How to prepare for childbirth

Childbirth is an important stage before the appearance of a new little person. You cannot predict how they will go, but you can prepare for the process and make it as easy as possible. In this article, we'll talk about how you can prepare for childbirth so that it goes as well as possible.

How to prepare for a non-tearing birth

Isn't it wonderful to take care of your baby from the first days after his birth? This can be prevented by various unpleasant consequences, for example, feeling unwell, weakness, perineal tears. Here's how much tips, how fast recover after childbirth and avoid painful stitches:

• Learn the basics of proper breathing while pushing. There are a large number of video tutorials on this topic, you can also use training courses for pregnant women. By the way, antenatal clinics periodically hold free seminars where they talk about breathing, behavior during labor, breastfeeding and other important points.
• Take vitamin E, it increases the elasticity of tissues, preventing perineal tears. You can drink a vitamin in combination with other vitamins or consume a tablespoon of olive, sunflower or flaxseed oil daily.
• After the 36th week, it is beneficial to take a decoction of raspberry leaves, which helps to open the neck and prevent breaks. With raspberry broth, fragmin, a plant alkaloid that can cause training fights, enters the body. This strengthens the walls of the uterus, increasing the elasticity of the perineum and preventing tears during labor.
• Kegel exercises develop the muscles of the perineum, which also leads to positive results and rapid restoration of the vaginal muscles.
• Sex also serves as a prevention of ruptures (if there are no contraindications by the doctor): firstly, the lubricant smoothes the walls of the uterus, and secondly, the prostaglandins contained in the semen prepare it for disclosure.
• Special massage of the perineum is of great benefit.

How to prepare for childbirth without pain

The saying goes here: "forewarned is forearmed." Of course, anything can happen during childbirth, but in general the process consists of certain stages, which it is advisable to know about in advance.

There are specific breathing techniques during contractions that help you concentrate and manage pain. If you have chosen a partner childbirth, study joint methods of pain relief with your assistant, it can be a massage of the back, lower back, abdomen, light gymnastics.

How you handle the contraction is very important - standing, lying down, walking. According to doctors, recumbent postures inhibit the dilatation of the cervix, which means that the process will take longer. Explore possible positions to relieve pain during labor: many women are helped by fitball, if you plan to use it during labor, then you should check if the ball is in the birthing block of the chosen hospital.

Psychological preparation for childbirth

Study the issue of childbirth thoroughly. This topic requires a lot of thought and a serious approach. There are many types of childbirth: vaginal, partner, vertical, in water, with anesthesia or by caesarean section(according to indications).

Try to choose an appropriate birthing strategy for yourself: imagine how you would like to feel during the birth of your baby. List the categories that will help you make the birth process as comfortable as possible. For example, you are in favor of natural childbirth and are planning to have labor with your husband or another close relative. Then it is necessary to choose a maternity hospital where partner childbirth is permissible, as well as to choose a doctor who will support such a line of development. After meeting with the doctor, discuss your preferences in advance, in this case, medications and pain relievers will only be used in extreme cases.

If you plan to use the available anesthetic methods, this should also be discussed with your gynecologist. Currently, in Russian maternity hospitals, preference is given to natural childbirth, so if you suddenly want to use epidural anesthesia without special agreement, be prepared to refuse.

Since childbirth is a long process, the general physical fitness of a woman is important: during pregnancy, try to walk more, swim, do special gymnastics.