Preparing For Birth
Every Day
1. External Massage As you do these, try tensing up then relaxing. Must learn to recognise what both feel like at each area! Massage all tissue around:
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2. Rest – it makes all the difference in labour! Have a rest every day in last weeks. MAKE TIME to look after y’self. DO these things very consciously, drinking in how delicious they are;
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3. Internal Work 2x day for last 8 weeks
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4. Pelvic Floor Exercises – not within 2 months prior to labour! – Advanced Kegels – Rahima’s / other kegels
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4. Sit on hot water bottle in middle of day (increases blood and hormone flow to perineum)
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5. Breathing 1 Pelvic Clock – in your pelvis AND in your vagina 2 Directed Breathing – in diff positions ‘til you get clear sensation of each – through C cycle 3 Breathing types 1 & 2 : blowing or slack jaw : try focussing on sound, the flow, the jaw * on inhale – o expand s/wh and open cervix / pelvic clock o bring in new energy o send lovely oxygen down to uterus o see the uterus, pelvic floor going a lovely deep pink as it oxygenates! o See it healthily pumping our metabolic wastes and smiling & working happily
* on exhale – o relax cervix, p.clock o all old, excess, brown energy leaves my body (cleansing bth) 4. Listen to BirthingBetter Birth Journey (note advice, practice breathing with the woman…etc)
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6. Relaxing exercises 1. – perineum / rectum relaxation & control A] * ♀ puts her hand on perineum/pubic bone and direct her breathing there * At same time, expand soft tissue there. * Bulge on the inhale (for 1st stage) (feeling like when we cough) Do this several times B] * Hand over rectum and expand down there on the inhale. Do several times C] * Do A and B again, but bulge perineum on the exhale (for second stage) 2. – general relaxation A] * If feel pain or tension s/wh, try tensing up in that area (perhaps b/w cs) then relaxing again there. B] * Variation; do above, but also with you directing your breathing there (Try expanding on the EXhale and on the INhale.) (Remem, pain might well remain even when you’ve done these exercises. It’s OK) 3. – DO a few times/day from Managing Skills – Become quiet, breathe easily (nose.) – tense up very strongly in one place in body; then relax there as deeply as you can – Repeat, but tense up as subtly as possible; then relax as deeply as you can
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7. Dealing with Pain & Tightness a] – pain Preparing for childbirth requires developing the new instinct of not pulling away from pain, but opening up to this new experience; intentionally relaxing painful areas. Takes lots of willpower. Do this as often as you feel pain during pregnancy. b] – tightness periodically ask – ‘Where do you feel tense?’ then relax there. – Are you relaxed at 12 o’clock, 3 o’clock…, etc.?
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8. Letting Down Reflex Reaction Practise before labour several times a day: Lie on back + remember feeling of bowel movt. – use exhale of directed breath into sacrum to push top of S down to touch bed/floor – move directed breath down inside of S to rectum causing feeling of pooing/bearing down – You’ll feel lower part of S/tail bone come fwd, causing pelvis to tilt up slightly. NB you’re using yr back muscles – This is what relaxed bearing down feels like + lets baby descend during labour – near end of dilation or in 2nd stage; Know that it’s the baby, not a poo + recreate that relaxed feeling in yr sacrum you’ve practiced
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9. In last 2-3 weeks a. Relaxing around the cervix … important! b. How/where to push exercise … important!
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10. Self-Talk / Visualisation · Imagine situation where I was pushed to the limit and coped well · Practice using your manager’s voice when things are difficult. Choose +ve behaviours. · Visualise y’self in every moment of birth. Particularly in the intense parts. Watch how I behave during labour and delivering! Put +ve birthing behaviours into yr body and mind now. This helps prevent –ve reactions from taking over during labour. · Remember other times where you were challenged to the max and how you managed yourself v well. ID skills you used. (Lilo walk…) (I chose to rest b/c I had to even though it was risking being left behind and getting lost. I used my mgr voice to survive and get through without loosing it…. Etc)
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11. walk 3x week 5 kms / 1+ hours (or do arm waving thing on p 41 Ess Preps)
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12. Massage breasts & tummy ( to counteract stretch marks, engorgement) * Massage the entire front of your belly, around the sides and breasts. * Massage under and around the armpit & around lymph glands (around side of area above breast) * put flat of hand over nipple and press breast gently against body. Make a circular motion 50-100 times in either direction
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13. Belly/abdominal strengthening exercises (pre & post birth to help uterus work in labour, hold it over pelvis & help it retract quicker after.)
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14. Gas Prevention Project – 1 hr each side of a meal
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15. Squatting flat-footed for a few minutes (increasing) each day
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16. Review BirthingBetter skills each day (follow tags)
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17. Check yourself for change every few days in last weeks. Ask self: Is tissue at top of vagina getting thinner, smoother? … other changes you notice?
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