All About Birth Prep

What is Birth Prep?

Birth prep is one of the services I offer to my fellow pregnant women! In birth prep, I go over the anatomy of your pelvis, positions for labor, positions for delivery, epidurals, types of breathing in delivery, graded pushes, exercises to help prepare your body for labor and delivery, and perineal massage! It’s a LOT of super helpful information! 

Why Should I Prep for Birth?

Have you ever woken up on a Saturday morning and said to yourself, “I’m going to go run a marathon today,” despite never having run a marathon before nor having trained for it? NO! That would be insane! Birth is like a marathon, but without a known mile number; you don’t know if you’ll be in labor for 2 hours or 16 hours. Regardless, you wouldn't run a marathon without training for it, so why would you go into labor and delivery without having prepped for it? Preparing your body and mind for childbirth can make labor and delivery less scary mentally and less demanding physically. 

When Should I Do Birth Prep?

I normally recommend doing birth prep any time after 32 weeks of pregnancy, that way it’s fresh in your mind! I’ll give you exercises and stretches to focus on during the last few weeks of pregnancy to help prepare your body, which I normally recommend starting around 35 weeks of pregnancy, give or take. Research shows there’s no significant difference in starting perineal massage (it’s really a perineal stretch, let’s be honest) at 25 weeks vs. 33 weeks vs. 35 weeks. So, if you want to start earlier, be my guest, but I recommend at least starting around 35 weeks.

What if My Birth Doesn’t Go According to Plan?

That’s ok! Hardly ever have I had someone in my office postpartum who told me their birth plan went smoothly. Usually, there’s some kind of hiccup, whether it be minor or major. For childbirth, you have to learn to go with the flow and trust the providers around you, whether it’s in a hospital, birthing center, or at home. You can only plan so much, but the rest of childbirth is spur-of-the-moment planning. The best plans I recommend having are making decisions about if you want delayed cord clamping, if you want an epidural, if you’re going in for a planned c-section, etc. Make decisions in advance that you’re comfortable with, but know that you might not have the exact birth plan you’re hoping for, and that’s OK! When I was pregnant with my first baby, I wanted a natural, hospital birth with an option of epidural if I needed it. I ended up having to be induced (thanks, blood pressure!), and after a few hours things took a turn and I had an emergency c-section. It definitely was not my birth plan, but my baby and I were both healthy, and that’s all I cared about. Roll with the punches, girly!