Preparing for Childbirth: Everything You Need to Know

Preparing for childbirth is a process that deserves attention and dedication.

When the baby’s due date approaches, the pregnant woman will experience anxiety, fear and nervousness. This is independent of having strictly followed the medical advice of her doctor. It’s an absolutely normal emotional state.

Pregnancy implies a profound change in a woman’s life. Having a child involves facing constant challenges and looking at life from another perspective. And during pregnancy, the woman also experiences the transformations that make her baby the focus of her existence.

In fact, when the moment of birth approaches, all fears and expectations emerge. It generates a mixed feeling of fear, insecurity and joy that is difficult to define.

Preparing for childbirth has a crucial role, because it helps the woman live in that moment without tension, but rather in harmony and happiness.

How does childbirth develop?

Knowing what takes place during labor and delivery is very important for every pregnant woman. If everything is happening normally, the woman will feel safe and will manage to maintain a certain level of calmness.

She will also know that if something isn’t going well, there will be a doctor who will make the right decisions so that her child is born without any complications.

What is usually called “birth” occurs in two moments that doctors and midwives recognize:

• The antepartum, in which the woman begins to feel contractions, although they’re still mild and irregular. The baby, ready to leave the woman, is positioned in the birth canal.
• The birth itself, which is when delivery occurs. Obstetricians believe labor begins when the cervix has contracted to twice its usual size and dilation appears to be about 3 centimeters. The contractions become rhythmic and appear every 4 or 5 minutes.

Preparing for childbirth: a decisive moment

The woman must arrive at the moment of giving birth with all the energy and serenity possible. A fundamental aspect is that she achieves control of her emotions so that she can really enjoy that special moment.

Preparing for childbirth will involve physical and emotional aspects. Both the body and emotions will be subjected to special and unique pressures.

How to adequately prepare for childbirth

1. Get away from the world

When there are four weeks until her due date, the woman should relax. For this, it is necessary to move away from areas where there are crowds, from noises that saturate the environment, and even from work if necessary. She must enjoy a few days of peace and quiet.

She should dress comfortably in loose clothing, eat properly, spend time resting and get plenty of sleep. This is everything the body needs to reduce possible tension.

It’s also a good idea to practice meditation techniques that divert your attention away from problems and harmonize the body and spirit.

It’s possible that the woman may experience the so-called “nest syndrome” at this time. You’ll feel the need to clean and organize.

In other words, you’ll want to make your home, “the nest,” ready for the arrival of the baby. It will be important to control these impulses and concentrate on being relaxed.

2. Special exercises

Some special physical exercises should be part of the preparation for childbirth. The whole pelvic area will play a very important role, so exercise will favor delivery.

Learn about prenatal yoga and its many benefits at a physical and mental level. Performing this type of exercise will help you control your emotions and establish a more intense bond with your baby.

3. Packing for the hospital

Preparing for childbirth also implies having everything that you need in order to care for a baby. Generally, medical centers provide a list of items that must be taken to the hospital for delivery.

Therefore, a bag with everything the baby will need during its first hours should be organized in advance. That way, when the time comes, tensions will be avoided.

4. Leave all doubts behind

For this, it’s recommended that you talk with the obstetrician. It’s important that in the days leading up to delivery, the woman asks all of her questions and clears up all of her doubts by asking for advice.

Issues such as the loss of the mucous plug, breaking water, what to eat in the days before birth, techniques to induce labor or the advantages and disadvantages of an epidural are important aspects that must be understood in order to know how to act when the time comes.

Childbirth is the very moment in which life manifests itself. That’s why it must be prepared for with all the dedication and attention it deserves.