Tips For Normal Delivery

Of the joys and challenges you face in life, none is more extraordinary than having your first baby. From the moment you find out that you are pregnant to the day you give birth, you will experience many changes and learn new ways to take care of yourself and your growing baby. Birth is a natural, physiological process that a mother’s body can perform effectively and most women are capable of normal delivery. A few cases may be marked by some sort of complications. However, even in the most normal of cases, the mother needs a lot of support, encouragement, and above all, the correct information or tips regarding things such as diet, exercise, labour and childbirth.

Obviously there is no magic wand that can ensure a 100% normal delivery; however there are definitely things that you can do to make it more likely for you to have a normal delivery. Pregnancy can be an eternal experience for a mother with the joy and anxiousness increasing with time as the big day approaches. While it can be the best phase of a woman’s life, it may also be the toughest one as it may also include severe pain and discomfort. Several women are now going for alternative ways of delivery in order to escape the labour pain. However nothing can be as good as a normal delivery.

Make exercise a habit: 

Now if you have been a non-exerciser throughout, pregnancy is the time you should get started without citing excuses. Reason: exercise helps to deal with the demands of pregnancy and labour better, and this has been stated for long with enough evidences. For the same reasons perform your Kegel exercises with vigour. Make your pelvic muscles and thigh muscles stronger to combat the stress of labour. Often it’s the thigh muscles that get fatigued during labour. For the same reasons, practice squats and other lower body exercises to make your body prepared to take on the stresses of labour. If you aren’t sure how to do it, take help from your doctor or your prenatal classes’ coach. Doing anything wrong when it comes to exercise during pregnancy can do you and your baby much harm. Walk for Half an Hour: It is recommended for pregnant women to walk for about half an hour daily. It will facilitate the sideways movement of your hips, which will eventually help the baby to position itself in the right spot for normal delivery. Regular brisk walks will also help your muscles to stay toned.

Enroll in Yoga Classes:

Indulging in regular yoga sessions will also help you avoid any complication during delivery. Yoga helps in regulating respiration, heartbeat, and relaxing the system. You can also resort to yogic postures, which resemble pelvic tilts and squats. These poses will help in expanding the pelvic region, facilitating easy childbirth.

Keep yourself stress free:

This is tough as we all know that stress at times can be unavoidable. But make a conscious effort to keep yourself stress free. Remember if you can practice and train your mind to remain stress free during your pregnancy, it won’t be a difficult task to do the same during labour. Stress during labour can reduce the production of oxytocin, a hormone that causes the contractions during labour. Elevated stress levels can prolong the duration of labour or often make normal delivery distressing or stall it altogether.

Practise right breathing techniques:

Corrective breathing can help in reducing stress levels, boost energy and help your baby grow and develop better. Adequate oxygen intake also boosts baby’s health and vitality that helps the baby to cooperate better with the mother during labour.

Eat right always:

Diet obviously has an impact on pregnancy, labour and childbirth. But stay away from myths like eating a certain food like ghee or oil can help you slide your baby easily during labour. Remember there is no direct relation between your digestive tract and the birth canal. The reason you should load up on nutritious food is because it will help you be stronger, nourish your body, help in growth and development of thefetusand keep your systems healthy. ‘A healthy mother has more chances of triumphing over labour challenges and moving towards a natural delivery. Also, the right food and nutrition will help baby grow and position itself the right way for labour. Proper nourishment ensures that the fetus can also take on the stress of the birthing process and emerge out in the world naturally. But keep your weight in check; being overweight during pregnancy can make your desire for normal delivery go haywire.

Learn more about pregnancy and labour:

Get proper education on labour and delivery. Either join a Lamaze, hypnobirthing or any prenatal class to learn more about the nuances of labour and delivery. This will help you prepare better and enter the labour room with the right mindset.

Have your support system in place:

It’s imperative for the father and other family members to support the expectant mum throughout her pregnancy and stand by her through the labour and respect her decisions. If the father or other members are supportive towards the mother during pregnancy and labour it reduces the stress levels and this helps the mother to be at ease and deal with the labour better.

Stay away from birth horror stories:

Many women love to share their pregnancy horror stories with expectant mums, if you are someone who has to sit through such stories, excuse yourself from the conversation. Negative stories about labour and delivery can trigger those thought just prior to labour or in the labour room which can negatively impact the progression of a natural delivery.

All in all, maintain an active lifestyle, with regular, brisk walking schedules; drink around 8 – 10 glasses of water everyday.

Listen to good music and try to be positive to keep yourself emotionally happy and stress free.

Enjoy every moment of your pregnancy and await the coming of your bundle of joy!