Welcome to this easy guide to create a calm and relaxing birth environment. Why would you want to create a calmer place to give birth? Because it will make your birth easier! No matter how you want to give birth or where, having a relaxing environment makes labor less painful, and shorter. Don’t we all want that?
You’re about to learn the ins and outs of making the place you give birth calm and peaceful. Being able to have a relaxing birth environment is one if the reasons I was able to have a natural birth and I’m so excited for you to experience it too. Whether you have a hospital birth, birth center birth or home birth, you can turn it in to your own little oasis.
Step #1. Choose a birth place that is known for being more patient centered
First up, you have to pick a birth place that allows you to change the environment somewhat. This is absolutely necessary. If the place you are giving birth doesn’t allow you to change anything, then you will be very limited as to what you can do. If your birth place allows you to change nothing, there is still stuff you can do, so keep reading.
Luckily most birth places these days are trying to consider how the patient actually FEELS not just their physical health. How do you find out if you can change things in your room? Ask! Ask your care provider and if they don’t know, call the place you are giving birth and ask the staff.
Step #2. Decide what YOU find relaxing for your birth
What brings you comfort? What relaxes you? Do you love music? The sound of rain? Lots of friendly people? To be alone? Really take some time and think about this. Everyone is different and so what is a calming space to me, is not the same as a calming space to you.
List out your top five relaxing things. Use your 5 senses as a guide. What do you love to hear, smell, see, touch, and taste. Now think about what you do when you are sad, not feeling good, and just feeling cozy and chill. What did your loved ones do for you when you were little and not feeling well? These are all clues to help you decide what you will find relaxing during your birth.
Step #3. Figure out how to bring those relaxing things in to your birth space
Now that you know what you find relaxing, you will need to decide how to make those things portable. Here are some examples:
- Special lighting – you can bring with you a string of lights, a galaxy light machine or just ask if you can lower the lights in the room. Some places have lights on a dimmer. With the Birthing Inn in Tacoma Wa, they have lamps, so you want to either bring a string of lights or scarves to put over the lamps to dim the room.
- Music or white noise – Create a playlist and bring a portable speaker or headphones. Make sure you have no commercials on your playlist! This will take you right out of your body and be annoying. Some places like the St. Joe’s birth center in Tacoma have speakers in the rooms already that you can just connect to.
- A relaxing smell – Some places will let you bring an oil diffuser. If not, get some of those inhaler sticks and put your favorite oils on them before your birth. You can also just drop some drops of oil on a cotton ball and stick it in a pill bottle.
- A comforting food or snack – I will tell you a secret, even if your location does not want you to eat during birth, you should still eat (the exception is for a cesarean birth). Bring your favorite food or make plans to have your birth team pick up your favorite food. I recommend having both your favorite drinks and snacks during labor. Have a variety because you don’t know what you will want in the moment.
- Your favorite snugly thing – We all have a favorite blanket, pillow, or soft item. If you love curling up in your bathrobe, bring it with you! Or maybe you love your pregnancy body pillow. Bring that too! This is something that hits both touch and smell because your item will smell like home.
Step #4. List out what you want on your birth plan
What you are bringing as comfort items is something that should be listed on your birth plan. Also make sure to make a note if you want dim lights, minimal interruptions during labor or anything else that is not per-usual at your birth location.
Go over your birth plan with your care provider so they can note what you want done (and not done) during your birth and let you know if something you want won’t work. You need to go over this with them, don’t just give it to them. Trust me, they won’t read your birth plan on their own! Also give a copy to your doula and anyone else who will be attending your birth. When you are deep in labor land, you want your support team to set up the lights and remember to grab your bathrobe.
Step #5. Pack for your birth!
Now that you know what you want, wrote it down, and made sure everyone else knows what to do, you need to pack! When you are packing your to-go bag, make sure to include your comfort items. Anything that can be packed ahead of time, should be.
For items that can’t be packed ahead of time, make a checklist and place it on top of your to-go bag. This way anyone who is helping you can see what needs to be grabbed. Make sure anything that needs batteries, has them and a spare set. If you have a playlist you want played, have that listed on the list as well as what app you are using. This way your helpers can get it set up for you without having to ask you in the moment.
So there you go! 5 easy steps to turn your birth space in to your own oasis. No matter where you choose to give birth, take some time to decide how to make it a peaceful place for you to labor in. This will set you up for success to have the birth of your dreams.
If are near Tacoma WA and you would like a birth coach to guide you to have a calm relaxing birth, click HERE for more information.
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