My Labor/Birth Prep

Each woman has their own way of preparing for childbirth. Some take classes offered by the hospital. Some study hypnobirthing. Some do practice breathing & research pain management tools...

There is no one right way, and there is no wrong way to prepare one's self for your personal birth experience.

Today I am going to share my own "method" if you can call it that.

For me, "labor prep" starts as soon as I am aware of being pregnant. It is a complete acceptance of what is. "I am pregnant, my body will change and the baby will grow, then I will birth this baby." It is an acceptance of the process, the pros & cons, the risks, & the fact that it just is. This doesn't necessarily have to be a negative thought process, in fact for me it's a very positive and joyful one!

Throughout pregnancy I then focus on self care. If you're curious what self care in pregnancy means to me, check out my previous post "The 3 Keys To A Healthy Pregnancy" (http://themoderndaythinkingmom.blogspot.com/2017/03/the-3-keys-to-healthy-pregnancy.html?m=0)

Towards the end of my pregnancy journey I don't panic. I don't start taking classes & practice breathing techniques. My mental prep consists of visualization, bonding with baby, listening to my body, continuing to strive for inner peace, acceptance, and simply trusting myself, my baby, and the process.

It often feels as if I am doing "nothing" to prepare mentally & emotionally for this birth, as I have gone completely unassisted throughout this pregnancy. I am used to check lists and doctors visits and following someone else's guidelines. But that couldn't be further from the truth.

I have simply become at peace with what is and what will be.

I don't feel the need to have a strict plan or do what others think I should be doing. I am following my instincts & intuition. I trust them to guide myself and my baby to the "end goal".

Labor prep, for me, is mostly a continuation of my self prenatal care.

I simply don't feel the need to go to great lengths mentally/emotionally/physically to "prepare" for birth.

I've got this. 💪💙✌