How Can I Prepare for Labor and Delivery?
The last weeks before you expect to give birth to your baby can be challenging and slow when all you can think about is having your baby in your arms. Maybe your nursery is already prepared. Your diapers stocked, onesies folded, car seats installed. This is the final stretch. What else can you do? How can you prepare your mind and body for the demands of labor and delivery? This is what we are addressing in this article. We hope you find comfort and confidence to move forward with a plan in these magical final days of pregnancy.
Preparing yourself for your birth journey can look different, depending on your birth plan, and the progression of your pregnancy. Low-risk pregnancies vs. high-risk pregnancies usually require different options in birth plans and therapies used to provide comfort during labor. No matter what your expectations for birth may be, it is important to be ready.
Preparing your mind and body for birth involves a balance of rest, light movement or exercise, mindfulness and relaxation, and practical planning. Make sure that you are staying properly hydrated and well fed (per your doctor’s recommendations) to nourish your body in preparation for the demands of birth.
Quieting Your Mind
Meditation and Visualization
It is no secret that meditation is a useful tool to help people relaxation and reduce stress in our daily lives. But how does meditation help in pregnancy and birth?
Birth parents who practice meditation during pregnancy experience less stress and anxiety. This is especially useful for those on bed-rest who are unable to get up and relieve stress through physical movement. There are Apps that provide guided meditations and timers with chimes to help you concentrate (Calm, and Insight Timer are good apps). Some meditations to try are
- Body scans – to raise awareness of the feelings your body is experiencing.
- Breathing meditations – to draw attention to your breath and practice breathing techniques that could reduce pain and increase oxygen.
- Guided meditations – transport you to a more comfortable and relaxing space and time.
- Progressive muscle relaxation – to relieve muscle tension and identify where stress resides in the body.
Visualization is a technique used by business executives and spiritual practitioners alike. Practicing visualization in preparation for birth can help ease anxieties by identifying what about the birth process may cause fear or stress. Closing your eyes and talking through the stages of birth, trying to imagine yourself experiencing these feelings can help mentally prepare you for the real thing.
Massage
Prenatal Massage
Treat yourself and your hard-working body to a prenatal massage. Massage therapists can specialize in prenatal massage that provide relief for pregnant bodies. This can increase circulation, reduce joint pain, relax muscles, calm the mind and reduce stress.
Perineal Massage
Stretching the perineum in preparation for birth is a great way to prepare the body. This practice creates space by continuously stretching the perineum to accommodate the baby, reduce vaginal tearing and instances of episiotomy. For best results practice regularly on your own or with your partner.
Movement and Exercise
*Always follow your doctor’s recommendations for movement and check that it is safe for you and your pregnancy*
In the final weeks and days of pregnancy you may feel emotionally and physically exhausted. Moving your body is a wonderful way to clear your mind and relieve stress. It can also help you maintain your stamina for the hours of labor ahead of you. Exercise can even cut down your postnatal recovery time. Some helpful movement and exercise practices to prepare for birth:
Yoga and Stretching
To open the hips and increase blood flow and flexibility:
- Squats
- Cat-cow
- Butterfly
- Frog
- Yoga ball hip rotations
Walking
A great way to get some easy movement in while you wait for baby’s arrival:
- Eases the mind
- Improves strength and endurance
- Gravity brings baby into position
- Can bring on labor
- Reduces labor duration
Pelvic Floor Exercises
Kegel exercises are the contraction and relaxation of the vaginal muscles. These are the muscles that you use to hold in your urine. They will be the same muscles you use when pushing your baby through the vaginal canal. Exercising these muscles can strengthen the pelvic floor in preparation for labor and delivery. This also can reduce postpartum healing time.
Hydrate, Eat, Rest
Making sure that you are taking care of the basic needs of your body becomes extra important in those final weeks and days before birth. What you choose to eat will provide much needed energy and promote fetal development. It seems insignificant to remind birthing parents to eat and drink in those final days. But well balanced meals can make a difference when labor commences. Your body needs fuel and nutrients to get through labor and delivery.
Birth and Parenting Classes
Birth Classes
Whether this is your first child or not, taking a birth class can help you prepare for the different sensations and scenarios that labor brings. After all, each birth journey is different. Taking a birth class can help you to unpack the nuances of giving birth and help ground you. The intent of birth classes is to educate, inform and prepare you about what to expect in labor and delivery. You may feel relieved to be armed with the knowledge of what lays ahead.
Parenting Classes
Newborn care class can also be a good way to prepare for baby’s arrival. Even if you have older children it is wise to brush up on ways to care for your newborn baby. Parenting classes teach you swaddling techniques, safe ways to burp your baby, newborn healthy development, and feeding and diapering strategies. This can help you feel less overwhelmed when you finally have your newborn at home with you.
Infant CPR and First Aid are also good options.
Tour Your Birth Facility
Taking a tour of your birth facility is an excellent way to prepare yourself for your big day. Even if you plan on having a home birth, it is advised that you choose a backup facility if labor changes course and you need medical support. By taking a tour you can familiarize yourself with the rooms available to you, off-hours entrances to the birthing wing, and the therapies available to you at the facility (birthing tubs, showers, yoga balls). This eliminates surprises when you arrive to deliver your baby!
Set-up Postpartum Support
After giving birth to my daughter, (which of course did not go according to plan) I was caring for my newborn and recovering from a cesarean section while my partner worked a daytime shift at their job. Fortunately my mother was able to come help me during the days after birth. This allowed for my body to recover and I was able to bond with my baby.
For birth parents who don’t have a partner, or whose partner is unable to take parental leave, it is a good idea to set up a support system for those first days and weeks postpartum. This can be a meal train provided by friends to lighten the load of meal prep and cooking. Family members or friends who are willing to come by to help around the house. You can hire a newborn nurse if your baby has special needs or may require a stay in the NICU (Natal Intensive Care Unit). A postpartum doula is a wonderful resource for your postpartum needs. Read my Postpartum Doula article for more information about what a postpartum doula does, and how they can help.
Review Your Birth Plan
By now you should have an idea of what your birth plan will be. Some may even have a printed copy in each of your go-bags, and distributed to each of your prenatal care providers. Whatever the case may be, it is a good idea to review this plan, and make sure that you are comfortable with the therapies and strategies suggested in your plan.
It is good to remember that a plan is just that, and birth plans can change course as labor progresses. Having a plan B with alternate strategies and options is a good way to prepare yourself for different scenarios that could occur.
If you have not already, make sure to share this plan with your provider. This way you can all be on the same page, and they can inform you if there may be any changes.
Focus on the Positive
It can be easy to get overwhelmed and anxious as the time to give birth approaches. Allowing your mind and body to relax allows for the natural progression of the birthing process. Worrying can disrupt this process.
Finding ways to be positive and optimistic about your body, your birth and your baby will help ease your mind. Try visualizing holding your baby for the first time. Take time to sit in your baby’s nursery space and imagine yourself rocking them, feeding them, singing to them. Creating this visual imagery for yourself will help you associate positive thoughts and ease your busy mind.
Try to avoid reading birth horror stories, or imagining all the ways that your birth could go wrong. These thoughts will only distress you. A stressed birth parent means a stressed baby. If you find yourself spiraling in negative thoughts, feeling overwhelmed or anxious about your birth or your baby it is good to reach out for help. Have a list of people you can call to help talk you off that ledge.
Connect
Expecting a new baby is exciting. It’s a big life event. Naturally you will want to share this with people in your life that you care about. But what about your uncertainties and your fears? Do you have a safe space for you to share these parts of your experience also?
Finding a parent group, or baby and me group to connect and vent with can be a saving grace both before and after you have welcomed your new baby. These people will be able to share their own pregnancy journeys and birth experiences and it’s possible that you will form life-long friendships. Parent groups are often a great resource for references also. They may know the best nannies or postpartum doulas in the area. Or even products that helped them through pregnancy or postpartum experiences in their past.
Postpartum depression is a very big reason why forming connections and vetting references before you even give birth is a good idea. If you have a list of people you can call when things get tough that can make the process a bit easier for you when the time comes to reach out. If you know that you are prone to depression, or have experienced postpartum depression before, it is a good idea to find a counselor ahead of time. You can meet with them to make sure that they are a good fit for you, and check that they have availability to accommodate you.
Ready at Any Moment
Contractions are coming regularly now, and your water is leaking steadily. Time to head for the birth center. Is there gas in the car? Is someone available to watch the kids? Where is the hospital bag?
Logistically a birth can happen anywhere, anytime. Being as prepared as possible means setting up a list of amenities to make sure that you are ready to go whenever that time comes. Keeping the car gassed up, just in case, even if you plan to have a home birth, is a wise choice. Making sure to have someone lined up to watch your children at a moment’s notice is important (especially in COVID times when many guests are not allowed at hospitals and birthing centers). Prepping food that you can simply pop in the oven is a nice way to lighten the load. And certainly making sure that you have your newborn car seat properly installed is a must-do.
What’s in your bag? Keeping your birth center essentials packed can leave your mind at ease. A comfortable robe, slippers, toothbrush and toothpaste, and clothes to return home are easy essentials to pack. Snacks, a water bottle and of course a charger are pretty high on the list too. And make sure to pack clothes for your baby as well!
In Summary
It is wise to be prepared for big events in life. The birth of a child is no exception. We addressed the ways that you can take care of your mind and body in the weeks and days leading up to your birth. From meditation to postpartum support, you can make sure that even if things don’t go according to plan, you are as prepared as you can be. Birthing people are strong, we are warriors. You got this!