We’re about 9 months home with our new bubba and I haven’t quite had the will to put him down long enough to share his birth story but, now that he’s a daily napper and I have a few free hands for an hour each day, I want to give you all the tools to have a wonderful, natural birthing experience in the hospital like I did!
Being that this was my third pregnancy, my decision was already made when we were ready to start trying to get pregnant-I would go au’ natural again during labor and delivery and strive for the most undisturbed experience as possible. To make it easy, I’ve made a list of things that I truly feel were the best tools to have when planning for a natural birth in a hospital!
FIRST + FOREMOST: PREPARE YOUR MIND + BODY!
I don’t feel like I can stress this as hard as I probably need to through a simple blog post but, I promise you: It’s not enough to just think in you’re head, “hey, I’m just gonna try this all natural thing with ZERO practice or preparation” and magically make it work. Not going to cut it sister. Your mind and body have to study harder than it ever has in your life. Yes. Seriously, I just said study to give birth.
I don’t care if it’s just 15 minutes every day from today until you have your sweet new baby, make the time to:
- Meditate
- Stretch
- Exercise
- Get your Downward Dog on
- Sleep
- Belly dance (seriously!)
- Watch birthing videos
Get your body moving, stretching, and grow your mind with meditation! Head HERE and HERE to get my personal experience with prepping my mind and body and some pre-labor faves!
SECOND: INCLUDE YOUR HOSPITAL BIRTHING TEAM
The next thing I encourage you to do is to include everyone from your birthing team in your plan. Ask your caregiver their opinion, let them know your hopes and desires, and remind them closer to your due date of your birthing plan.
When it comes to family and those who will be in the room with you, make sure to let them know that just because you are still having your baby at the hospital does not mean that you want to have a medicated birth. Your hopes are the opposite. You want the safety and security that comes with the hospital standard but, on your own terms!
*We gave C the choice to be in the room with us during labor and delivery and he was so excited to be able to make this decision for himself. We let him know beforehand what he may see, how I may sound, look, and feel, and what to expect when it came time to bring Lincoln into the world. We also gave him total access to leave with one of our parents during the intense stages of labor and pushing if he felt like it became too unsettling. As a proud mama I have to praise him because this little guy stuck it out the ENTIRE time! My soundtrack to Lincoln’s arrival was C’s little voice shouting, “He’s here! I see him, I see him!!”
- OBGYN
- Partner
- Parents
- *Children
- Grandparents
- Doula
THIRD: BE OPEN-MINDED
Remember, not every birth is the same just like not all pregnancies are the same. Even if it’s the same woman, the same man, the same doctor and L&D Team, no birth is ever the same! So, be open-minded when it comes to the tools available to you during labor and delivery.
*Before my first natural birthing experience, I thought I would HAVE to get in the birthing tub at the hospital. When it came down to the day, I never did. BUT. When I was laboring with Linc, I was incredibly nauseous. By incredibly, I mean ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLY NAUSEOUS. When one of my L&D Nurses suggested that I hop in the tub to relieve the intensity of my contractions, I refused because I just didn’t want to switch positions. I didn’t end up needing it the first time so, why would I need it now? WRONG. She suggested it again, and again, and finally once she left the room and I had exhausted all of my other resources besides medication, I took her advice…Do you know what happened? I wished I had listed to her sooner and hopped in that tub LONG before I actually did!
Although, the tub did relieve my contractions for the short time I was in, I ended up needing medication to subside the nausea and vomiting. THIS is where the Hospital part of this post comes in! Situations like these are exactly why you have a natural birth in a hospital and not at home. There are circumstances, small and big, that can arise during labor and birth. I know, I know, woman didn’t always used to have modern medicine ages ago and we used to birth babies in the woods but, we’re also farther off as a society now. I don’t have anything against home birth, I love it! If I didn’t have debilitating anxiety, I may have had a home birth myself BUT, for me, a natural birth in the hospital takes a few less notches off my stress buckle!
Here’s the thing: YOU CAN DO IT! Whether you’re at home, a birthing center, a hospital, or yes, even in the middle of the woods! Your body, just like mine and every other woman’s body on this planet, was MADE to do this!
Before you go do your fifteen minutes of cat-cow, watch our birthing video and give it a like + subscribe! Then, head HERE and HERE for more tips on having a natural labor!
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