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So I imagine like myself no one is truly prepared 100% and no one really tells you what you really need to know about birth. In my opinion, the most important thing to understand is that during labor anything can happen. I went into my first pregnancy being really stressed out and scared of the whole experience and birthing process. This stress did not in any way change the outcome of the birth experience. The biggest mistake my husband and I made with our first pregnancy is to not be well informed about the birthing process. Sure in school you get sex education as part of the curriculum; however, this is highly insufficient for preparing women about what happens during gestation, during labor, and postpartum. I knew that the baby came out of the vagina everyone knows that right? But that is really the extent of it. They explain what happens but not really how it happens at least that is what it was like for me when I was in school. They used to show you a low resolution video from the 1970s of a woman on her back with her legs splayed and blood everywhere. However, there was no education about the stages of labor, how long it can take, how to cope with the pain, positioning for optimal delivery and fetal well being.
Now getting into what truly matters for the pregnant lady I believe these five things are the take home message of the most important things about birth.
1) Take a birthing class, this is the single most important thing women can do to improve birth out comes and lesson the amount of interventions a doctor can push onto you and your partner. Be well informed about the birthing process, what happens, what is expected, and how not to freak out immediately.
2) I recommend to every woman, especially if it your first birth or if you have had a previous traumatic birth, is to hire a doula. They can assist you during the birth and give you recommendations based on the best evidence as to whether the intervention is warranted and if you should wait or take another approach to birthing that baby. They are equipped with knowledge about the best positions, what stage of labor you are in at the time, and the most important thing how to cope with the pain and have a drug free birth.
3) One of the most important things for my husband and I for our second baby, which I believe impacts on what kind of birth you have, was to limit the people who will be there to support you. Only have people there that you trust and that will support you. I had my best friend there during the delivery of my first baby. In hind sight, she was not the best person because to this day she likes to remind me of all the embarrassing things that happened during that birth. I am well aware of what happened, I hate thinking about it, and do not need to be reminded of how horrible it was. So my advice is to only have people that understand the process and will respect you during and after the birth. This includes doctors, residents, nurses, nursing students, midwifery students, mothers, fathers, siblings, and best friends.
4) Also do not read to much information on the internet. Be informed, yes, however, do not obsess over every detail. This includes having a "birth plan". Of course you need a plan; however, do not base every single decision on that birth plan. Do not be disheartened if your birth plan goes awry and things do not go exactly as planned. Do not be sad if you did not get to listen to your favourite podcast, light those candles, you need to be induced, or whatever detail that is part of your birth plan. Have some general guidelines in place. Make sure you talk it over with your partner, birth support, and you health care provider. But do not have a super detailed list which will be too hard for everyone to follow. Just list the most vital elements and write them down and make sure everyone is on board.
5) Finally, get a good photographer or make sure you have someone that it the dedicated photographer. Because sometimes this is the biggest thing that gets forgotten and then the baby is born and there are no pictures of him or her coming out. I wish I had a shot of my daughter as her head popped out. But I don't so my recommendation is to talk to whoever is taking the photos and tell them what kind of photos to take and which to avoid.
1) Take a birthing class, this is the single most important thing women can do to improve birth out comes and lesson the amount of interventions a doctor can push onto you and your partner. Be well informed about the birthing process, what happens, what is expected, and how not to freak out immediately.
2) I recommend to every woman, especially if it your first birth or if you have had a previous traumatic birth, is to hire a doula. They can assist you during the birth and give you recommendations based on the best evidence as to whether the intervention is warranted and if you should wait or take another approach to birthing that baby. They are equipped with knowledge about the best positions, what stage of labor you are in at the time, and the most important thing how to cope with the pain and have a drug free birth.
3) One of the most important things for my husband and I for our second baby, which I believe impacts on what kind of birth you have, was to limit the people who will be there to support you. Only have people there that you trust and that will support you. I had my best friend there during the delivery of my first baby. In hind sight, she was not the best person because to this day she likes to remind me of all the embarrassing things that happened during that birth. I am well aware of what happened, I hate thinking about it, and do not need to be reminded of how horrible it was. So my advice is to only have people that understand the process and will respect you during and after the birth. This includes doctors, residents, nurses, nursing students, midwifery students, mothers, fathers, siblings, and best friends.
4) Also do not read to much information on the internet. Be informed, yes, however, do not obsess over every detail. This includes having a "birth plan". Of course you need a plan; however, do not base every single decision on that birth plan. Do not be disheartened if your birth plan goes awry and things do not go exactly as planned. Do not be sad if you did not get to listen to your favourite podcast, light those candles, you need to be induced, or whatever detail that is part of your birth plan. Have some general guidelines in place. Make sure you talk it over with your partner, birth support, and you health care provider. But do not have a super detailed list which will be too hard for everyone to follow. Just list the most vital elements and write them down and make sure everyone is on board.
5) Finally, get a good photographer or make sure you have someone that it the dedicated photographer. Because sometimes this is the biggest thing that gets forgotten and then the baby is born and there are no pictures of him or her coming out. I wish I had a shot of my daughter as her head popped out. But I don't so my recommendation is to talk to whoever is taking the photos and tell them what kind of photos to take and which to avoid.
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