(parts of article taken from http://www.naturalbirthandbabycare.com/) A woman allowed to trust her body and move to her own rhythms during labour and birth is powerful. In Spiritual Midwifery , Ina May Gaskin says labouring women are "like an elemental force." When you give birth to your baby, you'll be that powerful force! That's awesome. “The time you spend preparing for birth is vital”, quoted as by a mother of four, “I've had four wonderful natural births. It drives me crazy when people say "you're just good at having babies. Well, yes, I'm good at it - but that's because I spend so much time preparing for my baby's birth! You can have an excellent natural birth too. Take the time to conciously prepare yourself to welcome your new baby. Have a healthy pregnancy - and use your pregnancy to learn all you can! Read the articles on this blog and invest in a good childbirth course.
A Natural Birth Primer
our natural birth begins long, long before you feel the first hints of labour. A lot of birth is work you do within yourself - it's important to understand the basics of preparing for natural childbirth. Having this understanding compliments your "practical" birth knowledge (such as the stages of labour and birth and how to tell when labour is starting). The way you think about things can influence them. Your perception of natural child birth can have a big impact the outcome of your baby's birth. Take the time now to change negative thoughts and conditioning to something positive. There's a lot you can do to find peace, comfort, and pain relief while you're birthing your baby. All of your resources will culminate in this wonderful experience - so it's good to go in prepared! See the checklist of practical natural pain relief suggestions(see blog article about natural pain relief) for your use. Your childbirth class skills will also come in handy - look for a class that provides you resources to have on hand during your labour. Practicing relaxation during pregnancy is an excellent way to prepare for natural birth. It'll serve you well during labour, birth, and for the rest of your life. Visualizing the birth you want is also beneficial to your preparation - almost like a practice session! Relaxation and visualization are simple, yet very powerful, tools in your birth preparation. Birth stories are another wonderful way to prepare yourself. Reading the experiences of other women who have had natural birth, is empowering and inspiring.
A Proven Cornerstone
Good childbirth education has been proven to help women have more success with natural birth. Prenatal classes help you learn about pregnancy, labour, and birth. Be choosy about your childbirth education! I've reviewed and attended a lot of childbirth classes and they're not all created equal! Some are horrible, some are "so-so" and some are excellent. Books are a great way to learn about pregnancy, labour, and birth. Read books that support your choice to have a healthy, aware pregnancy and a natural birth. Your midwife will recommend some books to read, but please review the Genesis Clinic recommended book lists. Let me to remind you how inspiring good natural birth stories can be! Take a look at our Birth Stories page, and we would love you to submit your Birth Stories if you have birthed at Genesis Clinic!
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