Having an unmedicated natural labor and delivery has many benefits, like lowering the risks of medical interventions for mom and baby, providing more freedom during labor, faster recovery for mom, and faster labor to name a few. If you’re on the journey to childbirth and considering going unmedicated, then you’re in the right place. In this blog post, I will share with you my top 5 tips to achieving a natural birth. I hope to empower you with knowledge, practical tips, and mindful techniques, so that you may welcome your little one into the world with confidence and strength.
In this post, I share 5 tips to help you achieve a natural birth. They include:
- Change your perspective
- Have a supportive team
- Understand contractions and what they do
- Have options
- Breathe!
Let’s get right into it so that you can feel prepared on the big day!
5 Tips for a Successful Natural Unmedicated Birth
1. Change your perspective
When you hear the word “labor” or “birth,” what comes to mind? Are you empowered or are you afraid? If your feelings and emotions around it are negative (as is for most mothers and once was for myself), then let’s work to change that. Listen to encouraging stories through podcasts or documentaries. Once you’ve discovered the healthy process of bringing your baby into the world, tell yourself just that. How and what you say to your body matters because it always listens.
2. Have a supportive team
The people that surround you can help make or break the experience. This includes the 9 months of pregnancy. If there are people in your life that you are sure will not be supportive of your birth plans, don’t include them. Being unconventional can oftentimes feel isolating, but rest assured the outcome will be worthwhile (and will often turn doubters into believers). Unfounded opinions from people whose views do not align can (and will) do unnecessary harm.
3. Understand contractions and what they do
What is a contraction and what does it do? In simple terms, your uterus (a muscle) squeezes and pushes baby down. As a result, baby’s head presses down against your cervix. The cervix opens (dilates) and also effaces (thins out). All these things ideally happen simultaneously and/or as a result of one another. This occurs with every contraction and continues until the cervix is about 10 cm dilated (opened) or mom feels the urge to push.
A strong, effective contraction should be at least 1 minute long. When labor begins, they are usually mild and short with longer breaks in between. As labor progresses, the opposite is true. There is an increase in discomfort and length of contractions, but the time in between contractions decreases.
Contractions are similar to a wave in that you feel it coming, it peaks, and then it gradually goes away. Something that really worked for me during transition (the stage of labor right before pushing and when contractions are the most intense) was focusing on only getting through the peak, which was about 15 seconds for me.
Pain level, length of contractions, time between contractions, and how long labor takes greatly varies from person to person and even from pregnancy to pregnancy for the same person.
4. Have options
Have many of them! Make a list. During labor, cycle through it. Skip the things that aren’t working and come back to it again as labor progresses. Attitudes and needs change frequently. What didn’t work 20 minutes ago could very well be what is needed right now. Try a hot tub or birthing pool, hot showers, tens unit, hip squeezes (someone pressing on your lower back with their hands), affirmations cards, mantras, birthing stools, pulling on a scarf or towel, or… you could simply not want/need anything. And that’s also OK. Options are just that.
5. Breathe!
If there is only one thing you take away from this blog post, I hope it would be this. Most people are not aware the moment they become tense and pause breathing. Check in with yourself frequently throughout the process to make sure you are inhaling and exhaling. This will naturally help you relax and focus on the present moment. It is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself and baby. It may sound simple, but it is extremely effective.
Final thoughts
Most of us are conditioned to believe that experiencing natural labor is extremely painful and next to impossible. I encourage you to surround yourself with a supportive group and do some research on what your body is actually doing during this life changing process. There are many different ways to labor and any way you choose is the right way. Just remember to breathe!
