Five Steps to a Better Birth

It's been a while since I've posted for Mama Monday! I've been very happily busy the last several weeks finishing up revisions on my birth plan manual, meeting with current and potential clients, vacationing and a thousand other things it seems!

But we're back on track this week and I'm starting a new series of birth information: Five Steps to a Better Birth.

While birth is a natural occurrence and one that your body was intricately and purposely designed for, it warrants preparation. People often compare the experience of birth to a marathon. You wouldn't set out to run 26.2 miles without understanding the race itself and then preparing your body through training would you? Neither should you approach birth willy nilly.

While following these steps can't necessarily guarantee you will have your ideal birth with zero complications, they can significantly lower your risk of unnecessary interventions and improve your overall experience.

Most importantly, preparing for your birth experience will ensure that you know what to expect and thus eliminate the fear which so often accompanies women as they anticipate meeting their newborn. As I discussed in my post about Love and Labor Hormones, the cycle of fear causes the introduction of stress hormones which alter the birth experience both physiologically and psychologically. Doing everything you possibly can on the front end brings understanding, peace and confidence for a better birth.

Five things you can do to ensure a better birth experience are:

1. Balanced Nutrition During Pregnancy
2. Exercise
3. Childbirth Education and Birth Plan
4. Focus on Fetal Positioning
5. Perineal Massage

Over the next several weeks, I will elaborate on the importance of each of these steps one by one. In the meantime, you may enjoy reading up on my other posts about Pregnancy.

Love and Honey,
Missy