I’m often asked to give my best advice for childbirth. This task for a midwife is akin to asking an actor for the best advice on facial expressions; it’s nearly impossible to limit it to just one piece of advice.
There’s no single piece of good advice for preparing for birth, but many - and here I’ve gathered five of the most important.
Every birth is different, and there are no guarantees for how a birth will unfold. No one can know it in advance, and the fact that you’ve given birth before doesn’t mean you’ll know how the next one will go. Still, you can plan and prepare for your birth in many ways.
Attend childbirth classes
In my experience, women who attend childbirth preparation classes often manage pain relief and the progress of labor better than those who haven’t attended preparation classes. There are many different types, and it’s primarily about finding what works for you. Listen to yourself and determine whether it should be spiritual, physical, fact-based, or maybe a mix of all.
Learn the stages of labor
Many, many women leave the hospital feeling exhausted, frustrated, and in pain because they’re "not far enough along in labor" to be admitted to the maternity ward. This creates a lot of frustration and is not helpful for the labor process. That’s why it can be a good idea to understand what typically happens in the four stages of labor, so you can sense when it’s time to call the maternity ward.
Be positive
Although childbirth hurts, it is a positive life-changing experience that brings with it the world’s greatest love. Embrace the contractions and use them as the powerful tool they are. Work with the contractions and feel how they help you get closer to holding your baby. The more positive you can be, the better the contractions will work for you.
Relax
As a direct counterpart to being positive, it’s important to (try to) relax during labor. Both during contractions and in between. Try to sleep between contractions if you can and relax your body when contractions come. Think about relaxing your hands and forehead; if you do that, you’ll usually relax the rest of your body as well.
Turn off the lights
Whenever possible, try to stay in dim lighting. During contractions, it will help you relax and possibly rest if you’ve been going for a while. Studies show that more oxytocin, the hormone that triggers contractions, is released in dark environments than in bright ones.
As a bonus for turning off the lights: When the baby is born, they see light for the first time, and the less light, the gentler it is for them. Think about how it feels when someone turns on a bright light if you wake up at night—the baby has been in darkness for nine months and suddenly comes into bright light. It must be painful for their eyes, and in my personal experience, babies born in dim light seem calmer than babies born in bright lights. Whether this is truly the case, I can only speculate, but I think the theory holds up quite nicely.
