How to Prepare Your Body for a Natural Birth?
TABLE OF CONTENTS
During labour, women can experience excruciating pain or discomfort, especially in the back. To reduce this pain to some extent, women are advised to stay active throughout the pregnancy period. Also, they are asked to keep their body moving during the labour as well. Some benefits of body movements during labour are explained below:
1. Better Foetal Position
When the woman keeps moving, the baby is able to get into the head-down position easily. This is the ideal foetal position to give child birth naturally.
2. Reduces Pain
There is an excess pressure on the back and muscles during labour. To avoid this pain, most women avoid giving birth naturally. However, regular body movements eases the pressure on the back and muscles. This naturally reduces some discomfort and pain associated with natural birth.
3. Relaxes Mind
Relaxing the mind is the key while giving birth to a child. Movements or light exercise reduces the stress and prepares the mind before entering the labour room. Also, they keep the anxiety under check and improve the blood circulation in the body which is essential after choosing the option of natural birth.
While staying active is essential for an easier labour, don’t engage in any movements or exercise without discussing it with a professional healthcare practitioner.
Learning about the key stages of childbirth is also equally important. Women must identify the signs of labour and be ready to participate actively during the different stages of childbirth or labour. Some of the key stages of natural birth include:
1. Cervix Dilation
The early signs of childbirth involve uterine contracts that start as mild contractions but become stronger as the labour progresses. The cervical dilation begins once the contractions become intense.
Cervical dilation refers to the process when the cervix softens and opens up for childbirth. This happens naturally but women who cannot experience it naturally often undergo a minor surgery or are given medications to induce it.
2. Pushing Stage
After the cervical dilation completes, the mother has to start pushing the baby forward. Women need immense stamina and endurance during this stage. So, they must be mentally and physically prepared for this stage.
Once the baby gets completely pushed out of the birth canal, it emerges out of the vagina and gets delivered. The birth canal consists of three parts viz. cervix, vagina, and vulva.
3. Delivery of the Placenta
Once a child is born, the placenta gets expelled from the uterus. The baby’s position remains crucial in this entire process.
As an expecting mother, you should be aware of this entire process. Seek professional help or consultation if you don’t understand any of the stages or have any queries regarding them.
Eating a healthy and balanced diet is equally important to prepare your body for a natural birth. Some important pointers in this regard are shared below:
1. Stay Hydrated
It is essential to stay hydrated during childbirth. Doctors advise women to drink at least 8 to 12 cups of water daily. Proper hydration ensures that the amniotic fluid is maintained in the amniotic sac. This is the same fluid that protects a child in the mother’s womb.
Lack of hydration often creates complications such as fatigue, UTI (Urinary Tract Infection), and preterm labour. The baby gets nutrients from the mother’s body through water. So, drinking enough water is crucial during all the stages of pregnancy and natural birth.
2. Folate
Ensure that your diet consists of enough folate as it prevents any defects or malformations in the neural tube. Doctors usually prescribe a folate supplement during pregnancy. However, you must also eat enough green leafy veggies such as fenugreek, spinach, etc. as they are rich in folate.
3. Fruits
A proper intake of fruits not only keeps the body hydrated but also provides the essential nutrients to the growing baby. Some women don’t feel like drinking water or vomit immediately after drinking water during pregnancy. Such women should eat fruits such as oranges, lime, pomegranate, etc. that contain a high water content.
4. Whole Grains
Whole grains such as wheat, barley, oats, brown rice, etc. provide the required energy during pregnancy. So, to prepare your body for a healthy natural birth, you must include whole grains in your diet.
Proper breathing and relaxation techniques help women to manage pain during labour. Some of the effective breathing and relaxation techniques to be followed for a natural birth are given below:
1. Belly Breathing
Belly breathing or abdominal breathing helps pregnant women in many ways. It relaxers the mind and muscles. To practice this technique, you have to breathe deeply through your nose and expand the abdomen outwards as you breathe.
Now, exhale through your lips as if you were whistling. This will relax your belly. You can keep one of your palms on your belly and the other on your diaphragm during this entire process. Also, focusing on the breathing pattern and relaxing your body is essential while practicing this breathing technique.
2. Panting
Panting or taking shallow breaths will help to reduce the baby’s descent phase during natural childbirth. This technique involves taking shallow breaths using your mouth.
3. Pranayama
Pranayama has helped many women to relax during their natural childbirth phases. To learn this technique, you need to close one nostril and breathe through the other and then repeat the same process by closing another nostril. It relaxes your body and strengthens your mind in ways that you have never known!
4. Massage
Massaging is an effective relaxation technique for your mind and body. Ask your partner to rub your back, shoulders, and legs gently to feel relaxed during natural birth. This massage is especially to be given to the mother when she starts experiencing the contractions.
5. Visualisation
Some women also practice visualisation as their labour progresses. Visualisation involves transporting the mind to a place that is serene, calm, and safe. During visualisation, stay connected with your body using the different breathing techniques that are described above.
Discuss these breathing and relaxation techniques with your doctor before practising them. The doctors might suggest some new techniques and methods to relax your mind and body!
To transition into the natural birth processes, you can try different labour positions. Some of the labour positions that provide comfort the women during natural childbirth include:
1. Standing & Walking
During the initial phases of labour, the women are advised to stand or walk. These positions facilitate smoother transition of the first stage. Walking also induces free baby movement and reduces the labour pain to some extent.
2. Squatting
Squatting is an excellent position to help the baby push down. It widens up the pelvis and provides sufficient space for the baby to come out. This position may also facilitate birth canal opening and help the women push the baby effortlessly.
3. Kneeling
Kneeling i.e. standing on the knees and positioning your body forward can also help during contractions.
Always seek support from the hospital staff while trying different positions in the labour room, especially during contractions. Try to relax your mind and do not think of anything that will make you anxious, nervous, or stressful.
These were a few techniques to prepare for a natural childbirth. Always stay positive and seek the best tips and recommendations from pregnancy experts. Contact a gynaecologist at your nearest super speciality hospital for a comfortable and stress-free childbirth!
Which is the best position to lay during childbirth?
Sitting in an upright position on the bed is the best position during childbirth. It is comfortable for the baby and helps the baby to come out easily.
When to push during labour?
When your cervix is completely dilated, you will feel the baby moving towards the entrance of your vagina. At this point, you must start pushing the baby out.
Which is a great position for giving natural childbirth?
Squatting is a great position for giving childbirth naturally as it widens the pelvic opening and allows gravity to pull the baby outwards faster as you push it down.
Are vaginal births painful?
Yes, vaginal births can be extremely painful and exhausting for a woman. So, they must be prepared mentally and physically for it.
What foods are good for natural birth?
Whole grains, calcium rich foods, and fresh fruits and vegetables make up for a complete and healthy diet for women irrespective of whether they opt for natural or artificial childbirth.
Ami, N., Bernstein, M., Boucher, F., Rieder, M., & Parker, L. (2016). Folate and neural tube defects: The role of supplements and food fortification. Paediatrics & Child Health, 21(3), 145–149. https://doi.org/10.1093/pch/21.3.145
Evbuomwan, O., & Chowdhury, Y. S. (2023). Physiology, Cervical Dilation. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557582/
Fitzsimmons, E. D., & Tushar Bajaj. (2019, May 6). Embryology, Amniotic Fluid. Nih.gov; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541089/
McEvoy, A., & Sabir, S. (2022, September 19). Physiology, Pregnancy Contractions. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532927/
Visualization Exercises For Birth - Definition & Explanation for Mothers. (2024, February 27). Motherly. https://www.mother.ly/terms/visualization-exercises-for-birth/
