6 Tips for a Natural Childbirth

Advertisment

You’re having a baby and you’d like to give birth naturally.

Or maybe people have been asking if you’re going to ‘try for a natural birth’ and you’re not sure exactly what they mean.

The term ‘natural childbirth’ usually means giving birth vaginally, with little or no medical intervention or pain relief.

So in this article when we talk about natural birth that’s what we mean.

But before we get into it, there are two things to remember:

One, natural childbirth is a choice that feels right for some moms and not others.

Deciding it isn’t for you doesn’t make you weak, and it doesn’t make the birth of your child any less amazing.

We support all moms and we’re in awe of everyone who manages to make a whole human no matter how you give birth.

And two, preparing yourself for a natural birth doesn’t mean that it will definitely happen that way.

Labor is unpredictable. Preparing your mind and body to give birth naturally will give you a much better chance of having the birth you want.

But try to stay open to the possibility of it not going according to plan, too.

If you do decide that natural childbirth is right for you, here are some tips to help you prepare for and get through it.

1. Learn About Birth

Lots of first time moms go into labor not really knowing what to expect.

We get it; you know birth is going to hurt, so you don’t want to worry yourself even more by reading, watching videos, or going to prenatal classes.

But if you’re aiming for a natural birth it’s important to understand what happens to your body in labor.

Learning about birth includes learning about natural pain management methods, such as breathing techniques to help with pain, self-hypnosis or hypnobirthing, massage, and relaxation.

To make sure the information you get is accurate and truly helpful, we recommend that you go to prenatal classes available at your hospital and/or learn about hypnobirthing.

2. Accept Fear and Create Confidence

Giving birth, especially for the first time, is a huge unknown. And the unknown can be really scary.

It’s completely normal to feel afraid of giving birth.

Accepting those fears and working on building a calm, peaceful and positive mindset will help you when you’re in labor.

You can use birth affirmations, hypnobirthing courses or even audio hypnobirthing sessions online.

These will help you overcome the fear of birth and learn some simple techniques to help you feel calm and confident when you go into labor.

It also helps to read, watch or listen to positive birth stories and not focus on negative birth stories.

Absorbing the positive experiences of other women will help you to believe that you can have a positive birth too.

3. Feel the Love

Oxytocin is often called the ‘love hormone’. It’s a hormone that is released in the body when you’re feeling loved up.

It’s released when you feel attracted to someone, when you’re having sex, when you are cuddled or kissed, or when you have any positive and warm interaction with another person.

This hormone makes you feel safe, content, calm and trusting. It reduces fear and anxiety and it’s also a natural pain reliever.

And oxytocin also triggers contractions during labor.

If you feel stressed or worried, labor can slow down or even feel more painful because your body releases less of the love hormone and more stress hormones, like cortisol.

So feeling the love during labor can really help to move things along more quickly and smoothly.

Make the most of this by choosing a birthing partner who makes you feel good!

And remember that even warm interactions with your midwife or doctor can help your body to release oxytocin.

4. Plan to Stay at Home in Early Labor

If you go into labor naturally without being induced, labor at home for as long as you can before going into hospital.

This helps to encourage a natural labor with as few interventions as possible.

At home you can go for gentle walks with your birth partner to move labor along; eat, drink, and relax; get in the bathtub; or even labor on the toilet!

The toilet, believe it or not, is a great place to work through contractions.

Call the hospital when your contractions are 5 minutes apart or less, if you think your water might have broken, or if you have any concerns.

5. Labor in Water

Being in warm water during labor is proven to help you relax and reduce pain.

You can opt for a water birth in a birthing pool to make the most of this natural pain relief.

But even if you decide not to have a birthing pool, or can’t have one for medical reasons, you can use water to help you with a natural labor.

Kneeling, squatting, sitting on standing in the shower, getting in the tub, or simply holding a cloth soaked in warm water on your back or belly during contractions can make a big difference.

6. Get Your Birthing Partner to Help

Try to choose a birth partner who will support you in having the birth you want.

Whether it’s your romantic partner, a friend or a relative, talk to your birthing partner about having a natural birth and practice ways for them to support you once you’re in labor.

We’ve already mentioned that the people with you during labor can help by giving you love and releasing those rushing of happy love hormones.

But they can help in more practical ways too.

For example, they could learn how to apply pressure to your lower back or pelvis during contractions to ease the pain.

They can ask your healthcare team not to ask you questions during contractions, or between contractions, so that you can stay in the zone and keep your focus.

They can support you in a number of standing, kneeling or squatting positions by holding some of your weight or giving you their body to lean on.

Or if you share your birth affirmations with them, they could tell you those affirmations during contractions.

Encourage your birthing partner to stay well rested and well fed in the days leading up to your labor too.

They’ll be able to support you well if they’re feeling healthy, calm and focused.

Birth is Amazing

Birth is amazing, even if it’s really hard and doesn’t go to plan at all.

We hope these tips for natural childbirth will help you prepare for the birth you want.

But preparing your mind and body for labor by letting go of fear, focusing on confidence, and surrounding yourself with love will help you to have a positive birth experience no matter what.

Sources: