10 Natural Childbirth Tips You Should Know Before Attempting Natural Childbirth

I met a young woman who would be giving birth in less than a week- she let me know that she wanted to give birth naturally and asked if I had any advice? With such short notice (only a week before the birth) I came up with this list of natural childbirth tips to help her out:

(Did she succeed? See below -> )

1. Why am I doing this?
You need to remind yourself of all the reasons you are choosing to give birth naturally. For me this list included:

1. I “knew” (had faith/believed that) I could do it.
2. I did not want an epidural or a c-section and I was trying to avoid    interventions. This was a huge and major motivation for me! I was more    scared of the effects of interventions than I was of a few hours of    potential pain.
3. I knew going naturally was best for the baby and for me.

This was bonus motivation: The first time I was pregnant, I became so tired of people telling me I couldn’t or wouldn’t give birth naturally that I became absolutely determined that no matter what I would do it- for no other reason than to be able to say “I did it!” (This was not my main reason but it sure did inspire my absolute determination!)

For later pregnancies, I began to crave the ecstatic feeling of accomplishment that I found after giving birth naturally. This was great motivation! I made it a game-
“How much better, faster, and easier can I do this the next time?”

2. Find the answers to your own personal questions.
Everyone has their own personal and important questions about birth.

   “Am I strong enough?”
   “Can I stand the pain?”
   “Will my body ‘work’ properly?”
   “What will people think of me if…?”
   “What if….?”

Answer your questions. You need to feel ready, safe, and confident. As you answer your questions, learn to ask the right questions. For example, instead of “Will I be able to stand the pain?” ask yourself “How can I help myself so that I will be able to stand any pain that may come?”

3. Understand your body
You need to have an understanding of how your body works how your body works. When you can picture and understand what it is your body is doing during labor it is far less scary and mystic, it becomes easier to relax and allow your body to work, and tension is decreased thus any pain is also decreased. You need to know about birth, not how to give birth. Your body already knows how to give birth; you just need to not resist it.

Instead of the word “contraction,” remember the word “expansion”. The word contraction gives you the false idea that your body is tightening. While the long, vertical muscles of your uterus are literally “contracting,” the effect is an expanding of the lower part of the uterus known as the cervix. With each wave your body is slowly expanding to allow the passage of the baby. Think “expansion.” Relax and allow your body to open up and “release” the baby. Do not tighten or resist the contractions. It’s like fighting the urge to go to the bathroom- the more you hold it the more uncomfortable you get; relax and let go.

4. Read positive birth stories!
This is so important! Read only stories that re-enforce calm, easy, natural birth. Read only stories that re-enforce what you desire to experience. You have enough horror stories in your head, you don’t need anymore.

You need to know more about the ease and joy of birth. It is not a walk in the park. It is work- that is why they call it labor, but does not have to be the excruciating experience that is so often portrayed. Stalking up on stories that can help you to see that birth as possible, confident, and calm is one of the best ways to improve your own experience.

5. Keep things calm.
Keep your environment as calm and relaxed as possible. Imagine you were going to sleep, going to use the restroom, or wanting to be intimate- how would you want your environment? Quiet? Little to no people? Comfortable? Calm? Birth is not a spectator sport! Respect the personal and intimate nature of birth. The less people around you, the easier it will be. The more those around you are calm, relaxed, and have faith in your ability to birth, the easier it will be.

6. Relax.
Relaxing during labor is the most important thing you can do. When you are tense you are resisting your body’s efforts to open and release the baby. Practise relaxing by tightening and then releasing tension in various muscle groups in your body. Practice relaxing with slow, deep breathing and releasing any tension you may feel throughout your body. The deeper the relaxation the better.

7. Breathe!
The easiest way to maintain relaxation and control is to stay on top of breathing! Long, slow, deep, sleeplike, abdominal breaths are what you are after. Breathe through your nose, not your mouth! If you start to “lose it,” you will notice the first thing you start to do is hold your breath, talk, or breathe rapidly through your mouth. The easiest way to regain control (and reduce sensation of pain) is to breathe through your nose again and slow it down.

8. Don’t start dreading the next contraction…
One of the special things about birth is the way your body works to push the baby out. Rhythmically the body gently pulses in waves to pull the cervix back and up out of the way allowing the baby to move down and out. Each wave comes, peaks, and then leaves. During labor it can be easy to start dreading the start of the next contraction, especially if you think each one is just going to get worse. Don’t fall into that trap. Rest in-between each one as deeply as you can. Then, the more relaxed you are the easier and less intense each wave will be.

9. Push sitting up!
Do not lie down on your back! It is the worst way for you to give birth. It is very convenient for your doctor to deliver that way, but it makes you have to work 10 times harder! At the very least, sit up as much as you can. If you can, I suggest a squatting position. It utilizes gravity, aligns your hips, and allows your hips to expand and allow the baby’s head to pass through more easily.

10. When you think you can’t possibly go on, you’re almost there!
There may come a time when you think “I cannot do this any longer!” When you start to think that you cannot take one more contraction, that the epidural is starting sounding good, or that you are just done- hold on, you are probably right around the corner from birth. Like a runner pushing past the “breaking point,” keep going, don’t give up! Most women who give up birthing naturally say they would have held on if they had known how close they were! So don’t give up! Continue relaxing, take it one contraction at a time, remember why you are doing this, and remember it will end. All you need to do is listen to your body and hold on for the ride.

Bonus- Remember that labor will end.
This idea alone was a driving force for me during my first couple labors. Remembering that it cannot go on forever and that it was only a matter of time helped me go on. I remember asking my husband a couple times- I would turn to him and say, “Tell me it will end…?” “It will end...” he would smile, “and you’re doing great!”

You can do it! Have faith in yourself!

*A Special Note for the Companion*
Your job is very important! Do not underestimate your importance to this birth. Your presence is the solid source of strength that she can hold onto when nothing else seems solid. You are her advocate. You know her better than anyone there- her wishes, her fears, her desires, and more.

My husband was the constant source of calm that I could look to. When I didn’t think I could go on he was there to reassure me that I could. His quiet, calm voice would remind me to relax and to breathe and most importantly he would remind and reassure me that I was doing a great job! I knew he believed in me and that we could do this together. I felt safe with him there. He would make sure that I was cared for and that nothing was done to me or for me that I did not want to have happen.

As a laboring mother you can feel very vulnerable, and you literally are. Feeling safe and relaxed comes in having an educated companion who will speak up in your behalf and see to it that your desires and wishes are heard.

Take care or her, have faith in her, reassure her of her ability to birth, and give her hope by reminding her that it will soon be over and the baby is coming!

(*Extra note*) Do not take anything personally! Some women can do and say things they do not really mean during labor, so be ready to let any personal comments roll off your back like water on a ducks back.

Did she succeed?
Yes! She was amazing, and she let that this list was a very important key to that success!***



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