10 tips for a positive birth, regardless of the location.

The process of birth can be so unknown yet it’s such an influential event for a woman and the family! So, is it really possible to have a positive birth regardless of the location? Abso – freaking – lutely!! Whether you’re planning a home or hospital birth, these 10 tips will help any woman own her birth!

1.     Be informed & research!

I think if you’ve been pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, you can relate to this. The age-old questions. Public or private? I mean can you blame women for believing this is their only options here in Perth? It’s the only options provided by most GP’s so why would women be led to believe there is anything else out there? Often birth centres, homebirths through community midwife groups and private practicing midwifes get completely over-looked and for a first-time mum this could be monumental in the way her birth plays out!

I ask you to stop and think for a moment, what would your dream birth look like? Is it at a birth center where you are close enough to the hospital to ease anxiety? Is it at home with your kids and pets close by? Is it in a hospital because that’s where you feel most comfortable? What model of care would you like to be provided, midwifery or obstetric, is continuity of the care important to you or are you happy to see a new face each visit? Are you wishing to have an intervention free birth or a fully medically assisted birth? There truly is no right or wrong answer, it’s simply what you wish and doing everything possible to ensure that happens. Engaging with a doula early is a brilliant way to ensure you explore all options and start creating that dream birth!

2.     Assemble your dream team!

Your birth team will play an instrumental part in your birth, whether at home or in the hospital you need to know your people will have your back & are there to support and advocate for you if needed.

It’s important you don’t feel pressured to have people you may not really want there just to appease others. This is commonly the case when you have been present for a birth and you feel you need to return the favour. Potentially it’s pressure from mother in laws or mothers to be there whilst their own daughter births.

If you are unsure if you truly want someone to be there, ask yourself, why? Why do you want them there and is that reason centred around YOU! There should be no feelings of you “owe them” or “they want to be there”.

Birth can be such an unknown event so knowing that the people present will support and advocate for you is a must. Doula’s can be a great addition to a birth team because they are women focused and ensure that the birthing women remain in the best possible head space throughout their journey! We can assist in bringing comfort measures into the space by doing the likes of massage, encouraging the woman by reciting positive affirmations and keeping the birth space sacred and calm.

 3.     Educate yourself!

Right, you’ve done your research and decided on what you believe would be the dream birth, but do you actually know what labour is all about? Not many women do, and the same goes for their partners, so is it any wonder that couples are going into birth but finding themselves extremely overwhelmed and panicked?

Educate yourself, get your partner and birth team educated so they too can support you when it comes to the big day. Often childbirth education classes are held in a dingy room with beige walls and beige presenters, often they are yawn worthy and frankly you’ll be told only what they want you to hear.

The internet is amazing, you can now do birth classes from all over the world. Find an educator or course that aligns with your birth intentions. A midwife, doula or obstetrician should be able to guide you in the right direction but if all else fails a simple internet search of “positive home/hospital births” should start leading you in the right direction.

Also reaching out to friends and family who have the same beliefs as you and have birthed previously too, they can give you tips on where to go or where to avoid. Hypnobirthing is a great tool to use & you will find a lot of practitioners now offer online courses to make it easy to do in your own time from home, otherwise going to face-to-face classes will get you around like-minded parents about to embark on the journey of birth.

 4.     Wash away those fears!

It’s important to go into birth confident, addressing any fears will help you do this. Ask your birth team to help you work through these fears, whether it’s a fear of needles or a fear of pain, this is something you need to work through prior to starting your birth. Fear release sessions are a great way to overcome fears as well as working with your care provider to ensure they work with you and not against you when it comes to birthing. If it’s something like a fear of needles, ask your OB to ensure any needle work is done in away where you a shielded as much as possible, if it’s something like pain, a hypnobirthing class can help assist you with coping strategies.

5.     Create the environment!

Regardless of the location, having the correct environment is critical for a successful birth. To do this, it’s best to address the 5 senses.

Sight; Keep the room as dimly lit as possible ask medical teams to only use the lamps in theatre or in the room, fairy lights and battery powered candles are a great way to keep the room cosy. Black out any daylight with blinds or even something as simple as bin liners to keep any daylight out of the birth space. Photos of loved ones and affirmations can be a great comfort for women who are labouring, laying the babies first outfit out to visualise baby arriving is also a great one.

Smell: Often women will love a smell & then be completely put off it whilst pregnant. This can also happen whilst in labour so ensure any scents you use throughout labour can be easily removed if required. Using essential oils on a rag is a great way to still gain the benefits but allows the women to have as little or as much of it as she likes. Another great motivation for women is to bring an item of clothing into the birth space that belongs to a loved one, whether it’s a partner who cannot attend the birth or a child who is at home, bringing a shirt that they have worn can be a great comfort for the woman.

Sound: Having your favourite artists playing in the background gives the women something to focus on and is also great at creating endorphins if the songs hold sentimental value. You can also listen affirmations and meditation tracks to keep you mind calm.

Touch: Have a partner perform light touch massage on a labouring woman is a great way to create some oxytocin, it doesn’t need to be spa level massage, something as little as lightly scratching the woman’s back or arms can do so much! Acupressure points is also another great tool to use throughout labour to help ease discomfort and the mind.

Taste: Most women labour for a while and that is why keeping their energy levels up is so important! You wouldn’t run a marathon without having the correct stuff to hydrate and nourish the body, labour is no different. In early labour try to eat carbs to help maintain energy, in active labour most women will not be interested in eating but keeping the sugar levels up is vital. Something small like gummy bears, glucose jellybeans or even honey rubbed on the gums will help women in that final stage!

 6.     Positivity only!

Surrounding yourself with positive birth stories in the lead up to the birth is so important. Everything we hear and see is stored in our subconscious so even if we don’t think much it, those negative story’s that you’ve heard or read about can come sneaking up again whilst labouring which is not going to be helpful! It can be done with something as simple as a word that triggers that story to pop into the forefront of your mind so ensuring family and friends withhold any of, they own “horror” stories and researching positive birth stories online will have a huge impact on your birth.

 7.     Spell it out!

You can never plan how birth will go, but having your wishes written down in a birth plan/map will help your birth team know how best to advocate for your dream birth. It’s really important that even if you are having a home birth, that you also map for a hospital transfer so that everyone knows exactly your views and wishes on everything. It can be a difficult thing to work through and consider the things you really hope don’t happen but speak with your birth team and working together on the map can be a great comfort and going in knowing no matter what happens everyone is on the same page!

 8.     Pack & prepare early!

Imagine staring down at your gorgeous new arrival and thinking that you can’t wait to share the news with your family or friends only to see your phone is dead and you’ve forgot the charger! Or how about if you come out of the shower feeling a little more like yourself but go to brush your teeth only to realise you forgot to pack your toothbrush! Packing early is a MUST!!! You do not want to realise you have forgotten something important once in the hospital or be trying to pack for the hospital whilst in labour. If you’re birthing at home, it’s sometimes easy to get caught up in creating the perfect birth space for home and completely forget about packing a bag for a transfer so make sure it’s all packed early to avoid any unnecessary stress. A great tip is also writing a note and leave it on top of the bag so if, and when, the time comes, your partner or member of the birth team can grab the items that you use every day such as deodorant, hairbrush, toothbrush, phone charger etc.

 9.     Nourish the body!

As mentioned above, it’s important to have a nourished body for labour to ensure that the woman can maintain her energy. It goes without saying that we are told that we should be eating as clean and as health as possible throughout pregnancy but often towards the end our energy levels drops and frankly the bed seems way more inviting than a plate of food. But ensuring you have had something, even something as simple as some toast before bed is a great way to ensure you’re fed if labour comes on during the night and quickly! Trying to ensure your meals are high in carbs and proteins is a great way to retain energy for the labour. Hydration is also incredibly important; did you know being dehydrated can slow labour! Ensuring you keep you water intake up not just before but during labour is critical.

 10. Rest that mind!

In the final weeks before your bub arrives, it’s easy to be caught up in prepping for their arrival but it is really important that the birthing women rests her mind. We are always told to rest our bodies as much as possible for the arrival, but the mind is the most powerful thing that we will use throughout labour and is so often forgotten about! Some ways to rest the mind is to read, listen to podcasts, have a bath, meditate, having a tea or coffee in the garden. It will look different for every woman but having that “down time” is important to ensure your mind is rested and ready for labour.   

So, there you have it, whether you are birthing at home or in a hospital these 10 tips will help you feel confident, calm and in control!