Wintertide Birth Services

And What I do instead

Like many other expecting parents, when I was pregnant with my first I knew I really wanted to have a natural birth with no epidural. I had read that if I just “relaxed” enough, my body would feel no or little pain when I gave birth to my babies. But when I started speaking to other parents, this flew in the face of what everyone was telling me.

If it was as easy as just “relaxing” then I figured that the rates of epidural use would be much lower. In the U. S. it is guessed that 70-75% of people use an epidural during labor. Just telling someone to “relax” is almost never helpful. Think back to the last time you were upset and someone told you to “relax”. Did you? Or did you have the sudden urge to deck them?

Now that I am a birth doula and have supported many births, I have seen what makes for a more comfortable birth. It turns out relaxing during birth IS important but is only one component of making labor easier. Instead of just telling my clients to “relax” through labor, here is what I do instead:

1. Help you make the birth place as peaceful as possible – We start with where you are birthing? How can we make your birthing space a good fit for the kind of birth you want? Low lights, music, quiet, a birth tub to soak in, fairy lights, essential oils, etc are all ways that we have used to keep the peaceful atmosphere for birth.
2. Have you practice ways to relax BEFORE birth – Did you know you can use positive triggers to help you relax during birth? These are created by doing a certain relaxing activity and having special music playing or a meditation going over and over. The most thorough way to do this is to use a hypnobirth program such as Hypnobabies.
3. Do some fear release meditations before birth – We all have ideas about how birth is scary. It comes from horror stories and media. Discussing your fears with someone you trust who will calm your fears is also helpful. This is a big part of what I do as a doula.
4. Pick relaxing people to attend your birth – If you know your mom would be a nervous Nelly during your birth, have her wait out in the waiting room or at home. The people you pick to be present during labor are going to help set the ton for your birth.
5. Make sure you understand all of the stages of labor and birth – Knowing what to expect can make so much difference. While labor can have some unexpected events, it does follow a pattern. For instance, knowing that when you hit transition, you may throw up, helps to keep your calm if that happens to you.

While relaxing though labor may not bring total pain relief, it does help to make the labor shorter and less painful. A doula can help you to plan out the most relaxing birth possible. Check out my hyponodoula page for even more support with relaxation during birth.