So many first-time moms decide to have a natural birth without doing their research. What does “natural birth” mean, and what steps can you take to ensure a natural birth is your best option?
Natural birth is a childbirth option that includes no routine medical interference. A natural childbirth often takes place in a certified birth center surrounded by licensed midwives. Here at the SCV Birth Center, we perform clinical tasks such as vaginal examinations, baby’s heart rate, and vital signs. While planning to deliver your baby naturally seems to be a decision for your day-of, there are a plethora of natural ways to ready your body, and baby for a natural pregnancy. Here are a few of our go-to methods.
Stay Active
Staying physically active is the best way to keep you and your baby healthy. Your midwife, or doctor, will be best to advise how much exercise is healthy for you specifically. Two and a half hours of aerobic activity through a week is generally the recommended amount. If you are continuing to work throughout your pregnancy, take a short walk on your lunch break or opt for a birthing ball instead of the office chair. The birthing balls will not only help align your hips for birth, but balancing on it will give you a gentle ab workout throughout the day.
Engage in Hypnotechniques
While we are strong believers in hypnotherapy throughout the labor process, there are plenty of hypnotechniques that will benefit your comfort and health throughout the length of your pregnancy. Hypnosis is often thought to be a new-age practice, but actually “[hypnosis] is a state of focused concentration where the body and mind relax together.” These techniques can help ease pregnancy pain, nausea, and anxiety, helping curb the instinct to reach for medical or prescription assistance.
Find Your Community
Finding the best people to surround yourself with throughout your pregnancy and labor is key. Identify the midwife or doula that will be guiding you along your journey. If your pregnancy has been deemed as high-risk, you may need to work with a doctor. There are plenty of doctors that work closely with doulas, and will work to make sure your birth aligns as closely to your natural wishes that can be safe.
Listen to Your Body
Your body knows what it needs. While having a birthing plan is highly recommended, you can never be too prepared for whatever your body decides to do on the day of birth. Prenatal yoga, hypnosis tracks, and relational support are great ways to prepare for your delivery and will ready you to handle any unplanned differences your body may have in store for you.
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Santa Clarita Valley Birth Center is SCV’s first free-standing birth center. We empower women to use their natural ability to birth without a dependence on arbitrary hospital policies. Through home birth and waterbirth, babies are welcomed to the world safely and naturally.
To learn more about the SCV Birth Center, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for pregnancy tips, natural birth news, upcoming events, and more! We’ll also be posting a new blog here every Thursday.