What I wish I’d known about labour and birth
To be honest the first time I was pregnant I COMPLETELY buried my head in the sand when it came to labour and birth. I think I just didn’t want to know about it and instead spent all of my time preparing teeny tiny baby clothes instead.
I literally did zero to no research about what birth would involve and what I needed to know. I just assumed that because I was going through the private system that I was paying for the best and therefore they would be able to tell me what to do. I took a very passive approach to birth and just assumed that they would tell me what I needed to know instead of educating myself.
I really regret not educating myself first time round.
My first birth ended up being quite traumatic and it took a long time for me to heal physically and emotionally. For my second I spent a LOT of time educating myself about how my body works during labour and birth and how I could use my yoga tools to reduce pain and actually enjoy the experience.
In today’s video I’m sharing what I wish I’d known about labour and birth before I had my first – what do you wish you’d known?
What I wish I’d known about labour and birth
+ You can say ‘no’ to things suggested by your doctor or midwife
With my first pregnancy I just assumed that my role in birth was to listen to what the doctor and midwife told me to do – after all they are the experts right? Little did I know that so many things that are offered in birth are options and choosing them can actually interfere with how smoothly birth unfolds. I wish I’d know I could say no to internal examinations my waters being broken when there was no real medical need to do this.
+ How my body worked and what I could do to support it
I literally knew nothing going into labour for the first time. Because I knew so little – I didn’t know what to expect, what was normal and what wasn’t. I also didn’t know how to work with my body to allow labour to progress and found myself feeling afraid as things amped up. Lesson learnt.
+ How my body would feel in the early days after birth and how to care for myself
After my first I didn’t know how to care for birth injuries. I didn’t know how painful breastfeeding could be and how to look after my nipples. I especially didn’t know how important self care really is in those early days. Recovery was long and hard that first year. If only I could go back and tell myself all of the ways I needed to look after myself better so that I could actually enjoy that first year with my first baby.
Because I wish I’d known these things first time around, I now share this info in my Online Yoga Circle. You can access my course ‘Yoga Wisdom for birth’ to educate yourself on how your body works with a free 30 day trial. It’s also full of yoga classes for all stages of pregnancy.