours and ask questions to make sure you’re with the best health care provider for you. Grab this FREE printable of 10 questions to ask your health care provider if you want a natural birth.
Read
One of the best ways to begin natural birth preparation is by reading. There are a few highly recommended books for natural labor preparation, but these will get you started.
Natural Mama Week-by-week pregnancy guide
This is a great book for first time mamas or if you’re in your first trimester. With a chapter per week of your pregnancy, you’ll learn everything that’s going on with your baby and body. Written by a midwife, the author also provides statistics and facts that will encourage your decision to delivery naturally.
In this book, you’ll also find nourishing recipes to support your growing body and baby, natural remedies for not-so-fun pregnancy things like morning sickness, and questions to ask your doula or HCP.
Natural CHildbirth the bradley way
When it comes to natural birth, there are two reputable techniques that midwives and natural mamas turn to. The Bradley Method is one of them. This technique focuses on daddy-coached birth. It relies on teaching mom how to have mental focus to let her body birth how it was made to do, while dad is present and helps during labor. Think of dad like a daddy doula.
This book will provide you with numerous pain management strategies. You’ll learn about the stages of labor and how to work with your body during each stage. The author also provides illustrations and ways to practice for labor. Read about other mamas who’ve used the Bradley Method and have had beautiful birth stories.
Ina May’s guide to childbirth
Written by a midwife, this book will teach you everything you need to know to make natural childbirth pleasurable. You’ll read inspiring stories of women who’ve had enjoyable natural labor experiences. What mamas like about this book is it covers how medicine can play a role in birth and what the potential outcomes are.
Learn about the stages of labor and how your body moves through each stage. She also provides resources and information for working with your HCP and how to advocate for yourself during labor and delivery.
The birth bundle
This 26 page quick guide is a fast action guide to everything you need to have a successful, unmedicated childbirth. Learn the 4 emotional signposts of birth and how to work with your body during each. Get daddy doula tips for your husband to be present and available. You’ll also get brith affirmations to hang and read to empower you during transition and contractions.
This is a quick reference for mamas who are nearing their due date and quickly want information for a successful natural labor. It’s also a great reference to print and take with you for labor and delivery.
Create a Birth Plan
When you think of a birth plan, a written document comes to mind outlining all of your preferences for labor, delivery and beyond. If you do a quick Google search on whether or not you need this, you’ll find polarizing opinions. In short, you one-hundred percent need a birth plan. But let’s redefine what a birth plan is.
A birth plan is an agenda where you include all of your preferences for labor and delivery, postpartum care and care for baby. Whether or not you write it down or have a checklist isn’t important. What’s important is that you have a birth plan in your mind of how you want delivery day to go. There are thousands of decisions that need made, and if you don’t make them, someone will do it for you.
The reason parents like a written birth plan or a checklist is because it includes birth considerations you may not know about. It gives you the option to research it and make decisions, instead of deciding in haste or letting someone else decide. For you, it may be enough to know you want a natural birth. Or you may want to have an input on every detail. But you won’t know unless you make a birth plan. Whether or not you actually hand it to your HCP is up to you.
Consider a Doula
A doula is a trained professional who provides physical, emotional and informational support to women during childbirth. Think of a doula as your natural birth coach. Her role is to make you as comfortable as possible during labor and delivery, while providing continuous support. She will coach you to have the healthiest and most satisfying birth experience as possible.
Deciding whether or not to hire a doula is definitely up to you. Studies show that having a doula present during labor significantly decreases risks and interventions and increases a healthy, natural delivery. Women appreciate the guidance and support whether it be for medical decisions to labor positions to pushing instructions. However, there are plenty of healthy, happy natural births who birth without one.
If you birth in a birth center or at home, hiring a doula may not be as necessary since midwives are naturally-minded and more holistic. A doula is most beneficial in a hospital setting where doctors are more medically inclined.
THIRD TRIMESTER
Take a Birth Class
Remember that education and knowledge is the most powerful tool you have for natural birth preparation. Your body will instinctively know what to do to birth baby. Don’t let your mind get in the way of that. The more you know, the better your birth will be.
Most hospitals offer birth classes for little-to-no cost. There are plenty of online birth classes, too. The most notable and best-selling birth course for natural birth is the Mama Natural birth course. Taught by a certified nurse midwife and doula, you’ll on demand access to trainings, live forums and printable information packets. Plus, there’s even a section for dads.
For a more affordable option, but highly informative course, Birth It Up, is a natural birth course designed and taught by a labor and delivery nurse. You’ll have access to over 4 hours of training, live demonstrations and access to a private Facebook community to share stories and ask questions.
Eat Dates & Drink Red Raspberry Leaf Tea
There isn’t a lot of scientific research that validates that eating dates or drinking red raspberry leaf tea makes for an easier natural birth. However, the natural birth community and mamas alike resoundingly agree that both foods are a necessity for an easier birth.
dates
Generally speaking, dates are really good for baby and mama. They are rich in vitamins and nutrients, like magnesium, fiber and folate that are good for baby and mama. They are thought to help ripen and soften the cervix. The softer your cervix is, the easier it will be to dilate and efface. A contraction’s sole purpose is to dilate and efface your cervix. The easier it dilates, the less contractions you have.
This study found that the women who ate dates four weeks leading up to labor were more likely to spontaneously go into labor and be further dilated over those who didn’t. So even though there still needs to be more scientific studies to back up dates for labor, the studies that have been done indicate eating 6 dates a day in your third trimester will significantly decrease labor time.
If you don’t like dates, put them in your smoothies, put peanut butter on them, eat Larabars or make energy balls.
red raspberry leaf tea
Again, there is little scientific evidence to back up the use of red raspberry leaf tea for pregnancy. Yet naturally birthing mamas, doulas and midwives swear by drinking this tea as part of your natural birth preparation. Red raspberry leaf tea contains lots of immune boosting support, along with B vitamins, folate, magnesium, vitamin A, and other nutrients beneficial to mama and baby and healing postpartum. Fragarine, a plant component in the tea, tightens, tones and strengthens the uterine muscles.
Just like any other muscle, the stronger your uterus is, picture your uterus as one big bag of muscles, the more work it can easily do. Contractions will dilate and efface your uterus more quickly if your uterine muscles are strong. That means less labor time and less contractions. It also means that when you’re pushing to delivery baby, your pushes are stronger, which means less pushing time. If less labor, contractions and pushing time isn’t enough to convince you of the benefits of red raspberry tea, it’s also shown to help postpartum. With toned uterine muscles, your uterus is able to quickly contract back down to normal size, lessening the probability of postpartum hemorrhaging or other complications.
Enjoy 2-3 cups of red raspberry leaf tea for its full benefits. Because the tea may cause uterine contractions as it tones, wait until 35+ to enjoy.
Write Birth Affirmations
Mindset is very important during labor. During labor and delivery, you’ll go through the emotional signposts. Transition, when you dilate from 7-10cm, is the self doubt sign post. You’ve been handling contractions well for a while now, but they’re getting really strong. Because the contractions become strong, it signals to your body and mind to go into fight or flight mode.
You’ll decide whether to fight through and meet your baby naturally or flee and get the epidural. You’re tired and fatigued having labored all day. You wonder how much longer it will take. You don’t know how much longer you can go. The self doubt sign post, transition, is where most women give up. They lose focus of their mind and of their goals and gets scared.
Birth affirmations will help you through this. They will relax and empower you and keep your mind focused on your body, baby and natural birth goal. Write your own birth affirmations, find them on Pinterest, use the ones in your Birth Bundle or buy them on Etsy. Prepare them now and have them in your hospital bag for labor and delivery.
Pack Your Bag
Unless you’re having a home birth, you need to pack an overnight bag for your birth center or hospital stay. Pack this bag as if you’re going to stay at a hotel a few nights. The essentials include: comfy clothes, toiletries, extra blankets, and phone chargers.
If you want a natural labor, you’ll include items to ensure a smooth labor and delivery. Make sure you have your Birth Bundle, which includes your affirmations, daddy doula guide, how to survive transition and birthing positions. Include hydrating drinks to sip on in between contractions. Sweetened raspberry leaf tea, coconut water or electrolyte water is hydrating and will allow you to avoid an IV drip.
[convertkit form=2064424]
To keep energy up, bring snacks like dried fruit, Larabars, and yogurt. Make sure that your hospital allows you to eat during labor. A diffuser with calming oil like chamomile or lavender is also a natural mama favorite. Remember to include items that help you achieve your ideal birth environment.
LABOR AND DELIVERY
Labor at Home as Long as Possible
This tip is for mamas who are birthing at a hospital. Staying in a comfortable birth environment will allow you to feel most relaxed and at ease. The more relaxed you are, the easier contractions will be and the faster labor will progress. Studies show that if a birthing mama’s body and mind sense discomfort or stress, it can stall labor or even stop it all together.
Additionally, the longer you’re at the hospital, the longer you give doctors and nurses time to interfere with your natural birth plan. For those two reasons, it’s best to labor at home
Change Positions
Dilate and efface your cervix by changing positions. The faster you dilate, the faster you get to pushing and the faster your labor is. Changing positions is also helpful to work baby down into the birth canal. This dilates your cervix but also allows baby to be in a good spot for birth. Say, for example, mamas who have an epidural and stay on their backs. Contractions have to work so much harder to go against gravity and get baby ready to be born.
Changing positions also allows you to get comfortable. Remember that you want to be as relaxed as possible during labor. Find a position that allows you to be comfortable and relaxed so contractions can do their work. Some mamas like to be on all fours, some like to sit on a birthing ball. Try positions from your guide in your birth bundle, and remember to change positions as you need to be the most comfortable and relaxed.
Birth Environment
You have to create a perfect natural birth environment to have a smooth and successful natural birth. So many women overlook this without realizing how the importance. Women’s body’s are highly intuitive and instinctual, especially when it comes to birthing her baby. If you are stressed or uncomfortable, your mind will release stress hormones. This indicates to your body that something is wrong in your environment and it can stall labor! This is your body’s self defense mechanism to make sure that baby is born into an environment that is safe for baby to thrive.
Creating the perfect birth environment is essential, especially if your laboring in a hospital. A hospital is cold and unfamiliar. Prevent labor from stalling or slowing by using your five senses. This post has everything you need for your perfect birth environment even if you’re laboring in a hospital.
Relax
This is the most critical step in natural birth preparation. It’s also the hardest. Remember that fight or flight instinct? As contractions get harder, a lot of mamas begin to fight the contraction. Remember that contractions work to dilate and efface your cervix. Some mamas strain and tense up, which makes it harder for the contraction to do it’s job. It also makes the contraction that much more painful. Not only do you have the contraction pain but you have the pain you’re putting on yourself by resisting the contraction.
It’s a natural response. The more you can relax, calm your mind and body, the easier labor and contractions will be. This is the hardest job because you have to have mental strength to tell your body to relax while it feels pain. Relaxing is the most important job you have. In fact, it’s your only job! Your body knows how to do the rest.
Create your natural birth environment so it’s relaxing. Practice your birth affirmations in your Natural Birth Bundle. Find a comfortable position to lean into during contractions. You can also practice visuals. Women have success imagining they’re riding a wave. The wave builds as the contraction builds, the peak of the wave is the hardest but you always get a break. Your job is to just ride the wave and float through the contraction. Include practicing these relaxation techniques as part of your natural birth preparation. These relaxation techniques also come in handy during transition.
Transition
Transition is the stage of labor that you dilate from 7-10cm. It’s marked by the self doubt sign post. A majority of the time, if a natural mama gives up and gets an epidural, it’s during transition. There are two parts to surviving transition. Part one is using all of your relaxation techniques from your reading, Birth Bundle and this post. The second part, is knowing that transition exists and recognizing it in labor. Make sure to tell your husband or support partner about transition so they can remind you of all of this, too.
Transition is hard. You’ve been laboring for a while and you’re tired. It’s also when you hit the self doubt emotional post. Your mind tells you to give up, that you can’t do it, getting the epidural isn’t that bad! Plus, women like to think birth is like a math equation. If it took you, for example, 24 hours to dilate to 7cm, it’s going to take you 9 MORE hours to dilate to 10cm. Time to quit. But hold on.
[convertkit form=2014392]
Fortunately and unfortunately, birth is not like math. Transition is actually the shortest part of labor! For most mamas, it lasts about only about hour or two, which means 90% of the work is already done. When you get to transition during labor, instead of thinking about giving up, remind yourself that you’re almost there. You didn’t come this far to give up.
When you recognize the self doubt sign post during labor, tell yourself you can do it. Hang up and read through Surviving Transition in your Birth Bundle. Include your husband or birth support during natural birth preparation so they know about transition so they can recognize it and get to work supporting you through to pushing.
Pushing
There are few different techniques natural mamas like to use when it comes to pushing. You’ve done all of the hard work for natural birth preparation, don’t drop the ball when it comes to pushing.
What’s amazing is that because you’ve made it to pushing without an epidural, you’ll push way less than a medicated mama. You can feel when to push and push harder, which makes this stage of labor easier. Some mamas report that the pushing stage provides relief!
Also, as an unmedicated mama, remember that you’ll feel the urge to push. Don’t rely on your HCP to tell you that you’re 10cm. It can be tempting to push if you get the go ahead from a doctor or nurse, but you’ll be pushing longer and harder than if you wait to feel the urge.
One technique to consider is breathing baby out. Rather than pushing in the traditional sense, you let your body do what it knows how to do to birth baby. Your uterine contractions do all of the work will you continue to focus on relaxing. Mentally, this technique is tough! But it does show prevent tearing and allow baby and mama to heal more quickly.
If you decide to actively push, try this technique. When you feel a contraction, take a breath and let it out. You want to save your pushing efforts to the strongest part of your contraction. As your contraction builds, take another breath and push for 5-10 seconds. If you still feel the urge to push, take another breath and push again. You want to push down into your bottom. It will feel like you’re going to the bathroom.
Conclusion
There are so many ways that you begin natural birth preparation. The important thing is that you prepare. The biggest mistake mamas who want a natural birth make is they don’t prepare. But since you’ve landed on this page, you’re one step ahead!
Whether you’re in the first trimester or getting close to delivery day, use these tips to get ready to meet your baby naturally.
Leave a Reply