What do I need to know to prepare for birth?

Women have been birthing babies for hundreds and hundreds of years. So why do I need to prepare?

Radical shifts in birth in America in the last 100 years have significantly impacted the way a mom thinks, feels and gives birth today.

Women have been disempowered and conditioned to believe they cannot birth without medical interventions. Compared to other countries, the U.S. is doing a poor job of supporting pregnant moms.

My introduction to birth, long before becoming a doula

During my 1st pregnancy, I didn’t concern myself with the history of birth. Nor did I understand how the medical environment would play a role in my experience.

Even though I wanted a natural childbirth, I has no idea what that would require. There wasn’t anyone in my circle talking to me about body - mind connection either. Certainly not my doctors.

I didn’t have any breath awareness practices either. It would be another few years before I discovered yoga and its transformative benefits.

When I finally went into labor, at about 2 weeks overdue, with every passing contraction, instead of relaxing and opening up, I gripped and became tense. After about 40 hours in, and a trip to the doctor’s office and two sleepless nights, I made my way to the hospital. After another 12 hours of bracing against the pain, I ended up with a C-section and disappointments.  

I can look back on the1st time mama I was, and have compassion for myself.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know. I didn’t have the necessary awareness.

Key point

It’s important to understand the environment in which you’re about to give birth.

It’s also important to know and what you’re up against. Especially if you’re giving birth at a hospital.

If that sounds adversarial, it is.

Birth in U.S. Hospitals

While likely well intentioned, OB’s are trained to control the process and manage labor.

There’s also an undercurrent, ingrained over the last 100 years, that has conditioned women to mistrust or doubt their ability to birth their babies.   

Early in the 20th century, birth slowly migrated to the hospital where, over time, confidence eroded. Before then, women generally birthed their babies at home, without medication and attended by a midwife.

In the 1920’s, an affluent woman could be admitted to the hospital and administered a morphine concoction to mitigate pain. This narcotic analgesic rendered her unconscious and is referred to as “twilight sleep”.

By the 1940’s, a woman gave birth in an isolated and sterile room at the hospital. Certainly not the most welcoming environment for mom or baby, right?

Later, in the 1950’s, she was further stripped of their agency when her male OB prescribed anesthesia, rendering her unconscious. This period, when collective birth wisdom was lost, is referred to as “twilight birth”.

Hmm…was medication being used to oppress and suppress primal, feminine and maternal power?

By the 1970’s, with the introduction of pitocin, synthetic oxytocin designed to “speed up” labor while intensifying it, the popularity of the epidural rose. Today, the epidural is nearly ubiquitous.

To be clear, these medical interventions haven’t made birth safer. Nor have they improved outcomes.

Today the national C-section rate was 8-10%. Today the national C-section it is ay about 32%. 40 years ago, it was about 8-10%.

In fact, the U.S. ranks 46th among 181 other developed nations for  maternal mortality and 3rd out of 36 countries for infant mortality.

How to create your positive birth experience

Not surprisingly, there are few positive birth stories in our culture.

The 1st step to change, however, is awareness.

You can ensure your positive birth experience with the right information and the right practices.

It’s often assumed you’ll want medical intervention. Take my client for example, who wanted a unmedicated birth.  She was about 9 cm dilated and laboring beautifully when an anesthesiologist barged into the room, uninvited and unannounced, prepared to administer an epidural.  

Doctors assume pain relief is desired. In addition, there’s little evidence they’ve been trained to revere the sacredness of birth.  

By cultivating awareness, though, you can honor and protect your birth space.

It takes commitment.  

As a birth goddess warrior – which is what you need to be – you can ensure an experience where you’re calm, conscious and in control.

It takes intentional preparation. By connecting your body, mind, breath and baby, you can cultivate the physical and mental stamina required.  

Motherhood is a daily commitment that begins the moment you find out you’re pregnant.

Final Words

There’s no right way to birth a baby.

Perhaps you’re comfortable deferring to your doctor’s advice. You may feel similarly to a previous client who, after receiving an epidural said, “This is heaven.” An epidural can be helpful for an exhausted mama who needs a bit of rest and who’s labor still has a way to go. 

However, if you’re a mama who wants to have a conscious and (possibly) an unmedicated birth and who wants to avoid feeling pressured or disappointed, then The Empowered Pregnancy Method may be the right path for you.

To learn more and to begin preparing starting today, click the button below to schedule your free call with me.