Tips For A Positive Birth
This past week, the global birth community observed Birth Trauma Awareness Week to raise awareness of the real dangers posed to mothers who go through an emotionally and physically traumatic birth experience (click here to read more about birth trauma). Having a positive birth experience would mean having a birth that went according to how the mother had forseen it, maybe not according to plan but she’d have at least planned for it. The most important attribute to a positive birth is going into the labour with as little unknowns as possible and knowing what to expect.
If you follow Leila & Co. on Instagram, you would know that I’d recently held an IGLive talk touching on how you could have a positive birth and answering questions about birth. If you’d missed it, fret not! I’ve compiled all the important tips and information that you need to plan for your positive birth experience ◡̈
What Is a Positive Birth?
We all crave a positive birth, but do we actually know what that is? Well, let’s talk about it! ◡̈ The positive birth experience doesn’t HAVE to be au naturel, or one that is free from epidural and interventions. It can be anything from a successful vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC), an induction to even a gentle or emergency caesarean. In a positive birth experience, the mother would feel heard by her birth partner or spouse and the medical team supporting her who would provide her with what she wants and needs.
But it doesn’t just stop at the birth! Having postnatal support from the birth partner or spouse almost immediately after the birth in the form of love and affirmations — not just for the newborn but for mama too! — also contributes to how the mother would feel about her overall birth experience. Having a positive birth stems from the beginning of the pregnancy, during labour and 2-3 hours immediately after that.
How Can I Have a Positive Birth?
When it comes to pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding there is a large body of evidence and research showing that any kind of intervention, even a small one like continuous fetal monitoring that leaves the mother strapped into bed with machines beeping all around her may cause distress and disrupt the entire psychological process of labour and birth which is mostly run by the mother’s hormones. Interventions, especially if the mother has not mentally prepared for it, disrupts the natural hormonal release that occur during labour and birth and creates a vicious cycle of needing more interventions to counterbalance that.
I would recommend all expectant mothers to refer to The Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices to ensure you have a safe, healthy and overall positive birth experience — four of these six practices are identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and are aligned with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines. Following these healthy birth practices will guide you on your first step to having a positive birth experience.
Why Is There So Much Fear Surrounding Labour and Birth?
“It takes a village to raise a child.” — sound familiar? Well that’s because it’s a it’s something I truly believe in and always advocate to my family, friends and clients! ◡̈ Back then women used to birth around their community of women, to provide the birthing mother with the love and support she needed to get through the labour. This close-knit culture of women eventually eliminated the fear of birth in others as they would have watched their family and friends give birth, either naturally or with interventions from a midwife.
These days women birth behind closed doors with only the support of their medical team and birth partner or spouse, and oftentimes these mothers will come through those doors telling others how tough and painful their labour was. Unfortunately, a lot of women don’t know the right questions to ask a new mother to get the right birth story, so I’ll tell you how; ask her why her birth was tough, what exactly happened during the labour and if she had an induction, why? This helps the mother feel heard, that someone is interested the birth story and is asking relevant questions, it would also help you to understand her birth better rather than relating her negative experiences to your own.
What Is a Good Antenatal Class?
The intention of an antenatal class is not to go against your doctor, but to instead educate new parents about all that happens during labour and birth, and to inform them of what their options are so that they are able to make better and more informed decisions from a place of knowledge, purpose and intention — walking in with eyes wide open instead of making important life decisions from a place of fear.
A good antenatal class is one that goes through all your birth options, and is preferably one that gives you a deeper understanding of labour and birth. The childbirth classes I lead with Leila & Co. for example, discusses the different stages of birth, how and what medical and non-medical comfort measures help with pain relief, why certain interventions are required and in what situations, and what happens during those interventions such as an emergency caesarean, forcep or vacuum delivery — just to name a few. It is important to equip yourself with the knowledge of what goes on in the labour room because then, and only then are you walking into labour and birth with your eyes wide open.
The lesser unknowns there are, the less fear you will experience through your birth! To all mothers, know that YOU are so powerful — you’re growing a human inside of you and are bringing life into the world! You have the power to turn your birth experience into a positive one by empowering yourself with knowledge, and of course, by helping your birth partner or spouse out! Believe me, most if not all daddies want to help support you through your birth, but just don’t know how! So get them involved in these antenatal classes and don’t just throw all those labour books at them! In my experience, daddies would much prefer someone who can break it down for them in simple and concise points. In our childbirth class, daddies get involved in different hands-on activities and bring home visuals that help them support you!
If you didn’t know already, I hold childbirth classes teaching both mommies and daddies all they would need to know about labour, birth and breastfeeding! My next class will be held next Saturday, 26th September 2020 so click the button below to sign up and empower yourself through a positive birth ◡̈
