3 tips for when your baby’s being born!
For many people, the idea of the actual birth - their baby coming out of their body - is the part they feel most nervous about. Which is not surprising when we’ve been told things like… giving birth is like pushing a watermelon out of a lemon! (It’s not and here’s a blog post which tells you exactly why!)
There are things you can do to make the birth stage a little easier for both you and your baby. Here’s my top three tips:
Birth Breathing
This is a wonderful breathing technique - take a big breath in and direct your out breath down your body, to your baby, and out your birth canal. Visualise this too as you’re doing it!
This breath helps your body's natural physiology to birth your baby.
It's a very powerful and instinctive breath which often comes out as a low, gutteral moo or moan. And actually it’s this noise which makes the breath go down your body, instead of out of your mouth.
Bonus tip: Practice this breath when you’re on the loo, having a number 2! It relaxes your pelvic floor and makes going that bit easier. Just like birth!
If you fancy a demo head over to my TikTok video on birth breathing.
2. Go with your body’s natural urge to push
This is mostly accepted by midwives, and most don't encourage coached pushing any more (which is when you would push when midwives told you to).
However it's important to remember that your body will tell you when to push, and if you don't feel the urge, then it likely isn't time.
Even if you've had a vaginal exam that says you're 10cm, your body may not be quite ready. So listen in to your body and do what feels right for you. Always!
3. Move however you want.
When your baby is being born, you may be encouraged to "open your legs to make room for baby" or perhaps to get on the bed if you're standing up, or on the floor.
But you can birth your baby in ANY position that feels right for you. Birth partners - please take note of this one, and advocate for your partner if healthcare professionals are insisting they’re in a certain position.
Birthing your baby in the position that feels right for you will lead to a better birth experience, could reduce your chance of a severe tear, and supports the physiology of birth.
Remember - your body was built for birth! Trust your instincts, and make decisions that feel right for you.