Joyful
Birth
Preparation for
childbirth begins well before the birth day. The best thing you can do in
preparation for childbirth is to ensure that you are fit and healthy. This will
help to minimise the risk of complications. Diet and exercise are the primary
factors in determining a person’s health. Eat well and supplement your diet with
good quality, bioavailable supplements. The aim is to ensure that your nutrient
levels are high enough to support efficient muscular function and recovery, and
to reduce your body’s toxic load, which can hinder muscular function and
diminish your body’s capacity to function properly.
The same guidelines which apply to general good health apply here: Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably raw or lightly cooked, plenty of raw, unsalted nuts and seeds (which contain lots of minerals like calcium and zinc and essential fatty acids) and high-fat fish. Avoid refined sugar, refined salt and artificial food additives. (These are often hidden in foods and have disastrous consequences for both short-term and long-term health – it is wise to invest in a book which lists what these additives are and their potential effects, which you can find at a health food shop or bookstore). Minimise your dairy intake – as well as increasing the likelihood of breastfeeding problems later due to intolerance issues in the baby, it also is a mucous-forming food which may congest your baby’s lungs and make it difficult for your baby to breathe at birth.
The same guidelines which apply to general good health apply here: Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, preferably raw or lightly cooked, plenty of raw, unsalted nuts and seeds (which contain lots of minerals like calcium and zinc and essential fatty acids) and high-fat fish. Avoid refined sugar, refined salt and artificial food additives. (These are often hidden in foods and have disastrous consequences for both short-term and long-term health – it is wise to invest in a book which lists what these additives are and their potential effects, which you can find at a health food shop or bookstore). Minimise your dairy intake – as well as increasing the likelihood of breastfeeding problems later due to intolerance issues in the baby, it also is a mucous-forming food which may congest your baby’s lungs and make it difficult for your baby to breathe at birth.
High-protein foods
from animal sources should also be kept to a minimum because they contribute to
an acidic environment in your body. Your body wants to be alkaline and will tend
to draw alkaline minerals such as calcium out of your bones if necessary in its
attempt to maintain an alkaline state in your body. This can lead to nutrient
deficiency problems such as osteoporosis later in life. It should also be
remembered that you want to maximise the amount of these alkaline minerals in
your diet and in your body at this time to provide your baby with adequate
amounts of nutrients to grow and develop optimally, as well as for your body to
function properly in pregnancy and labour.
At this point some of you may be wondering how you will obtain adequate amounts of nutrients like calcium and protein if you reduce your meat and dairy intake. (By the way, there are other reasons for reducing these foods in your diet, which I will not go into here. There are plenty of good books available which can guide you on that subject.) Leafy greens, nuts and seeds are your best bets, as well as supplementation.
The importance of supplementation has been highlighted in many other writings so I will not go into it here. Suffice to say that it is of utmost importance to pregnant and breastfeeding women. But do be careful – not all supplements are beneficial. Anything that is synthetic is of very little use to the body. Look for wholefood and highly bioavailable supplements – ones that are basically ground and powdered or encapsulated foods. A great start is an all-rounder like green barley powder or spirulina. To that the addition of an oil (like flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, or fish oil) is highly beneficial for many things, including the development of your baby’s brain.
Probiotics are of utmost importance during pregnancy, particularly if you have ever been on the pill or taken antibiotics as these can kill your friendly gut bacteria. Babies get their gut flora from their mother during the birth process. A study was done at the Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, finding that the babies of mothers who took probiotics during their pregnancy had stronger immune systems. Good gut bacteria play a crucial role in the development and proper functioning of the digestive and immune systems, so if your baby does not get a good supply at birth their digestive and immune function will be diminished. They will be more likely to be a sickly baby, and have things like allergies, eczema, colic, reflux, asthma, or a blocked or runny nose. They will also be more likely to develop more serious illnesses like autism, ADD and severe mental illnesses later in life. Probiotics can also give some protection against the negative effects of vaccinations. While vaccinations apparently do not directly cause autism and other such conditions, they can damage an already-weakened immune system and that damage can lead to things like autism. Just something to be aware of when considering vaccinations.
If for some reason you have had antibiotics during your pregnancy or during the birth if you are reading this when you have already had your baby, or if you had a caesarean, it will be wise to give your baby probiotics. (Actually, all Westerners should be regularly taking probiotics throughout their life, as there are many things which upset the gut flora balance causing us to need to constantly replenish our good gut bacteria.) You can give it to them in a little water or breast milk off a spoon or in a syringe.
Another very important and beneficial group of nutrients is glyconutrients (also called saccharides). These are carbohydrates, eight of which have been shown to be essential in the modern diet – that is, you need to eat or supplement them (unless you are super healthy and your body is able to produce its own). Six of these are lacking in our modern diets.
Glyconutrients are involved in every cellular function in our bodies, including immune function. They enable the cells – in the presence of other required nutrients – to communicate with each other. The implications of this are vast, too much so to go into here. Your cells and organs will be doing much communicating during labour and birth, so these nutrients are very important. One thing I will mention here is that glyconutrients have been used to help reduce bleeding during labour and after the delivery. This is significant, as excessive bleeding poses the most significant risk to the birthing woman.
As well as glyconutrients, a good wild yam supplement can also aid cellular communication during childbirth by supporting your body’s communication and regulatory system, the endocrine system. This is where your hormones are produced and used to send messages throughout your body to begin, continue or stop certain processes happening. Hormones are involved in beginning labour, triggering the release of the placenta after the birth (and no sooner), triggering milk production as well as many other processes. Good quality wild yam products help these processes by supplying the body with a hormone precursor – a substance that the body can use to make other hormones. Unlike taking specific, artificial or animal-sourced hormones, taking wild yam provides your body with something it can use wherever it is needed. This can help not only with childbirth, but it can also even out those pregnancy (and premenstrual) mood swings, among other things.
Adequate exercise is important and has a number of benefits. Squats will strengthen your legs in preparation for the possibility of giving birth in a squatting or kneeling position. Start with just a few until you are strong enough to do ten or more in succession. Do this a few times a day to really strengthen your legs. Aside from the benefits for labour these also make squatting to pick things up or reaching things in low places easier while you carry around the extra weight in pregnancy. Mild aerobic exercise will help increase the capacity of your lungs in preparation for all the deep breathing you are likely to be doing. And pelvic floor exercises will tone your pelvic floor, possibly making birthing a little easier but also to aid the post-birth recovery and helping to avoid problems like incontinence.
Plan to give birth in an environment in which you feel safe. This is important. Fear is a major block to childbirth and a good birth experience. If you fear medical personnel and their interventions or the loss of control associated with a hospital birth, plan to stay home. If you fear having your baby at home, go to a hospital or alternative. If you choose to go to hospital learn about the options available to you within the hospital. If you choose to have your baby at home learn all you can about the birth process and plan what you will do if an emergency situation arises.
Do extra reading to learn more about how birth should be, what you should do or not do to help and let your body do its work, what can go wrong and what you and your husband or support person can do to avoid or overcome those difficulties. And know that for healthy women childbirth is not the dangerous, scary event that you may have been led to believe it is. Be healthy, arm yourself with knowledge, ensure that you have a support person who is courageous enough to stand up to those who would act contrary to your wishes.
Both parents should talk extensively about what they want during the birth, ensuring in particular that the husband or support person knows what the mother wants and does not want to happen so that he can ensure that decisions are made according to the mother’s wishes.
Wait patiently for your baby’s arrival. Try not to be anxious about going passed your due date, and remember that the date is only an estimated birth date. Your baby can safely come two weeks before or two weeks or even more after that date. There is no need to rush the birth of a baby in most cases. Keep yourself occupied by finishing off some tasks you have to do or maybe fill in the time preparing a special album or journal for a record of your baby’s early life. It will help you not to spend a lot of time waiting and worrying.
Lastly, be prepared for problems that may arise. Unless you are perfectly formed, perfectly healthy and perfectly fit (and no-one is) things can go wrong. Prepare yourself mentally for the possibility. Don’t set your expectations too high, but don’t fear complications either. And remember that childbirth is an emotional experience, one that may have a dramatic impact on you. It is best if you feel okay afterwards about how the birth has unfolded. Adequate preparation, realistic expectations and an acceptance of the possibility of problems will go a long way to avoiding negative feelings about your experience of childbirth.
At this point some of you may be wondering how you will obtain adequate amounts of nutrients like calcium and protein if you reduce your meat and dairy intake. (By the way, there are other reasons for reducing these foods in your diet, which I will not go into here. There are plenty of good books available which can guide you on that subject.) Leafy greens, nuts and seeds are your best bets, as well as supplementation.
The importance of supplementation has been highlighted in many other writings so I will not go into it here. Suffice to say that it is of utmost importance to pregnant and breastfeeding women. But do be careful – not all supplements are beneficial. Anything that is synthetic is of very little use to the body. Look for wholefood and highly bioavailable supplements – ones that are basically ground and powdered or encapsulated foods. A great start is an all-rounder like green barley powder or spirulina. To that the addition of an oil (like flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, or fish oil) is highly beneficial for many things, including the development of your baby’s brain.
Probiotics are of utmost importance during pregnancy, particularly if you have ever been on the pill or taken antibiotics as these can kill your friendly gut bacteria. Babies get their gut flora from their mother during the birth process. A study was done at the Monash Medical Centre, Melbourne, finding that the babies of mothers who took probiotics during their pregnancy had stronger immune systems. Good gut bacteria play a crucial role in the development and proper functioning of the digestive and immune systems, so if your baby does not get a good supply at birth their digestive and immune function will be diminished. They will be more likely to be a sickly baby, and have things like allergies, eczema, colic, reflux, asthma, or a blocked or runny nose. They will also be more likely to develop more serious illnesses like autism, ADD and severe mental illnesses later in life. Probiotics can also give some protection against the negative effects of vaccinations. While vaccinations apparently do not directly cause autism and other such conditions, they can damage an already-weakened immune system and that damage can lead to things like autism. Just something to be aware of when considering vaccinations.
If for some reason you have had antibiotics during your pregnancy or during the birth if you are reading this when you have already had your baby, or if you had a caesarean, it will be wise to give your baby probiotics. (Actually, all Westerners should be regularly taking probiotics throughout their life, as there are many things which upset the gut flora balance causing us to need to constantly replenish our good gut bacteria.) You can give it to them in a little water or breast milk off a spoon or in a syringe.
Another very important and beneficial group of nutrients is glyconutrients (also called saccharides). These are carbohydrates, eight of which have been shown to be essential in the modern diet – that is, you need to eat or supplement them (unless you are super healthy and your body is able to produce its own). Six of these are lacking in our modern diets.
Glyconutrients are involved in every cellular function in our bodies, including immune function. They enable the cells – in the presence of other required nutrients – to communicate with each other. The implications of this are vast, too much so to go into here. Your cells and organs will be doing much communicating during labour and birth, so these nutrients are very important. One thing I will mention here is that glyconutrients have been used to help reduce bleeding during labour and after the delivery. This is significant, as excessive bleeding poses the most significant risk to the birthing woman.
As well as glyconutrients, a good wild yam supplement can also aid cellular communication during childbirth by supporting your body’s communication and regulatory system, the endocrine system. This is where your hormones are produced and used to send messages throughout your body to begin, continue or stop certain processes happening. Hormones are involved in beginning labour, triggering the release of the placenta after the birth (and no sooner), triggering milk production as well as many other processes. Good quality wild yam products help these processes by supplying the body with a hormone precursor – a substance that the body can use to make other hormones. Unlike taking specific, artificial or animal-sourced hormones, taking wild yam provides your body with something it can use wherever it is needed. This can help not only with childbirth, but it can also even out those pregnancy (and premenstrual) mood swings, among other things.
Adequate exercise is important and has a number of benefits. Squats will strengthen your legs in preparation for the possibility of giving birth in a squatting or kneeling position. Start with just a few until you are strong enough to do ten or more in succession. Do this a few times a day to really strengthen your legs. Aside from the benefits for labour these also make squatting to pick things up or reaching things in low places easier while you carry around the extra weight in pregnancy. Mild aerobic exercise will help increase the capacity of your lungs in preparation for all the deep breathing you are likely to be doing. And pelvic floor exercises will tone your pelvic floor, possibly making birthing a little easier but also to aid the post-birth recovery and helping to avoid problems like incontinence.
Plan to give birth in an environment in which you feel safe. This is important. Fear is a major block to childbirth and a good birth experience. If you fear medical personnel and their interventions or the loss of control associated with a hospital birth, plan to stay home. If you fear having your baby at home, go to a hospital or alternative. If you choose to go to hospital learn about the options available to you within the hospital. If you choose to have your baby at home learn all you can about the birth process and plan what you will do if an emergency situation arises.
Do extra reading to learn more about how birth should be, what you should do or not do to help and let your body do its work, what can go wrong and what you and your husband or support person can do to avoid or overcome those difficulties. And know that for healthy women childbirth is not the dangerous, scary event that you may have been led to believe it is. Be healthy, arm yourself with knowledge, ensure that you have a support person who is courageous enough to stand up to those who would act contrary to your wishes.
Both parents should talk extensively about what they want during the birth, ensuring in particular that the husband or support person knows what the mother wants and does not want to happen so that he can ensure that decisions are made according to the mother’s wishes.
Wait patiently for your baby’s arrival. Try not to be anxious about going passed your due date, and remember that the date is only an estimated birth date. Your baby can safely come two weeks before or two weeks or even more after that date. There is no need to rush the birth of a baby in most cases. Keep yourself occupied by finishing off some tasks you have to do or maybe fill in the time preparing a special album or journal for a record of your baby’s early life. It will help you not to spend a lot of time waiting and worrying.
Lastly, be prepared for problems that may arise. Unless you are perfectly formed, perfectly healthy and perfectly fit (and no-one is) things can go wrong. Prepare yourself mentally for the possibility. Don’t set your expectations too high, but don’t fear complications either. And remember that childbirth is an emotional experience, one that may have a dramatic impact on you. It is best if you feel okay afterwards about how the birth has unfolded. Adequate preparation, realistic expectations and an acceptance of the possibility of problems will go a long way to avoiding negative feelings about your experience of childbirth.
Preparation
for Childbirth
Joyful
Birth
