Empowering Birth: Top Tips for a Positive Pregnancy and Birth Experience
Guest Blog Post
Im so happy to share my first ever guest blog post and so incredibly grateful to Jenna (who is a doula and pregnancy and postnatal yoga teacher based in Wimborne) for sharing her wealth of knowledge and expertise with us, on ways to prepare for a positive birth experience. Over to Jenna…
“There’s a lot of talk these days about a “positive birth experience” but what does that actually
mean and where do we go to best prepare ourselves for this?! As a doula and pregnancy
yoga teacher I support women as they take the transformative journey through pregnancy
and help them prepare physically, mentally and emotionally for birth. Here are my top tips
which will lead you to do your own unique preparation for the birth that is right for you.
Nurture your Body
From day one of conception your body is subjected to a wealth of changes and it’s working
overtime to nourish your baby along the way. Gentle exercise such as yoga, pilates and
swimming can be extremely beneficial in avoiding aches and pains, keeping your pelvis
aligned and helping you on your way to an active birth.
Nutrition is of course important but don’t be too hard on yourself if you only want to eat beige
foods for the majority of your pregnancy! Look for good quality supplements and when you
can stomach it, fill up on whole foods including healthy fats and oils.
Work on your Mindset
The mental changes that pregnancy and birth bring are not so obvious as the physical
changes we experience but are just as, if not even more important. Metal preparation in
pregnancy can really help you view birth in a positive light rather than dwell on the negative
images that we’ve been fed from the media throughout our lives.
Immerse yourself in positive birth stories and videos and get to know the science behind
birth with antenatal or hypnobirthing classes – when you know what your body is doing in
labour and why the whole experience becomes a little easier to surrender to.
If there’s times when things feel a little overwhelming, that’s ok. It’s only natural and having
the tools to overcome these situations will come in handy for any wobbles you may have in
labour. Meditation, breathing exercises and visualisation can all be helpful in rewiring your
brain to quickly guide your nervous system back in to a restful state – crucial for allowing all
the right hormones to flow in pregnancy and birth.
Building your Support System
Being pregnant can sometimes be a lonely place. Even with the world’s most supportive
partner sometimes it can feel like nobody really understands what you are going through. I
encourage you to start to build your village in pregnancy and to start to make connections
with other local mums.
Antenatal and other pregnancy classes can be a good place to start – in my pregnancy yoga
sessions each week we have time for a welcome circle for women to share how they are
doing that week and start to get to know one another. I can’t count the number of women
who say how much they value being with other pregnant women in this way each week.
Also think about your support system in labour – is your birth partner confident in supporting
you? Do you need to do some extra preparation with then or need an additional person to
support you in labour such as a doula or independent midwife? Asking these questions
early on and openly discussing them with your partner can be really beneficial.
Educate Yourself
Knowledge is power. Sadly not many couples these days are eligible for NHS funded
antenatal classes which can undermine the importance of attending any classes. If you can,
please do prioritise educating yourself with individuals who can give you balanced, non-
biased information. Undoubtedly what follows from this is that you find yourself wanting to
learn even more and by educating yourself you are then able to make your own informed
decisions around birth.
There are plenty of books, podcasts, social media accounts and local classes which can
provide you with a wealth of information making sure you are clued up and ready to ask the
questions that matter at your next midwife appointment.
Be Clear about your Birth Preferences
It’s essential in labour to try and drop into your body and switch your logical brain off. This is
why being clear about your birth preferences, both with your partner and your healthcare
professionals, is really important – we don’t want you to have to try and communicate this on
the day. Birth preferences let everybody know what you want for labour, birth and in your
postpartum care. There’s a range of templates available online which cater to all
eventualities.
Be as detailed as you like and make three copies – your dream birth, a version where you
allow for flexibility and a plan for caesarean. Even if a caesarean is not in your plans if you
did have to go down this route you still have options and rights which it is good to be aware
of.
Practicing Relaxation Techniques
Pregnancy is a transformative time but it can be one that is overwhelming and anxiety
inducing. Whether you have your challenges or not in pregnancy start to introduce some
relaxation methods as early on as you can so that you can drop into them like second nature
in labour to manage stress and pain.
What you find relaxing may be different from the next person so start to experiment, see
what you like and communicate this with your birth partner. There are so many techniques
to try including massage, aromatherapy, water therapy, acupressure and breathwork and
visualisation methods we have already touched on.
Researching birth environment is also a good idea, you will soon start to learn what the body
wants in order to produce birth hormones – low lighting and a quiet, warm room are a good
place to start.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Your ultimate starting points to preparing for the birth adventure that
lies ahead. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to pregnancy and birth – it’s all about
educating yourself, finding what works for you and then trusting in and embracing it
wholeheartedly. This will lead you to your own unique positive birth experience.
The key takeaway? Trust yourself, trust your body, and surround yourself with support.
Remember the aim of this whole experience, you’re not just preparing for birth – you’re
preparing to meet the little one who’s been your constant companion for the past nine
months. And that is the most exciting part of all.”
Jenna Foster is a doula and pregnancy and postnatal yoga teacher offering classes for
mothers in and around Wimborne, Dorset. You can find more about Jenna and her amazing work below:
