Mindful Birth Tips
With just weeks before I welcome the newest member of our family, I have been really focused on being calm and present for the fateful moment. I know I am not alone in feeling uneasy, even though this is not my first delivery, not knowing what may lie ahead. Every pregnancy is different (I can testify to that for sure!)
Meditation helps everything, seriously.
The benefits of meditation are, of course, long-established. Meditation can create a deep level of mental rest that is very soothing for both the mother and baby during pregnancy and birth. Meditation is the safest and most effective way to non-pharmacologically reduce anxiety and stress, thereby restoring and promoting the immune system of both the mother and her baby. So, add a little Namaste in your day!
Slow down
This is the best gift you can give your baby. Try to avoid over-scheduling and block off some time for yourself. Most women find the last part of pregnancy to be the most exhausting and uncomfortable and your lack of energy needs to be honored. It is for sure in my case! And don't forget the H20, which will decrease risks for preterm contractions, improve swelling, help you enter childbirth energized, and provide your baby with cues of safety and calmness as it prepares to enter the world.
Don’t get attached to plans
When and how you deliver may be beyond your control. With little P, I had a grand master plan, written out like a marketing brochure for a timeshare. What a joke! Nothing went as planned! What you can control is how you deal with the unexpected and how you feel about what happens. As a planner this is still a hard one for me to swallow, but knowing how much easier it was to deliver my daughter then I was dreading, gives me a bit of comfort!
The most important goal, obviously, in childbirth is to bring a healthy life into the world. I am trying to remember we went through a lot to get here and to be grateful we are given the opportunity to meet our new baby boy soon! My only advice really is to trust your team to guide you as situations change, for us that is my husband, midwife and doula. I will be an intensely proud new parent, whether I have a two- or 24-hour labor, an emergency C-section, an epidural or a drug-free delivery.
Namaste Mamas. I'll see you at the finish line with a cocktail in my hand, you'll deserve it!
San Diego, CA, US/CA