...........................Creating Your Birth Team...........................

....The earlier you begin work on this phase of your process the easier it is to accomplish. Think in terms of who will best support your needs and wishes. When designing your birth team you may need to consider your primary care as well as a labor support professional, nursing staff, and which if any family and friends you'd like to participate. You'll also want to pay attention to the general comfort measures and methods of pain management you prefer.

....Your primary care provider can be a midwife, a family medical practitioner, an osteopath or an obstetrician. All of these people can provide both prenatal care and labor and delivery support. Consider where you philosophically are on the continuum of medical and nonmedical health care. Don't forget to pay attention to your feelings as well as those of your partner and the other members of your preferred birth team. Be advised that some midwives can be just as intervention-oriented as the average obstetrician while there are some obstetricians that are strict adherents to the midwifery model of birth.

....Generally, though, midwives and family practitioners tend to be more comfortable with the idea that labor and delivery are natural functions and can be trusted to perform best with minimal intervention. They believe that it is the mother that delivers the baby while their role is to keep a watchful eye for possible problems and encourage the mother to trust her body. The way to determine the intervention status of a given practitioner is by asking questions.

....Expect to have time to develop a relationship with your primary care giver. They will be setting the protocols for your delivery even though they will often not arrive to attend the birth until you are close to delivery. They will be able to support your wishes while you are working with the hospital staff. If at any time you are feeling uneasy or disempowered take some time to honor this feeling and evaluate your available options. You can usually change your primary care practitioner easily until the thirty second week of pregnancy. One mother fired her obstetrician while she was in labor--this is a very problematic model to follow but it does illustrate that you have the right to feel empowered, respectfully treated and your birth deserves to be honored for the miraculous event that it is.

....Another important issue to consider is labor support. Who are you going to count on for help during the rigors of labor? Every mother and father can benefit intensely from continuous professional labor support. If your midwife says she will be there find out what she means, i.e. how many other births will she possibly be attending at the same time? Will she be at your bedside the entire time? Also keep in mind that at a typical hospital birth you will be alone for much of your labor. Most parents find that this increases fear and confusion and leads to more stressful (which leads to painful) births. We recommend that you hire a labor support doula. Expecting your partner to exclusively fill that position is most often unrealistic--partners should be free to relax, connect with you, and and feel comfortable about their role in the birth. Doulas can offer experience, knowledge, and practices that will facilitate the father's role and help him be as connected to and supportive of you as possible.

....You may also want to include other family members in this event, including children. Sharing the birth process can help with sibling bonding and children who attend with a responsible adult make joyous additions to the birthing team. Many children who attend their siblings' home births feel loved and included in this important family event. Parents can always ask for privacy if they desire it. Depending on their age and personalities children may also benefit from learning firsthand that birth is a natural process and not a scary medical crisis.

 

................Pain Management and Comfort Measures................

....Pain management and comfort measures are also important considerations. There are other practitioners who can be of great comfort at your birth. If you are having a home birth who will be allowed to attend will not be an issue. Alternatively if you're going to be at a hospital you will need to check with your primary care giver to find out if you can have additional attendees. As simple as it sounds mobility is a primary factor toward maintaining comfort which includes walking as well as being able to choose a variety of positions for labor and delivery. Breathing techniques can also be extremely helpful. Water tubs and showers can also be wonderful. Some women like the distraction method and others prefer meditation or turning within to a quiet space to help them handle contractions. Each woman and each birth is different and what a mother needs or wants before the birth might change during labor, too.

....Generally staying as relaxed as possible is the key to letting your body do what it needs to do. This also helps the endorphins protect you from pain. Some of the most popular methods for nonpharmaceutical pain management include water therapy, hypnobirthing, labor and delivery acupuncture and massage. Remember that emotional and behavioral support provided by a professional can make all the difference for a comfortable and enjoyable birth.

...........................Childbirth Education...........................

....We used to give birth surrounded by our sisters, mothers, aunts and grandmothers. In this way we experienced normal birth and learned what to expect of the process. Birth was a familiar routine and not considered a medical crisis. We learned to accept that our bodies were made for this experience. Now we give birth in isolation and have lost the tradition of passing our birth wisdom to our daughters. To remedy this you can open dialogues about birth experiences with those around you, read books, take classes and/or do some research on the internet. There is a great deal more information available than there ever has been, enough that you are likely to be overwhelmed and confused. Find what speaks to you. This is your journey. Trust your heart and head when making decisions.

....Look for classes that inform while honoring your individual birth process. No one way or method will work for everyone. Most important of all is your trust in the process. Become familiar with protocols and procedures, learn about interventions and informed consent, know you patients rights and learn to recognize what medical necessity is. Take an active role in your birth and ask questions. Begin the learning process sooner rather than later. I still hear too many parents saying, "If only I had known! I would have done things differently!" This is your life transformation into parenthood and it deserves your attention and commitment.

 

...........................Pregnancy Comfort Measures...........................

....If you are experiencing discomfort your body is trying to tell you something. See if you can hear what it's trying to tell you. Many women have morning sickness in the first trimester and there are many folk remedies that can help. Seek out practitioners who can assist you with this. Start a program for self care now if you didn't before conception. Improve your diet and get plenty of exercise. Walking is a wonderful way to relax and build stamina. Get plenty of rest. Practice your relaxation. Spend more time with loved ones. Nurture yourself and nurture the baby. Start where you are and make small changes. Slow down and don't work so hard. When you become a parent it will be even more challenging to find time to take care of yourself so this is a good time to recognize need and create the balance of taking care of self as well as caring for children. If you are stressed out your children will pick up on that and things will become more stressful because of it.

.....................Celebrate Your Pregnancy!.....................

....Instead of the traditional ceremony, the baby shower, why not create your own ritual to honor motherhood? What we need, more than things, is support and encouragement in the work of becoming a parent. This is the biggest challenge and most important job we will ever have in our lives. Talk with your baby. Sing with your baby. Dance with your baby. The bonding process can begin when your baby is just a gleam in your eye. Take time to take care of yourself and celebrate this special time. It only happens at most a few times in your life. You are creating a new life!

 

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