Preparing for a Natural Birth

A woman allowed to trust her body and move to her own rhythms during labor and birth is powerful. In Spiritual Midwifery Ina May Gaskin says laboring women are "like an elemental force." When you give birth to your baby, you'll be that powerful force! That's awesome.

The time you spend preparing for birth is vital. I've had four wonderful natural births. It drives me crazy when people say "you're just good at having babies."

Well, yes, I'm good at it - but that's because I spend so much time preparing for my baby's birth! You can have an excellent natural birth too.

Take the time to conciously prepare yourself to welcome your new baby. Have a healthy pregnancy - and use your pregnancy to learn all you can! Read the articles on this web site and invest in a good childbirth course - I'll tell you about my favorites farther down the page :)

A Natural Birth Primer

Your natural birth begins long, long before you feel the first hints of labor. A lot of birth is work you do within yourself - it's important to understand the basics of preparing for natural childbirth. Having this understanding compliments your "practical" birth knowledge (such as the stages of labor and birth and how to tell when labor is starting.)

The way you think about things can ifluence them. Your perceptions of natural child birth can have a big impact the outcome of your baby's birth. Take the time now to change negative thoughts and conditioning to something positive.

newborn baby healthy and pink after his natural birth

There's a lot you can do to find peace, comfort, and pain relief while you're birthing your baby. All of your resources will culminate in this wonderful experience - so it's good to go in prepared!

I've created a checklist of practical natural pain relief suggestions for your use. Your childbirth class skills will also come in handy - look for a class that provides you resources to have on hand during your labor.

Practicing relaxation during pregnancy is an excellent way to prepare for natural birth. It'll serve you well during labor, birth, and for the rest of your life. Visualizing the birth you want is also beneficial to your preparation - almost like a practice session! I've found relaxation and visualization to be simple, yet very powerful, tools in my birth preparation.

Birth stories are another wonderful way to prepare yourself. Reading the experiences of other women who have birthed in many different places and situations is empowering and inspiring.

A Proven Cornerstone

Good childbirth education has been proven to help women have more success with natural birth. Prenatal classes help you learn about pregnancy, labor, and birth.

Be choosy about your childbirth education! I've reviewed and attended a lot of childbirth classes and they're not all created equal! Some are horrible, some are "so-so" and some are excellent.

An increasingly popular option is home study childbirth classes. Out of all the classes available in the comfort of home, The Pink Kit, Hypnobabies, and Birth Outside the Box are my top three picks. You can't go wrong with any of these courses! They'll give you a solid grounding to build the best birth experience for you and your baby.

There are also quite a few childbirth methods being taught by instructors. I've reveiwed a few of the top childbirth methods for you. Don't hesistate to call a class instructor with any questions you have about the course.

Books are a great way to learn about pregnancy, labor, and birth. Read books that support your choice to have a healthy, aware pregnancy and a natural birth.

Let me to remind you how inspiring good natural birth stories can be! Take a look :)

Check out the Childbirth FAQ

Natural Birth and Baby Care.com