Thursday, October 1, 2015

5 Ways I Prepare for Unassisted Home Birth

Here are 5 ways I Prepare for Unassisted Home Birth, to at least give you a foundation for success:

1. Read up on Nutrition during Pregnancy. Google this. Read books about this subject. Most pregnancy, labor and delivery issues can be avoided/helped simply by a good and well rounded diet.

2. Read and Educate Myself on How the Body Works During Labor and Delivery. This one is a big deal. The more I know how my body works, how it prepares itself to give birth, how the uterus works, exactly what a contraction is, how and when to push etc, the better prepared I will be AND the less afraid I will be when the time comes to experience it. Fear is a HUGE hindrance to the labor and delivery process. The more afraid I am, the more pain I will experience and the greater the risk of encountering problems. This I experienced with my first 2, I was uncertain and trying to force myself into labor on my time frame resulting in more pain and slower recovery, but with my 3rd, labor and delivery was very mild in the pain department, just really hard work with a lot of pressure and discomfort.

3. Watch Other Home Birth Videos. There are YouTube videos, ladies online that are selling their own for educational purposes (I bought one with my first birth, it was helpful to see all the things I'd been reading about put into practice), and websites out there dedicated to free birth and unassisted home birth, essentially the same thing, but looking up both phrases will give more material to read.

4. Connect with Other Women on Forums. Getting support from other women who have been through unassisted home birth kept me encouraged and helped build confidence. Plus it'll be a wealth of information! Don't underestimate using that Search Bar on forums for past entries! I learned so much personal, real experiences that way. When going down the road of a home birth, much less an unassisted one, there is SO MUCH NEGATIVITY encountered from others. There were a lot of people trying to scare me or make me feel dumb and irresponsible for making this decision. I didn't let them shake my confidence. In reality, I am taking responsibility for not only my health, but my baby's as well. The typical pregnant female will blindly trust a physician and just follow "what they're supposed to do" without asking questions or figuring out what and why.

5. Preparing Myself Physically by Staying in Shape. Pregnancy Yoga is great! The more I stay active and prepare, the easier labor and delivery will be. Think of it as preparing for a marathon! Squats strengthen pelvic floor muscles to easily handle labor and delivery. Walking several miles a day, getting on the elliptical, swimming, doing kegels... staying active is key. Not over doing it, but keeping blood flow circulating! This helped me stay healthy and kept fresh blood and oxygen pumping to my baby. Also, I was constantly stretching. Every day is one more to prepare for the hard work ahead and then the reward: my baby!


These are 5 key things I have found that helped me prepare for unassisted home birth. As far as supplies for a home birth, I will write a post about the list I buy. As you read and watch videos, you'll start to see and compile your own tailored list. I usually start buying around the time I'm 6-7 months preggo.

More to come!

Fit N Fancy for Life,
~Caroleena

 *****Please NOTE: I am not a healthcare professional, nor have I had any expensive, official college education on my blog's subject matter. I have had 3 children naturally, at home, unassisted. I was able to feel comfortable doing so because of my extensive research. I have spent many hours reading books (most written by officially educated healthcare professionals), studying websites, picking the brains of those who have had multiple children at home, as well as watching at home birthing videos. I am sharing my knowledge and experience for inspiration purposes! Please be responsible and do your own due diligence before deciding if a home birth is right for you.********  

    

No comments:

Post a Comment