10 Tips for an easier, shorter birth!
My husband Alistair and I are in the carpark of the hospital. I am about to have baby number three, this time as a geriatric, over 40’s mum (and eight years since my second was born). I’m not sure I am going to make it up the lift to the birth suite. I am definitely in transition; I can feel he is so close! I’m about to have our baby!
I am a chiropractor and mum of three boys, aged 12, 10 and 18 months – yes, we had a surprise third baby! I have been pregnant five times and I have experienced it all along with you – the nausea, the breathlessness, the light-headedness, the heartburn, the weight gain and uncomfortable in every position known to man etc. I have had a breech bub and caesarean section, and two x VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean) births. We lost a bub late in pregnancy at 21 weeks and had a miscarriage at 10 weeks. I have had both private and public healthcare. And I have learned a lot along the way! My third bub (and fifth pregnancy) I feel was a culmination of all the life lessons, and professional knowledge I have accumulated over the past 17 years. My fifth pregnancy was definitely the easiest (even being over 40) and my birth was a dream – five hours from waters breaking to birth and only one hour of active labour!
Lessons I have learned:
1. My body is amazing! As is yours! Babies know exactly what to do when everything is working properly. I have heard things like “your baby is too big to birth!” and you can’t have a VBAC – only c-sect after c-sect! And at 40 you are at much greater risk of everything! You are not given babies your body can’t birth! I have had patients who have naturally birthed 14 pound (or over 6 kg) babies and done it easily and fast! The difference is, their body is all balanced and their mind is prepared.
2. Chiropractic works amazingly well for ensuring my body is ready for birth. My husband (also a chiropractor) was adjusting me just two hours before I gave birth - it certainly sped things up!
The whole aim of chiropractic in pregnancy is to create balance, alignment and symmetry to the pelvis to ensure the pelvic inlet is as open as possible to allow bub to come down through the birth canal easily with no restrictions. Chiropractic improves the function of the nervous system which in turn affects all the muscles and organs (including reproductive). It improves the positioning of bub as it reduces any intrauterine constraint which forces bub into unnatural positions (breech and posterior) as a result of the reduced space. There are certainly other anatomical causes of constraint such as retroverted uterus, but let’s eliminate unnecessary issues.
As a chiropractor, I see pregnant women with low back pain, and sciatica (leg pain), neck pain and headaches, pubic pain, heartburn/indigestion, breech and posterior bubs, overdue mums, carpal tunnel and changes in sensation. And see great changes as we restore biomechanics and function. Studies have shown reduced labour times!
3. Ask questions about everything! It is your body and your baby. You don’t have to do anything. You will be given recommendations with certain things – but knowledge is power! Know when intervention is necessary for safety of you and bub and when it’s just a suggestion for convenience.
4. Diet – Think about all the things you eat and put in your mouth when pregnant. Chocolate seems like a necessity in pregnancy, but 20 kg is not something easy to get rid of later! And pay attention to your baby’s cartwheels after dessert and your morning coffee.
Choose foods to feed your growing baby - your baby’s microbiome is being established from the moment of conception, and is affected by everything that crosses the placenta. Good choices are unprocessed foods – lots of fruit and veges, good protein sources (chicken, meat, eggs, nuts) and minimise refined carbs which are an instant sugar hit to your bloodstream.
I had gestational diabetes with my first son Ethan, though was able to control it with diet. It sure wasn’t easy; however I felt amazing with a diet of vegetables, lean meat and some fruit. I had a healthy 3.6 kg baby and was lighter and healthier after pregnancy than I was before. You will all hate me! I only put on 10 kg and was back in pre pregnancy clothes in two weeks.
5. Exercise – I continued to exercise (I love boot camp and boxing) right up to birth, though backed off the intensity and jolting movements a month or so before. Your body will tell you – my joints felt unstable, so then changed to aqua aerobics and yoga. Movement is great stimulation and helps bub get into a good position. Minimise sitting in pregnancy, especially during the last trimester. Use your fit ball when you sit, and stand letting bub hang. Use gravity in your favour!
6. Raspberry leaf tea works a treat in getting the body ready to birth. It tones the uterus while it grows and preps it for labour. You can drink it all the way through pregnancy (it helped with nausea, digestion and pregnancy symptoms), but is really beneficial in the last four weeks, to soften the cervix and activating uterine muscles (I certainly noticed more Braxton hicks and tightenings with drinking it).
7. Homeopathics and acupuncture also gets the body ready to go! Acupuncture worked well in helping to position bub, but no amount of moxibustion (or adjusting me with the Webster Technique – which I have used to help numerous breech bubs to turn around) was shifting my breech bub Ethan (who had the cord wrapped around his neck twice) - maybe it was all the somersaults he was doing in my belly during the first trimester before I knew I had gestational diabetes. There are reasons for things! It has worked amazingly well for induction, along with my homeopathic birthing kits – I have given birth slightly early with both my VBAC bubs – Callum and Hugo.
The birthing kits helped with my quick recovery after all of my babies. Within a few days of my Caesar I felt great. And I was ready to go home after an hour after birthing my last bub Hugo. I certainly helped my body!
8. Don’t have the due date set in your head – only 5 % of pregnant women actually have their babies on this date. Full term is anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks. Have a due ’range’ in mind to avoid anxiety and disappointment. Your baby will come when it’s ready!
9. Mindset is a huge part of it! As someone who may want to control everything – birth is something that you just can’t! The more you try, the more it has a negative impact! You need to let go, and know your body and baby know exactly what to do. You need your parasympathetic nervous system to take charge – same as an orgasm, you can’t make it happen, you have to relax your body and allow it to happen.
With my second bub and my first Vbac, I was birthing at Salengor Private Hospital on the Sunshine Coast where even though I was considered high risk, I was permitted to have a water birth, even though I was having a Vbac. I was insistent he was being born in the bath. So much so, I’m sure I got in too early, slowed everything down and then failed to progress. I got out of the bath, my waters broke and he was born 15 minutes later – my obstetrician didn’t even make it! It turns out that Callum didn’t want to be born in the bath and for his early years he disliked showers, pools and having water on his face. Listen to your body (not your head) and let go. Hypnobirthing is an amazing way to learn tools to do just that. And remember fear is not your friend - learn ways to face it!
10. Be prepared! I had a plan, but also was realistic that if it needed to change for my safety or bub’s, it could. As you can see, none of my births went exactly to plan. Go in prepared with knowledge, a balanced body, a relaxed mindset and be ready to meet your new baby!
So, I only just made it up the lifts to the birth suite. There was certainly no time for paperwork (from memory the nurses had to confirm my identity after Hugo was born). I was fully dilated and ready to push! 10 minutes later I had my beautiful baby boy Hugo in my arms. Life is a miracle! We as women are so blessed to have this amazing ability to bring life into this world. My husband Alistair said it looked so easy we should try for a fourth! About an hour later we were ready to take our third son Hugo home to meet his brothers. If only Alistair had remembered to install the baby capsule…. I’m sure that would be in his top ten tips for expecting fathers!
My few tips will hopefully help you prepare for your amazing birth.
If you would like further information on how chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can assist please contact us.
