Physically preparing for natural birth.

BabyShelnutt · November 2012

I recently posted about my fears of natural birth, but with all of you ladies great advice-- I feel quite a bit more prepared and calm about it. NOW I am wondering what are some things I can do throughout my pregnancy, physically, to help with labor. I know staying fit and eating right helps. I have also heard that raspberry leaf tea helps too. What are some other suggestions? THANK YOU

VABride2008 · November 2012

For me, mentally preparing was the biggest thing. Try to stay active during your pregnancy and eat healthy.

MitoRachel · November 2012

Lurker here... With DS I wish I had done more of a specific kind of kegel where you tighten in thirds (outer, middle, top) and then release one third (top, middle, outer) at a time. I say this because the nurse told me when I was pushing that I was tightening those muscles, but I didn't have enough practice controlling them to relax them when asked. About 6,000 more squats wouldn't have hurt either, as those muscles were pretty shaky afterwards! However, I agree that the mental part is the most important.

vintagejjane · November 2012

Keep working out, Stay active, and eat healthy. RRLT does help but nothing beats working out and strengthening your other muscles. You use more muscles than your uterus to push!

oliversmommy32912 · November 2012

What everyone else said, plus always try to sit with your knees below your hips and sleep on your left side to encourage the baby to be in the proper position.

bekkabrat · November 2012

vintagejjane:
Keep working out, Stay active, and eat healthy. RRLT does help but nothing beats working out and strengthening your other muscles. You use more muscles than your uterus to push!

I was just wondering... What is RRLT?

sbevmc09 · November 2012

bekkabrat:
I was just wondering... What is RRLT?

Red Raspberry Leaf Tea.

Pelvic rocks are probably one of the most beneficial exercises you can do. Also you could do squats and make sure to sit in positions that are known to help with baby positioning. Chiropractic care is also great for encouraging proper positioning.

annabelle.27 · November 2012

start inserting evening primrose oil capsules orally and/or vaginally at 37 weeks

squat. Look online for tutorials for squatting during pregnancy- North American women, I've read, squat improperly since squatting isn't a part of our culture anymore, and drop our bums straight down, which curls the pelvis. If you squat properly, it builds up muscles and endurance for childbirth and will help you open your pelvis. Women squat during childbirth a lot in other cultures, and this helps baby get in a good position and opens your pelvis for the birth itself.

mAnYaSha · November 2012

Since week I have been taking some extra supplements like Borage Oil and Alfa Max, also Gentle Birth drops (Mountain Meadow) and also different stretches to open me up and encourage baby to turn into the best position. Keep in mind all these were ok'ed by my midwife for me and might not be appropriate for you.

Mrs E in Oregon · November 2012

A lot of people have mentioned my techniques. Also, starting around 38 weeks have sex every day or every other day. Semen will help soften the cervix. If you baby is sunny side up, don't lean back in chairs or while driving. Also crawl around for an hour a night to encourage the baby to turn face down.

Try to relax as you can, schedule a massage to help all over relaxation.

ncbelle · November 2012

I definitely think staying active is HUGE - just for pregnancy and labor and recovery in general but particularly to help with stamina during labor - they don't call it labor for nothing! And that doesn't mean you have to be hard core - even nice long walks most days will help.

I'd also echo the squat advice - I credit my quads and glutes for making my labors easier - could be in my head but squatting will get that baby out

And also the mental preparation - I think if you are generally positive about your pregnancy and upcoming labor and you know what's ahead, things will tend to go more smoothly. Nothing is a guarantee of course, but I do belief strongly in positive thinking.

amandafink · November 2012

Thank you for posting this question! It is a great one. I still workout about 4-5 hours a week @ 33 weeks, stretch, meditate etc. what do you guys think of kegels? I hate doing them! I just forget about doing it most the time so I probably only do about 20 a day... is that bad? how many should you do??

annabelle.27 · November 2012

amandafink:
Thank you for posting this question! It is a great one. I still workout about 4-5 hours a week @ 33 weeks, stretch, meditate etc. what do you guys think of kegels? I hate doing them! I just forget about doing it most the time so I probably only do about 20 a day... is that bad? how many should you do??

I've read some research lately that indicates that kegels do more harm than good. Squats and exercises that strengthen your butt and thighs are thought to do more for your pelvic floor.

BabyShelnutt · November 2012

annabelle.27:
I've read some research lately that indicates that kegels do more harm than good. Squats and exercises that strengthen your butt and thighs are thought to do more for your pelvic floor.

Do you have any links you can share about this??? I have heard they are beneficial so I would like to see some other research about them.

mb314 · November 2012

Pelvic Rocks helped me a lot because I ended up laboring on my hands and knees in a tub. The 160 pelvic rocks that we were supposed to do per day for my Bradley class helped me get used to being on my hands and knees for longer periods of time.

And I second all the pp's about squats and just generally staying active.

hamiltks10 · November 2012

Yoga and chiropractic care...I did both for a few months before the birth of my son and I can't say enough about how I think it helped me during my pregnancy and labor.

PansyPants · November 2012

Do as many squats as you can stand to do. Seriously, do lots of squats.

My bum was so freaking sore afterward, I literally kept asking nurses and doctors "Are my @#% muscles supposed to hurt this much!?" and they just laughed at me and said that considering I squatted to push for two hours, yes.

Do lots of squats.

HML5382 · November 2012

Yoga!

For both the physical and the mental, I can't say enough about a good prenatal yoga class. I thought it was wonderful for all the aches and pains that crop up during pregnancy, it definitely helped to have strong flexible muscles during labor, and the breathing and meditation were totally key for me to get through contractions and pushing med free.

danak4 · November 2012

HML5382:
Yoga
For both the physical and the mental, I can't say enough about a good prenatal yoga class. I thought it was wonderful for all the aches and pains that crop up during pregnancy, it definitely helped to have strong flexible muscles during labor, and the breathing and meditation were totally key for me to get through contractions and pushing med free.

This!! I love yoga and had never done it before getting pregnant.

wittyschaffy · November 2012

I *just* started a bradley class yesterday so total newbie here. Our exercises are squats, pelvic rocking, sitting "indian style" whenever possible, and having DH (or your support person) put pressure against your knees as you try to push them towards the floor from the position of bent with knees together. Oh, and kegels too.

UberBiz · November 2012

I want to say thank you for this post. It's still early on for me, but my OB has given me to OK to try for a VBAC, and I'd like to go as natural as possible. So, squats and pelvic rocks should be on my agenda, is it ever too soon to start??

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