But if you are scared right now, then this is completely normal. Which, however, does not mean that excitement does not need to be dealt with. How to prepare for childbirth? How to protect yourself and your child? What to look for first?
When you have a warm sniffing bag in your hands, you will know for sure that everything was not in vain. And that, of course, was worth it.
About all this and much more – the book of the blogger Eugenia Nosal “Childbirth by nature”, which is published in mid-November by Eksmo Publishing House. We suggest you read the chapter with the saying, “The best birth, how a prepared woman gives birth”.
A trained woman does not run anywhere in the DA, she is waiting for the natural start of childbirth. She knows that her baby will give birth when she matures; knows that this can happen from 37 to 42 weeks; she chose a maternity hospital and a doctor who shares her views on the natural beginning of labor.
Most likely, such a woman will not call her family members and friends the PDR, so that they do not pester her with calls and do not worry if her birth does not begin on this day. After all, she knows that in fact this date does not mean anything.
In the last days before childbirth, she is not in turmoil, not in anticipation, not in alarm – she is resting, walking a lot, eating deliciously, filling these days with the opportunity to get energy that is useful to her in childbirth.
She walks slowly, moves less already, slows down very much, she accumulates energy for childbirth. And now, it seems, she felt something. Other, new, unfamiliar sensations. Is it or not it? Listens to.
It seems to be a fight. It seems to be amplified. To make sure, the woman goes to the bathroom or shower for the usual relaxation, as she knows that if these are training fights, then most likely they will stop after the bath.
But the contractions become more pronounced, the interval between them decreases and the duration of the contractions increases. While they are still rare, about every 15 minutes, she understands that this is only the beginning, you can not rush, rest, save strength for childbirth.
And the best she can do now is go to bed.
When contractions become more frequent, when she herself feels that she needs support within the maternity hospital and environment, she will go to the chosen maternity hospital, which shares her views on childbirth.
She knows that the admission department is a rather stressful moment of childbirth, and that at this stage she will be greatly helped by the support of her husband or professional support in the form of an individual midwife or doula. It is important that there is someone who will make sure that the moment of transition from comfort and safety to something new is easy, does not interfere with the birth process.
The World Health Organization does not recommend routine shaving of the perineum and pubic area and enema to accelerate labor during admission to the hospital.
Then the woman will go to the birth ward, where she will try to create some comfort for the birth – she will turn on calm music that will drown out the sounds of the hospital, ask to turn off the light (after all, the main hormone of the birth, oxytocin loves darkness), closes her eyes and begins to live these births: no matter how much they are lasted, no matter how they passed, no matter who surrounded her. She will live this event, gaining experience.
Outside the window the sun may shine, it may be a deep night – but the woman is in her inner world. She knows that this her body gives birth and only she can influence this process, and the best thing she can do at this moment is to close her eyes and plunge into her condition. Lying, breathing, standing in the shower or relaxing in the bathroom, moving the basin, walking, hanging on her husband or leaning on the windowsill, jumping on the fitball, dancing – she will find something of her own that will help her live the contractions.
The World Health Organization recommends that women with a low risk of complications drink and eat during childbirth in the first stage of labor.
Childbirth is the perfect mechanism for the appearance of man in the world honed by evolution. And the best that we can do as an aid to ourselves and the baby is to release control and turn off the mind. In order not to interfere with this ideal process. For now, just allow the thought that you can live this day in a state of peace and confidence.
Then attempts will begin, the woman will feel a new powerful state that cannot be controlled. She will not need the “Push!” Command, because in childbirth without the use of artificial stimulation and anesthesia, the reflex of expulsion of the fetus is triggered – natural attempts that help a baby to be born literally in 2-3 attempts. She feels the baby moving centimeter by centimeter along the birth canal, how it is repelled by the legs, how its head, shoulders, body are cut.
It’s over! The child is placed on his stomach, wet, warm, so long-awaited! At this moment, the woman stands out the maximum dose of oxytocin for her whole life: she cries, laughs, exults, she is in a state of pleasure, joy, ecstasy! She was able to do it, she did it!
Expert commentary: Maria Tregubova – obstetrician-gynecologist, Ph.D.
The birth of a woman who prepared her body, balanced her emotions, tuned in for cooperation with assistants, received an idea of the child’s birth processes not only at the level of physiology and biomechanics, but also at the level of prescribing a life scenario, establishing a single information field with her mother – serenity and happy memories.
Expert commentary: Svetlana Troyan – midwife, WHO teacher, UNICEF breastfeeding
The birth of a trained woman is a completely different level of consciousness and thinking. This is a different attitude to motherhood. This is the path in which you walk together with your baby. A trained woman does not think that giving birth is a horror and a nightmare, she is waiting for the birth as a holiday and the first birthday of the baby. She knows that this day will never happen again, she knows that she will remember this day as it will be.
When a woman comes to my birth to understand her expectations, I ask: “And how do you see your birth?”, And after that I always ask: “Did you like it?” And it pleases me as a specialist when women call me a month later and say that they want to repeat this holiday and the condition that was in their birth.
Expert commentary: Svetlana Shnyrova – perinatal psychologist, Dole
There are so many different filters, that is, views on the birth through which information passes. It is important for someone to learn about how the obstetric care system works and how to protect yourself from routine interventions. For someone – to get information about the natural birth, their values and guidelines. For some, understanding yourself and finding your own path. I am for training, which gives a broad view on the topic of childbirth, which means freedom of choice.
I teach women to listen to themselves, trust their bodies and respect their desires and needs.
Expert commentary: Ruslan Trofimov – lawyer, human rights activist, expert in medical and family law
The expectant mother or her husband can come to the maternity hospital in advance, in which they plan to give birth, and receive the documents that the woman signs upon admission to the maternity hospital. We read these documents and on the basis of these documents we write a refusal from certain types of medical interventions. In most cases, a correctly written and correctly filed refusal works, does not cause a woman psychological harm, because no one bothers her, and does not injure the birth itself, which in most cases happens as she planned.
Women who consciously prepare for childbirth pre-write their detailed birth plan – this, in my opinion, is very correct. Thus, “Refusal of certain types of medical interventions” makes it possible to defend the right that exists. A woman also has the right to verbally declare that she refuses to pierce the bladder or refuses to stimulate labor, and the doctor must take into account this refusal, fix it on the card and not touch the woman until she gives consent, but naturally in compliance with all legal norms that indicate that the doctor is obliged to provide complete information (in expanded form) about the goals, methods, how it can harm and why it is needed and whether it will help in general, will it harm the baby further, and, naturally reflect this on the map,
But, unfortunately, to date, practice shows that until you write a written refusal, doctors do not orally accept it.
