1. BIRTH TEAM = Complete
Now that you’ve found your birth team, here is my guide to follow as needed during pregnancy to equip you to birth with strength and confidence. Let’s begin!
*Disclaimer - As always, check with your provider before following ANY pregnancy/labor/birth “advise” I am not a medical provider. All options listed are gathered from my professional experience as a doula and from credible sources. Options listed are not instructions/promises to cure/prevent/treat pregnancy related symptoms. Follow according to your own discretion.
Welcome to your childbirth preparation journey! Labor and birth will be one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of your life. It’s beautiful, raw, messy, and so so impactful. Let’s get ready for it by preparing in a variety of ways. Below, I have listed some helpful tips and to-do’s for you as an option, so that you feel confident and equipped to rock this birth, and later, your baby. :)
Childbirth Classes:
Finding a thorough childbirth class is a perfect step toward setting up yourself for a fear-free birth! Knowledge is power - the more you understand the process, the more you will feel calm and in control. Click the link below to find my resource page. You will see a number of online childbirth classes to browse, but if paying for a class is not an option, I suggest binge watching Sarah Lavonne or Bridget Tyler’s childbirth videos on youtube for a second best option. :) Hospital classes often teach people how to deliver in a hospital, and don’t always explain physiologic birth.
Resources — Tulip Doula Services
2. Sort through your “Birth Why’s”
Your “birthday” will be a day you will never forget. It is a wise idea to take some time and journal all your thoughts about it, such as: Why do I want to have a medicated birth? Why do I want an unmedicated birth? What is my birth philosophy? How do I think a change of my original birth plan will affect me? What is my view of epidurals? Why do I want a doula? Do I have more faith in my body’s design to birth or in the hospital system to take care of me? Do I have any self-doubt about pregnancy, labor, and birth that I can work through/share with a trusted friend/counselor? What could help me feel and become more confident in this journey?
3. Exercise/body prep:
The best gift you can give to your future laboring body is to strengthen/tone and stretch your body. We want the baby to have the clearest passage through the pelvis, without having to twist and turn past and through tight muscles and misalignments of the lower spine. I suggest regular chiropractic adjustments (with a chiropractor versed in Webster’s technique) and prenatal yoga or pilates workouts. A simple “prenatal yoga” or “prenatal pilates” search on YouTube will lead you to a host of videos to try out. :) Please don’t do kegels UNLESS you are also doing exercises to relax your pelvic floor as well. Spinning babies is also a fantastic resource to know how to balance your body and get it ready for birth!
Weekly Activities for Pregnancy - Pregnancy Comfort - Spinning Babies
Pregnancy Pilates For A Fit & Toned Pregnancy (20-Min Prenatal Pilates Class) (youtube.com)
Prenatal Yoga | 22-Minute Home Yoga Practice (youtube.com)
4. Mind work:
Half the battle of labor is in the mind! Of COURSE there is much that is physical, but if we can get into a mindset of, “the contraction waves are bringing baby closer to me”, “I can do anything for a minute”, “I am safe and calm”, etc., I promise you, you will be able to labor with greater confidence and serenity, and possibly even less pain! I recommend finding pregnancy and labor meditations to practice on youtube. Try them out while falling asleep or when you just need to lie down for 15 minutes during the day. I also love the Christian Hypnobirthing App - it has wonderful guided meditations, affirmations, scriptures, prayers…I use it at almost every birth. It’s lovely. 10/10.
Christian Hypnobirthing | Faith-Filled Childbirth
Go on YouTube and flood your mind with positive birth stories! There are thousands out there! Don’t let others’ bad birth experiences color your future birth experience. It hasn’t even happened yet! Don’t let negativity have this power over you. This is YOUR story. (“It is hard for you, Little One, but things never happen the same way twice.” - Aslan IYKYK) It is simply impossible to have their same experience! Work toward keeping a positive attitude toward the coming experience. Maybe even gently and graciously stop someone mid-sentence if they start telling you a scary birth story - let them know that you validate their story, but that you are protecting your mindset and don’t want to add extra worries that may not even apply to your labor and birth scenario! :) Check out the documentary, Watch Orgasmic Birth | Prime Video (amazon.com), to discover what birth could be like for you!
5. Circumcision
As circumcision is an irreversible surgery, I encourage you to do deep research on the pro’s and con’s. I certainly do not make decisions for you, but I would love to share with you what I know regarding circumcision. Since baby boys can not consent to this surgery, it is something to put a lot of thought into before making a permanent decision. :) Please check out this documentary: Watch American Circumcision | Prime Video (amazon.com)
6. Food
(It truly IS medicine, AND an important building block for the normal development of your growing baby!)
I know it is so hard to tolerate a variety of foods during pregnancy, but try your best to include the following into your regular diet: organic animal products (especially seafood), liver (from a trusted source - sneak it into soup, meatloaf, or freeze small pieces and swallow like you would any vitamin), raw nuts, beans and lentils, dark leafy greens, eggs, blueberries, coconut oil, cacao powder, dark chocolate, wild caught salmon, cinnamon, honey, molasses, turmeric, all veggies, nut butters, organic dairy, fruit, and organic olive oil.
The MOST Important Video for Pregnant Women (youtube.com)
According to “The Healthy Pregnancy book”, (Amazon.com: The Healthy Pregnancy Book: Month by Month, Everything You Need to Know from America's Baby Experts (The Sears Parenting Library) (Audible Audio Edition): William Sears MD, Martha Sears RN, Linda Holt MD, B. J. Snell PhD CNW, Coleen Marlo, Blackstone Audio, Inc.: Books) the nine nourishing nutrients you need each day for a healthy pregnancy are:
500 milligrams of omega-3 DHA
25 grams of protein
800 milligrams of calcium
400 milligrams of folic acid (folate)
12 milligrams of iron
1,000 IU of vitamin D
2 micrograms of vitamin B12
220 micrograms of iodine
300 - 500 extra healthy calories (during the second and third trimester)
7. Prenatal Vitamins
Healthy food is essential in providing the proper building blocks to the developing baby, but sometimes we need a boost via quality prenatal supplements! Here are my favorite prenatal vitamin companies:
Perelel - OB/GYN-Founded Vitamins for Your Life Stage (perelelhealth.com)
Prenatal Vitamins | Essential Prenatal - Ritual
Ellement, Prenatal Supplements Created for Each Mother (myessentialbirth.com)
8. Reading/Podcasting/YouTube Videos
There are SO many options here! Let me make it easy for you and share a few of my favorite resources!
The Pregnancy and Birth Made Easy Podcast with My Essential Birth
Episodes: #90 (Vaccines), #197 (Prenatal & Postpartum Preeclampsia), #189 (Pregnancy/ Postpartum Workouts/Fitness), #136 (Group B Strep), #135 (Placenta Encapsulation), #134 (Glucose Test Alternatives), #112 (The Golden Hour), #103 (Inductions), #169 (mastitis), #177 (Delayed Cord Clamping), #179 (Contractions), #184 (Placenta), #187 (RhoGAM Shot)
The VBAC Link Podcast | The VBAC Link
Podcast — Birthing Instincts with Dr. Stu
9. Food and Drinks to Nourish during Labor:
(Evidence on: Eating and Drinking During Labor - Evidence Based Birth®)
Anything. =D Whatever is full of nutrients, electrolytes, healthy carbs, fats…go for it! If you are a rule follower whose birth is at a “do not eat anything but liquids during labor” hospital, I suggest bringing: organic bone broth powder packets, LMNT electrolyte packets to add to water, honey sticks, vitamin water, tea, or kombucha to give you energy during the labor process.
Electrolytes - Drink LMNT, INC
10. Clothing & Comfort Measures
Yes, you can wear your own clothes during labor and birth! I recommend a cozy silk nightgown so that you feel covered, and also avoid the inconvenience of changing out of shorts for vaginal exams (should you opt to have them done). A sports bra that zips in front is also awesome for easy breastfeeding access right after the birth!
What makes you feel totally relaxed and safe? Your pillow, a salt rock lamp, a favorite hoodie, your partner’s cologne, a snuggly blanket, essential oils, your favorite massage oil, your OWN grippy socks (the hospital ones are horrible haha), a family photo? Bring it to the hospital! We want to collect everything that will help you feel safe and calm during labor and birth. Mood is EVERYTHING in labor. (I practically bring a whole department store in my doula bag with oils, lights, massage oils, etc., but I add this section to encourage you to bring anything from home that you would really love to keep with you during labor that I might not have in my whole doula bag! :) )
11. What to Bring to the Hospital
I have a printout of a pretty thorough list already in your prenatal packet (given to you at our prenatal visit), but I wanted to include the suggestion to make a ginger tea concentrate. Boil two cups of water and steep ten bags of organic ginger tea. Bring it with you in a jar to the hospital. I make warm ginger tea compresses for mom to have placed on her perineum to help soften and relax the tissues to avoid tearing during the pushing phase of labor.
12. Counting down the days!
Research says that the most optimal time to start drinking red raspberry leaf tea (to help tone the uterus) is about 32 weeks of pregnancy. Start with one cup a day and gradually increase to two or three if you’d like! Always organic! There are many harsh chemicals in non organic teas, and your sweet unborn baby eats everything you do in a concentrated dose in her tiny little womb-home. :)
Eat 6 dates a day starting at 36 weeks to help soften the cervix.
Buy a belly band from Amazon (or anywhere, really) to help ease the pressure off of your lower back when your belly feels heavy!
Sip some tea and enjoy these precious days with your unborn baby. Breathe. You’ve got this.
~ Sarah
Questions for Your Provider
Will you attend my birth or an on call doctor/midwife
Can I labor/birth in water
Pain management options
Bluetooth monitors
What are your views on continuous/intermittent monitoring
How do you feel about doulas
Have you had any bad experiences with doulas
What is your induction rate
What is your c-section rate
What is your vbac rate
What is your episiotomy rate/how do you feel about them
What is your criteria for a valid induction
What is your hospitals induction success rate
How many days do you allow for induction - how do you accommodate physiological birth for mothers opting to induce
What is your criteria for a valid, scheduled c-section
How do you support breech birth/if you don’t, do you know of any providers who will deliver vaginal breech babies
What actions do you take to address maternal/fetal mortality risks
Am i required to lie on my back for pushing - why