How to Prepare Your Body for Labor and Delivery

Last updated on May 12th, 2020 at 09:40 am

Pregnancy is certainly the most beautiful and important phase in a woman’s life. The very feeling of bringing a new life to this world is very special. It is just like a part of you slowly growing up into a separate entity. However, no matter how beautiful those 9 months are, it is also the time when most women undergo lot of nervousness and tension. It is very obvious for women to get tensed, especially if you are pregnant for the first time. But, if you just calm down and relax and take proper care of yourself, you will be able to pass the phase quite smoothly. And, to avoid pregnancy complications and get a smooth labor, you must prepare yourself and your body by following a proper pregnancy routine. Your mind, body and soul must be prepared from beforehand for the ultimate day of delivery. So, my today’s post is dedicated to all the pregnant women out there. Today I am sharing about how to prepare your body for labor and delivery. Apart from preparing your body, you also have to prepare yourself for smooth labor and delivery and i am going to help you do that. If you are expecting a baby and wondering about how to go about it, then read on this post to get it right.

There can be several pregnancy complications like miscarriage, premature childbirth, and birth defects in the newborn. I completely understand that all these things actually make a soon to be mother very nervous. See, no one wants a complicated pregnancy but if it happens you cannot help.

However, that does not mean that you will start to panic from beforehand because if you do that, it may have negative impacts on your child. So, try to be happy and confident all the time and keep yourself mentally prepared for everything.

All you need to do is to hope for the best and implement these incredible tips to prepare your body for labor and delivery. I strongly feel that you will be greatly benefitted from these tips.

So, are you ready? I hear you saying yes, so let us begin with the essential tips on how to prepare your body for labor and delivery easily.

How to prepare your body for labor and delivery

Those 9 months is very crucial and you must fully utilize the phase for a smooth delivery, and I will help you out in it. I have talked with many of my doctor friends and have also done research and came up with the following tips on how to prepare your body for labor and delivery. If you are expecting a baby, then these tips will certainly help you to prepare yourself both mentally and physically for labor and delivery.

Educate yourself

The primary thing that you as a ‘would be mother’ must do is to educate yourself regarding the process of childbirth and labor. This is because most women are not aware of the exact process and hence they panic unnecessarily. So, please read books, google the facts and educate yourself regarding the whole procedure and the physiological changes that you may go through during pregnancy and labor. Getting your facts correct will help you lessen your fear to a great extent. You must also be aware of all types of deliveries and their after effects well.

You should discuss any concern with your gynecologist. If you are confused about something or if there’s anything that you are unsure about, discussing it with people who may address your concern will be much effective in preparing yourself for the childbirth.

Consult your doctor time to time

It is important that you consult a good and experienced doctor and go for timely checkups. This is one thing that you must not miss out in any way. It is really necessary to have timely checkup and keep a perfect track of everything and thereby calming yourself down. Ask him any quarry that you have as he is indeed the best person to give you the solution to any of your pregnancy related questions.

Moreover, if you are going to have him/her during your delivery, then being constantly in touch is all the more important. This will actually make you comfortable and will help you boost your confidence that your doctor whom you know for a such a long time will make your delivery smooth and less painfulas much as possible.

Practice Yoga

Yoga is good for all of us and it helps you stay healthy throughout your life. And, since there are prenatal exercises that are immensely helpful for a pregnant lady, you must also make it a habit to practice yoga. But, doing all these unknowingly may have negative impacts and so attend proper pregnancy yoga classes to stay fit and active.

Yoga prepares your body and mind to stay upright during labor and delivery and so it is advisable that you practice Yoga. Kneeling, standing, knees and hands and squatting keeps your pelvis loose and open for better positioning and descent of the fetus. But as I said, make sure to practice yoga only under the supervision of a certified yoga trainer.

Practice breathing and meditation

Apart from yoga, practicing breathing and meditation is also essential for those who plan to go for a normal delivery but even if you do not plan for a normal delivery, you must practice breathing and meditation. This is because this practice will help you breathe through the contractions before you get the epidural. Moreover, if something goes wrong and you are not given an epidural, still then you will be able to breathe through the pain and will hopefully manage to stay calmer than the other women who haven’t practiced breathing and mediation during pregnancy.

Attend child birthing classes

Attending child birthing classes is important as you will know about all the basic details about it that is very necessary for you, especially if you are pregnant for the first time. But, you must not be the only one attending such classes. Take your partner for some training as well. This is because if he is well acquainted with everything, then he will also act as a good support system for you.

Moreover, not just pregnant moms, I have seen even the father of the child getting tensed during his wife’s pregnancy and delivery. He may not be able to share the physical discomfort but he will surely not like it when you are facing problems. So, if he is also attending child birthing classes, then things will get easier for him as well. After attending these classes, he will be able to handle things and help you far better.

Avoid negativity

Avoid reading negative stories about childbirth and concentrate on the positive side of it. Apart from the physical part, mental strength is very important for someone who is pregnant. A woman who is strong mentally will actually be able to tackle every possible situation far better than other women. So, please do not allow your inner confidence to drop and fill it with fear by reading stories about women sharing their bad pregnancy experiences and all that. This is really something which is a complete no-no for you.

You should only concentrate on the positive side of pregnancy. See beautiful videos of childbirth and read stories where a mother is sharing her lovely experiences about the pregnancy and her kid. Also, take inspiration from public figures whom you idolize. There are many celebrities who have continued to work even when they are pregnant and learn from them how to embrace pregnancy with grace and confidence. Concentrating on such things trust me, will give you a lot of strength.

Trust the modern science

In ancient times, medical science was not so advanced but still women have gone through the pregnancy phase and have raised their kids so beautifully. So, if they have done it, you being anempowered woman of today must not worry and have faith in modern medical science. Science has evolved so much that there are alternatives to almost everything and that includes about childbirth and labor as well. Apart from normal delivery, there are so many ways to actually have a child, so please do not panic and have belief that at the end, all will be fine.

Maintain healthy diet

Eating balanced and nutritious diet in pregnancy is seriously important. The food you eat is always very important and during pregnancy, the importance of maintaining a healthy diet gets doubled. See, your body goes through many changes during pregnancy, so you need proper nutrients to remain energetic and strong. Researchers say, effects of eating healthy diet in pregnancy will be very positive and hence you should not ignore that. Proper hydration of your body is very important so drink good amounts of water throughout the day.

Nuts, sweets potatoes, eggs, whole grains, leafy vegetables, carrots etc. are some of the foods that you must eat. There are many foods which are considered to be good during pregnancy, but there are foods that you must avoid.  You should avoid consuming coffee, alcohol, unpasteurized stuffs etc.

Request your doctor to make a proper diet chart from you and follow that diet diligently.

Here’s a detailed post about the foods to eat during pregnancy and list of items that must be avoided.

Accept things

Our mind is something which behaves differently at different situations and sometimes it does not listen to us. But, if you can control it to even a certain extent, half of your problems will actually get resolved. The reason I said this is, in all probability your brain will be filled with worries related to pregnancy and it will drive you crazy. But, if you can accept things the way it is then things will appear far easy.

What I mean is that you must accept that everything may not turn the way you want it to be and there might be tough situations. So be prepared and accept whatever comes your way. This attitude will give you the immense power to actually pass your pregnancy phase better.

Talk to experienced moms

A woman understands a woman’s feelings better and so while you are pregnant, you should talk to experienced moms, as it is one of the best ways to prepare your body for labor and delivery. Since, they have gone through the whole procedure; they will be able to explain everything in much better ways. In fact, you will not just know about the labor and delivery but also get an idea of the early post motherhood phase. They may share various types of tips and information based on their experience, and that will help you visualize things clearly.

However, choose a woman whom you idolize and believe that she is a strong woman and an excellent mother. And, yes, do take inspiration from your mom as well and believe in yourself that if your mom has done it, you being her daughter will also pass this phase swiftly. Avoid taking tips from people you don’t trust.

Talk to your baby

You may be confused but trust me talking to your baby especially when you are alone really works in making you strong. Whenever you are feeling anxious, simply place your hand on your belly and allow the movements of your baby soothe you. Once you will able to connect to your baby, you will slowly be able to get rid of the fear and nervousness of pregnancy, labor, delivery etc. and replace that with love, hope and positivity.

Talk to your baby only about the positive things related to pregnancy and birth and visualize the joy of holding the little one’s hands and walking. Try this out as this is certainly one of the easiest tips to prepare your body for labor and delivery.

Visit the hospital you want to get admitted in

This might sound silly but trust me, it actually helps. Most hospitals give you the opportunity to have tours of the maternity ward. This is necessary as that will kind of help you to be more familiar with the entire thing. You will be familiar how the maternity wards are, how the pregnant ladies are kept, how the nurses take care etc. Moreover, you will also get to know about the visiting hours and the other hospital policies better.

In fact, while you are visiting your hospital, be very much acquainted with the shortest route to visit your hospital. This is much needed as if you are not much familiar with the route; it might create problems in case of emergency delivery situations. Also, take note of an alternative route as well in case there are some problems in the usual short route that you always avail.

Pre-register at the hospital

Many hospitals have the option of preregistration for delivery. This is good and I suggest everyone should benefit from this. This is because during the day of your delivery, filling up so many application forms and taking care of other formalities might be strenuous and may delay the whole process. But if you have already preregistered yourself for the big day, then you do not have to wait for long on the final day. Take advantage of this facility.

Don’t compromise on sleep

On an average basis, an adult must have 7-8 hours of sleep daily in order to stay energized and active. But when you are pregnant, the importance of proper rest and sleep manifolds. Proper sleep is especially important in the later stages of pregnancy as the more rest you get, the more will be your stamina during labor. For this, it is recommended that you try to sleep on the left side ever since your early pregnancy as this will kind of lessen your discomfort in sleeping in the later stages of pregnancy and that it will help you to fall asleep faster.

How to prepare your older child for it

See, if it is your first pregnancy then it might not be a problem but if you already have a son or a daughter, it is very important that you prepare him or her before the big day. The main reason is that you are grown enough to understand things but that may not be the same with your older child. He or she was getting sole attention till date but now when you will give him little less time or attention; he/she might feel aloof. So, you must try out means to make him/her aware that he is soon going to have a sibling and that he/she is going to be a big brother or sister soon.

If everything goes well, you will see that your older child will happily accept things and you will be able to manage your pregnancy and post motherhood phase pretty well. There are many hospitals that have the arrangement of sibling classes where the older child learns about the little ones, why they cry, how to keep them safe etc. So, take your other child to those classes as it is not just you who needs to be prepared but your older child must also be prepared for the change.

Discipline is the key

Apart from all the above points, the best and the most vital tip to prepare yourself and your body for childbirth and labor is to maintain discipline throughout your pregnancy as this quite sums up everything.

As a mother, you have got lots of responsibilities and duties and you must start it from the very beginning. Get rid of your unhealthy lifestyle practices like smoking, drinking, late night activities, eating unhealthy stuffs etc. and start to lead a very calm, soothing and disciplined life. Be very careful of what you do as one wrong step on your part may endanger the life growing inside you.

The bottom line

See, the process of being a mother is never easy and in fact those 9 months can be really challenging. But I have also seen mothers who accept their pregnancy so gracefully. How? Don’t they feel the discomfort? Well, of course they do. Well, some might be little more physically strong and may face less complications but that does not make her completely immune to the discomfort. After all, the feeling is all the same.

What I mean to say is that everything is in your mind. If you are worried and tensed all the time that what will happen to you, you may face different types of issues. But, if you are confident that you will be just fine no matter what happens, then you will be able to face the situations better and get through them easily.

In my today’s article, I have discussed about 16 easiest tips to prepare yourself and your body for childbirth and labor. All of these are really important and you must follow these very diligently. Remember that you have to be always active and also keep your surrounding very lively. There must be a very positive environment all around to actually keep you high in spirits all the time.

Besides that, you must also educate yourself. This is because ignorance often creates fear and so if you are well aware of the pregnancy stages, its possible complications or the delivery issues, then it will help you tackle things in much better ways. In fact, not just you alone, your family members especially your partner must be equally knowledge about the facts as in case of emergency situations, he will be able to manage things better.

Maintaining discipline becomes very important during pregnancy phase. You might live free but know your limits well. Set a proper routine which will include proper exercising, eating at the right time, taking ample rest and getting rid of the unhealthy lifestyle habits.

The motherhood comes with a lot of responsibility and you must be responsible from the very beginning in order to become a good mother. Always remember that if you are careless during your pregnancy, then it will directly affect the future of your child. So please try to lead a disciplined lifestyle and follow these simple tricks to prepare yourself and your body for childbirth and labor. However, in case of complications, consulting a good doctor immediately is a must.

Are you expecting a baby? Are you nervous about the whole process? Well, don’t worry. Follow what your doctors have advise and try some the tricks discussed above and you should be able to prepare yourself and your body for childbirth and labor.

What else do you think one should do to prepare herself for childbirth and labor?

Until the next post, stay safe and enjoy your pregnancy.