Birth preparation is a huge part of preparing for a positive birth. Lots of women don't appreciate why doing birth preparation is so important with many leaving it last minute. The truth is if you want to stack the odds in your favour when it comes to having a positive birth experience, birth preparation is essential.

The thing is, birth preparation can seem like this huge overwhelming task, so it's understandable that many shy away from it or procrastinate. To help you I'm going to talk you through what I believe are some of the most important elements of your birth preparation.

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Why birth preparation is important

Preparing for your birth means that you're saying no to the "winging it" birth plan. For the record, “winging it” or “going with the flow” is NOT recommended and is more likely to lead to a difficult birth;

Your labour is more likely to be longer

Increased chances of experiencing a painful labour

You’re more likely to have a medicalised labour

Increased chances of ending up with an emergency C-Section

I don't know about you, but they are good enough reasons for me!

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Essential Steps of Birth Preparation

So, in no particular order, here are some of the important steps that I think you need to include in your birth preparation.

Get clear on what you want

How can you prepare if you don’t know what you want? So this bit is super important. Think about what you DO want and what you DON’T want when it comes to your birth.

Where do you feel the safest? Home or hospital? Birth centre? Maternity-led unit?

How do you feel about medical staff? Do they scare you or make you feel safe?

Are you considered high risk? If so, what does this mean in terms of your birth? Does your current health have any implications for your birth? If so, what?

What birth assistance would you like? Birth pool? Pain relief? Space to move around? Home comforts? And, where is that most easily available?

What’s the birth you DON’T want? Why? What is it about that that you don’t like/want? If this ended up being your birth how would that make you feel?

 

Get savvy

If you’re going to prepare for something, then it’s important to know what you’re preparing for so that you improve your chances of getting it. This means going all crazy on the details. So even though you might have things clear in your head in terms of what you want - you still need to plan for various eventualities.

With birth, nothing is guaranteed, which is why it’s also worth preparing for plan B and maybe even plan C.

The reason why I want you to prepare for the birth you don’t want is so that you do your homework on it. This does two things;

it helps you to understand it better as a birth option, and crucially,

this helps to reduce the fear you might have of it. After all, there’s a reason you don’t want it, right?

Having a load of negative emotion around your plan B will not be very helpful for you on the day if your birth ends up going that way. Being prepared means that you will be able to change tack without getting all stressy on the day, which would be no good for the hormonal cocktail that keeps labour moving.

So you see; being clear AND savvy on both birth options is important work! Start seeking out the information you need that will support your birth choices.

Who do you want at your birth? Your partner? Your mother? Friends? Doula? Photographer? Are they are fully briefed and “on the same page” as you?

Pain relief: do you know your options and consequences of their use? How do you feel about accepting pain relief? Does this carry emotional weight? What pain management strategies would you like to adopt?

What methods would you consider to induce labour if required? At what point would you accept an induction?