How I Prepared for a Natural Birth

When people hear that we planned an unmedicated, natural birth – they are often surprised or shocked. My girlfriends described me as “brave” or “courageous.” After having my son, I am more than happy to toot my own horn and proud that I was able to have him naturally. My attitude towards birth since the beginning was that this is a natural thing and my body is designed to handle birth.

That being said, having a baby is no cake walk – in fact, I hit a wall so many times during my delivery that I was this close to asking for “the juice” MULTIPLE TIMES, so I completely understand why so many women do opt for medical interventions.

Read all about my natural delivery here – Coming Soon!

However, I got through it, and honestly, I believe that if I hadn’t done any preparations during my pregnancy, I wouldn’t have been able to have a natural birth. Here is what I did to give myself the best chance of having a natural delivery (not in any specific order):

TL;DR

1. Go to a Chiropractor
2. Get Prenatal Massages
3. Exercise
4. Yoga, Stretching, and Rolling Out
5. Meditate
6. Diet
7. Sleep
8. Take a Childbirth Education Class

1. Go to a Chiropractor

I’m a big believer in chiropractic care! I regularly got adjustments before pregnancy so why do anything different while pregnant? Your body is going to go through tremendous changes, and chiropractic care helps ensure your body can handle those changes as best as it can. Pregnancy is not a disease, there’s nothing to “treat,” but if your body, muscles, and general alignment is tight or out of whack, you won’t be able to labor as efficiently as you probably could otherwise.

The bottom line for me? My hips were routinely adjusted to help open my pelvic floor for the baby to travel through. Plus, I got a massage every time I went and if you never had a massage while pregnant, do it – thank me later.

2. Get Prenatal Massages

Getting a massage goes hand in hand with chiropractic care. And I’m not talking about those “luxury” massages; I’m talking about prenatal massages. Most spas and massage parlours have people who specialize in prenatal massages, but it never hurts to double check.

And if you’re anything like me, I wanted the pressure! I hated it when a massage therapist was hesitant just because I was pregnant. Eventually, your belly will be too big for you to lay on your stomach or your back but don’t fret – they give you pillows and plenty of support while you’re on your side. Pro Tip: Try Thai Prenatal Massage – I felt like a queen during mine!

The areas I had massaged most often were:

• Shoulders (Hello shoulder tendonitis!)
• Lower Back
• Glutes & Hips

3. Exercise!

The rest of my preparation tips seem like no-brainers, but I felt like if I didn’t do any of them, I wouldn’t have had as great of a natural birth as I did. Even though I was tired or aching, I committed to exercising 2-3 times a week. If you think about it, delivery and labor have been compared to running a marathon – you wouldn’t run a marathon without training – do the same during your pregnancy! Even if it’s just taking a stroll around your neighborhood several times a week.

Before I was pregnant, I didn’t have a crazy or regular exercise regimen, so I can’t speak to whether or not you can continue to run or do something like CrossFit – please consult your doctor if you have those types of questions!

What I’m referring to are exercises designed for pregnant women, and thankfully, there are plenty of resources available online for free. I would see what works best for you and make that part of your routine. Here are my favorites:

• Prenatal Exercises – BodyFit by Amy
• Prenatal Exercises by Glow Body PT
• Approx. 1 mile walk daily – give or take about a half mile
• 20-25 Squats minimum daily (best laboring position for me)
• Took the stairs when available

Your goal should be to elevate your heart rate and get a sweat going but not to do more than you can handle or things that would be considered strenuous.

4. Yoga, Stretching, Rolling Out

Your body is going through so much change that different parts will hurt and ache. The best way I got relief was by doing yoga, stretching, and rolling out on a foam roller. Obviously, this gets more challenging the further along you are, but trust me, this was a lifesaver!

• Prenatal Stretching – BodyFit by Amy
• Prenatal Yoga – Glow Body PT
• Stretches to help back pain while pregnant
• Foam Roller – like this one

5. Meditate – Helps reduce stress!

No matter how crazy busy your life is, take some time for yourself and relax. Mental health is just as important as your physical health. Find some time in your day (even if it’s just 5 minutes) to find a quiet place in your home, turn off the lights, turn off your devices, close your eyes and just take some deep breaths. Do what makes you feel the most relaxed. (e.g., taking a bath, lighting some candles, soft music, etc.) Life is only going to get busier once your baby is here and being able to keep calm before, during labor, and after is going to help you. The best way to meditate effectively? Practice.

My favorites:

• Voluspa Candles (Prosecco Rose is my favorite! although depending on each person, some smells made me sick and others didn’t)
• Lavender Oil
• Thick Yoga Mat (Honestly, regular yoga mats are too thin for me even when I wasn’t pregnant.)

Bonus tip – get deeper relaxation by getting used to not being on your phone or other devices for at least a decent amount of time each day. Disconnecting once in a while really helped me to relax more deeply.

6. Diet

Full disclaimer, before I was pregnant, my husband and I ate mostly organic foods and tried to incorporate at least 1 vegan meal a day. The second I got pregnant, I continued my vegan diet, however, one day, I had an incredible craving for meat so eating vegan went out the window from that day on.

Long story short, my husband and I experimented with a vegan diet to see if it would improve our health and how we felt – and it did! The main thing I learned was that dairy and I did not mix so I also greatly limited the amount of dairy I was consuming.

Being a first-time mom, I was very cautious about what I ate. I knew I had only one shot to grow a healthy baby and while I indulged once in awhile, I stuck to whole foods, greatly limited sugar and dairy products, and eliminated caffeine. My meals mostly consisted of vegetables and fruits and lean proteins, and I took a prenatal vitamin and a probiotic daily. (Oh! I also drank at least 80 oz of water a day.)

The above is what worked for me, but I would say do what makes you feel best!

7. Sleep

If you’re pregnant, people will CONSTANTLY tell you “Oh you better get sleep now because you won’t be able to once your baby is born.” That got old real quick, and while it’s true you won’t get much sleep once your baby is born, it’s not like you can build a credit of sleep. That being said, sleep is incredibly important for not only you but for the development of your baby.

Sleeping will also get more challenging the further along you are. During my third trimester, I found myself being uncomfortable no matter what position I was in and no matter what pillows I used. (I tried the U-Shape pillow, which helped during my first and second trimesters, and regular pillows in different positions) Additionally, I started to drool an insane amount and if I didn’t sleep on a towel, I’d keep waking up because my face was soaked.

I pretty much slept when I was tired – which included 1-2 mid-day naps, going to bed early, sleeping in, etc. just because I felt better when I was able to get deep sleep.

Lastly, sleep is incredibly important in the few days leading up to the delivery of your baby. Trust me; you will need that energy when having your baby!

8. Take a Childbirth Education class

Finally, take a childbirth education class! We took one at our birthing center lead by the incredible Shelley Scotka. The class helped defined what we could expect and how to manage labor during delivery for multiple scenarios. Honestly, we wouldn’t have been as prepared without taking that class. The class covered:

• Laboring and pain management techniques (Hello massages from your baby daddy!)
• What to expect when delivering at a birthing center and a hospital
• Reviewed different delivery methods
• What does post-delivery look like

For those in Austin, here is Shelley’s website: https://shelleyscotka.com/

Above are my top 8 tips on how I prepared for a natural birth! Again, I’m not a doctor, but the above is what I found worked for me and hope it is helpful in aiding in your natural delivery.

Have questions? Please leave them in the comments below or ask me on social media and I’ll do my best to answer them!