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New parents understand the anxiety that comes with being a parent. It’s a scary world full of unpredictable events and unknowns. New parents also know that it’s not their job to prepare for this childbirth as a new parent. They’re just a massive family of people who want to spend as much time as possible with their kids. But that doesn’t mean that new parents aren’t mindful about how they approach parenting responsibilities. New parents need to be aware of how they’re going to be able to best prepare for childbirth as a new parents. Here are some tips to help you through the process.
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1. Be prepared emotionally and physically.
New parents understand that they’re not going to be able to prepare for childbirth as a new parent fully until after they have their children. But they can prepare themselves both emotionally and physically. New parents should be ready to handle the uncertainty of their new lives, including the uncertainty of childbirth. They should also be prepared to handle any unexpected events like a baby who gets hurt or an illness during the pregnancy.
2. Gather information ahead of time so you don’t have to rely on it later.
New parents need to gather as much information about childbirth as new parents can, even before birth. This is because it’s likely that when you are in labor, you won’t have access to your phone or computer or anything else that could tell you what you need to know at the time when you need it most – which is right before labor starts and right after it ends. If there are things about childbirth as a new parent that you don’t know, nothing is stopping your midwife from running out of information at any moment while she is around your birthing area.
For example, in the book The Happiest Toddler on the Block, author Dr. Harvey Karp looks at how children react to stressful situations. He describes what he calls “the ripple effect” of stress in a child’s life: “The more stressed you are, the more likely it is that other people will feel stressed and start making mistakes or doing things they shouldn’t do. When your child is upset, the likelihood that another child will be upset increases significantly, and when you are distressed, others around you will likely feel distressed. This ripple effect can have serious consequences for your child and can lead to harmful consequences for everyone involved in the situation.”
This means that if you don’t know what to expect about childbirth as a new parent before labor begins, your midwife might not know either – and she might run out of information when she goes into labor with you! If this happens to your midwife, she could make a mistake during childbirth that could cause harm or even death for both of you (and possibly even harm or death for other people near you). Thus it makes sense to have a midwife familiar with your birth plan and who has seen similar births before.
3. Your Birth Plan is a Contract
“Your birth plan is a contract. It is the only way for you and your midwife to mutually agree on what will happen during your labor and birth. It should include information about the kind of birth you want, how you want it to happen, who will be involved in your birth, and what kind of Child Care In America you are hoping for if something goes wrong.”
If you are planning a water birth, your midwife will need this information to know how much water to use and how long she can keep you under the water without causing harm or causing labor to speed up too much. If your midwife has been practicing for years and has seen thousands of births before, she should know precisely how long it takes to get an unassisted waterbirth going in each situation. But if she doesn’t have this experience, she could make an error in judgment which could cause harm or even death for both of you (and possibly even harm or death for other people who may be near her). Thus it makes sense to have a midwife with lots of experience with waterbirths to know precisely what works best for each birth situation.
4. Your Midwife Can Help You With Your Labor Induction
Some midwives will suggest that you use specific labor induction methods like massage and hypnosis to help get your body ready for labor. This is fine if you have the support of your doctor, but many women have no choice but to use these methods on their own. If this is the case for you, it’s a good idea to ask your midwife how she recommends you move forward with this aspect of labor. Some midwives recommend that you try an over-the-counter medication called Pitocin, which will stimulate contractions to speed up labor. Other midwives believe that Pitocin won’t work as well as it does in hospitals and instead advise against using it since it has been linked to serious complications such as uterine rupture. Your midwife will recommend one method and let you know what she thinks about each technique based on her experience with waterbirths. It’s a good idea to listen carefully to her advice because she knows more than anyone else what works best for laboring women.
5. Labor support – ask your midwife to help you through labor. She can give you the confidence and support you need to get through this process. Many women find that their midwives cannot always provide them with the kind of support that they need in the later stages of labor. If this is the case for you, it’s good to find a midwife who can be there for you during your whole labor experience.
6. Birth plan – have a birth plan and know what it says ahead of time! This will help ensure that everything runs smoothly and your birth goes as smoothly as possible. It would be best if you also planned on being in labor at home instead of in a hospital, so tell your doctor ahead of time that you wish to have a home birth, and she should be okay with this request.
7. Pain medications – if needed, ask your doctor or midwife about pain medication options like ibuprofen or Tylenol 3 (or Tylenol 4 if necessary). These medications will help with pain management and allow some rest for you to continue laboring without having to take breaks all the time from working on getting dilated.
8. Make sure you have plenty of food and water – eat when you are hungry but don’t overeat! And drink lots of water throughout your whole labor!
9. Relax – get in the tub, take a walk, read a book or do something that makes you feel relaxed to help ease the pain and prepare for birth. Your body is going through a lot, and it needs time to rest between contractions to do its job without being pushed too hard. Taking regular breaks from working on getting dilated will also make your labor go more smoothly overall.
10. Get support – if you have a home birth, then make sure that you have someone to help you during labor and delivery (or at least be able to call in those cases). Having support during labor is very important as it can help keep your mind off of the pain or focus on something else so that it doesn’t become overwhelming. This can also be helpful if there are complications during or after your pregnancy or birth (like needing an epidural) and when breastfeeding after birth (so that they can be there for you).
In conclusion, labor is hard, but it’s a process that your body goes through to make sure that you have the baby you want and need. It’s important to remember that there is no “right way” to labor, only as natural as your body and baby can be. So be kind to yourself and remember that you are doing everything exactly how your body wants!
