21 Ways to Prepare Your Body for Childbirth
What can get your body ready for labor? Supplements, relaxation, oils, the list can potentially go on for quite some time.
Being aware of the things that you can do in order to prepare yourself is something that every expectant mother should delve into. After all, you want things to run as smooth as possible and reduce the chances of any kind of complication, so it all makes sense.
But where do you even begin? Well, perhaps these 21 different ways to prepare your body for childbirth and the different stages of labor may help.
Best Ways to Get Ready for the Childbirth.
The best ways to get ready for the childbirth process is going to involve a number of natural methods and approaches that will help to smooth out what could be a potentially turbulent path. The aim is to make it as easy as possible to get through the stages of labor and potentially even reduce those labor pains.
So, these approaches could prove to be rather useful.
Strength Training.
This is a strenuous process and it does require a significant amount of power flowing through your body in order to give birth. What this means is that doing some general strength training will help but do so in a gentle manner to simply tone.
Yoga.
Pregnancy yoga is becoming ever more popular. The idea here is that it will improve your breathing along with releasing tension in your body along with making a significant difference to your circulation. The releasing of this tension and your ability to do it whenever you want will help at the labor stage and make things go more smoothly.
Swimming.
Swimming has long been viewed as the best form of exercise while pregnant. This is due to it being a low-impact type of exercise that’s not going to stress out your body. Not only is it going to help with toning your body and boosting your aerobic capacity but all of that will come in very useful when you get to the pushing stage of childbirth.
Perineal Massage.
A common fear amongst women is that the perineum tears while giving birth. It is believed that you are able to reduce the chances of that happening by using a perineal massage when you get to the 34 week mark. Do this regularly with massage oil and it will help to protect the tissue even though this is not going to be 100% guaranteed to work for everyone.
Using an Exercise Ball.
An exercise ball is going to help you to work on your core along with your pelvic floor muscles. It is also believed that it will help to work your baby into the best possible birthing position due to the constant slight movements that you need to make in order to keep your balance.
Raspberry Leaf Tea.
Raspberry leaf tea is going to help you when it comes to toning and controlling the muscles of your uterus. While this is not going to result in a reduction of pain that you may feel, it is going to make a difference with the way in which you can then control your labor and the ability to push.
Evening Primrose Oil.
Evening primrose oil has long been known to have a number of beneficial properties related to labor. Not only is it viewed as potentially being able to help induce labor at times but it will also work at softening your cervix. This, in turn, should lead to a smoother delivery that will also take less time.
Be on All Fours.
There is a specific reason as to why women in classes get on all fours so often. Not only is it going to reduce the back pain that you will tend to feel but it also helps to get the baby into the perfect birthing position. This is something that has been used since time began, so incorporate it into your routine as it will help.
Listen to Positive Birth Stories.
You also need to prepare your mind and part of that is listening to positive birth stories. You can easily find tales of things going wrong and that just increases your stress levels. Focus on nice stories connected to it and begin to train your mind to think more logically and positively.
Hypnosis.
Hypnosis isn’t just for quitting smoking or helping you lose weight. Instead, it’s also used for relaxation and calming fears. Hypnosis in this sense can help you to feel more relaxed about childbirth which then helps all of those muscle groups to follow suit.
Meditation.
If the idea of hypnosis is freaking you out a bit, then meditation is another option that is available to you. With this, you need to work on positive visualisations and do it on a daily basis. Even 10 minutes at a time will help to calm your mind and, in turn, calm your body.
Acupuncture.
Acupuncture has been around for thousands of years, so it must be doing something right. This traditional therapy can help improve circulation and ease tension in muscles. That will then lead to you having a more positive birthing experience while you will also feel in more control.
Reflexology.
Reflexology is another ancient therapy that does have a positive influence on a number of people. Focusing on the feet, you will not only find it relaxing and able to remove stress, but you will also discover that it can work on your circulation reducing potential complications throughout your pregnancy and childbirth experience.
Plan for the Birth.
Stress affects the body in a huge way, and not planning adequately enough for the birth is only going to send your stress levels through the roof. At times, it’s dealing with external issues that will then have an impact on your body, so don’t just do this entire childbirth and labor thing as it comes along as you will just stress out even more.
Stimulate Your Nipples.
You may wonder why stimulating your nipples would be a good idea when you are getting closer to the time where you will be giving birth, but there’s a medical reason for it. By doing this action, you are able to help the body to generate the hormone oxytocin. This is also known as the hormone that induces labor, so if you feel you are struggling a bit, then this can make a difference.
Magnesium Supplements.
Magnesium is something that the body craves, but in this instance we are looking at it doing a very specific job. An increase in your magnesium intake will result in an improvement in circulation as well as relaxing your muscles. This will then make the birthing process easier and reduce the chances of complications.
Get Support.
You need support that you can rely on and support that you trust. If you feel that you are not getting that from your family then contacting a doula is a logical step to take. Knowing that there is help and support there will lead to a reduction in that tension which is certainly a whole lot better for that giving birth experience.
Use Healthy Energy Snacks.
Labor is an intense process and it can go on for hours. You will be using up a whole lot of energy during this time and that can then have a negative effect on your body. What you need to do is to use healthy energy snacks to counteract this. Know which ones appeal to you the most and know how to get them ready for when you enter labor.
Walking.
Even though your entire body may feel in pain as you get closer to the end of the pregnancy, doing some gentle walking on a daily basis will prove to be very useful. Not only will it help to tone your muscles and keep you that bit fitter, but it also helps in preparing the baby by getting them into the correct position.
Pilates.
While pilates may be tough for some people, a few gentle sessions with an individual that is an expert in helping pregnant women can improve your flexibility. It makes sense that greater flexibility and control over your muscle groups will make a difference, so consider giving it a shot.
Pelvic Floor Exercises.
You need to work on your pelvic floor as much as you can since the stronger it is then the better the labor will be. Also, it’s known that a stronger pelvic floor will also lead to you recovering more quickly after giving birth. Learn basic exercises and do them as often as possible.
The 21 tips mentioned above are not intended to be a complete list of everything that you can do. Instead, you can see the key areas you need to focus on, and as long as you do something to help those areas then life will be easier when giving birth. Remember, you are not the first to do this and help is out there.