5 Tips on How to Prepare Yourself for Labour

This is a collaborative post

Whether you’re pregnant or not, the idea of labour can be a scary thought. There are many things to think about, like how to prepare yourself for labour and what it will feel like. Luckily there are some things you can do now to make your time in childbirth easier.

This blog post will discuss five tips on how to prepare yourself for labour so that when the time comes, you’ll know what steps to take for an easy and healthy delivery.

Exercise and Train for Childbirth

Exercising can reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth. It improves circulation, body alignment, breathing patterns, muscle tone and control. In addition, exercise prepares your muscles for contractions that happen with labour as well. A great place to start is prenatal yoga or Pilates classes at a local gymnasium near you.

Get lots of rest, eat healthily and avoid overexerting yourself. A few months before your due date, begin walking for at least 30 minutes each day, as this can make you better prepared for labour in case your water breaks early.

If you’re feeling stressed and want to relax, try taking a hot bath or reading a book for twenty minutes at the end of each day. It would be best to remember your birth plan before labour begins since this will help get things off on the right foot. 

Learn To Manage Emotional Stress and Relax

Before childbirth, many women are not aware of how much emotional stress they will experience. Learn to manage your emotions during labour and work on relaxation techniques to get through the process quickly. 

One way is by focusing on what you find calming or relaxing, such as a visualisation technique. These practices will help you see yourself surrounded with happy thoughts and memories you find soothing. Not only will it help with the physical pain of labour, but emotional stress as well.

Try not to think about how hard labour might be if you are already feeling anxious; it’s natural for women who have never been pregnant before but try focusing on all of the people that love you during this time. It may take a while to find methods that work best for you, so experiment with different things until one clicks. You should feel relaxed when you use these techniques correctly. 

A great idea to take your mind off the stress is planning a gender reveal party. Feel free to do research like 46 Creative & Fun Gender Reveal Ideas or get information from other parents.

Understand Different Labour Positions

Women tend to assume the same birthing position during labour. However, you can utilise other suitable positions for birth, which may make a woman feel more comfortable and give her greater control over how she wants to experience labour. A few good choices include: 

Lying comfortably in bed with legs raised and supported, they are at about the hip height of the mattress to reduce back strain caused by gravity pushing against them. In addition, pillows under your head will make it more comfortable to rest while relaxing deep breaths between contractions.

Women who prefer upright positions during labour can stand or squat leaning against a wall for support. However, women must know they can change positions as needed throughout different phases of labour. Each woman will have unique needs depending on how far she is in her pregnancy when labour contractions begin.

Seek Emotional Support

As you prepare for childbirth, consider who can help with emotional support. Of course, your partner will be there to give you moral and physical strength on delivery day. Other people may also want to share this wonderful momentous occasion with you, so they should know when the birth will happen so they can plan their schedules accordingly. 

Learn Some Ways To Deal With Labour

Learning some ways to deal with labour helps you feel more in control.

First, find a comfortable position for you and your baby, like lying on one side or sitting up leaning forward. Then, apply pressure against the pubic bone to help shift the uterus back into place; holding an ice pack may also be helpful. 

Also, take time to drink fluids because there might not be much time before they stop offering them during the birth process. Finally, try eating foods high in calcium which can increase the strength of contractions and build up supplies for when this starts happening naturally. 

If you’re in a lot of pain, try concentrating on something else for a little while. When the contractions are coming every few minutes, this might be hard to do, but when they come less frequently, and your labour seems to have stalled out, concentrate as much as possible on some other activity or occupation that interests you. It can help take your mind off what’s happening and give you more energy to push later.

Conclusion

You now know that you have to prepare for the big day by doing exercises, getting emotional support and understanding different positions. Now go out there and do it. Good luck with your labour preparation.