(Originally posted in 2018)
Birth has become rather medicalised and today most of us consider packing a hospital bag to be the majority of our "birth/labour preparations".
I've been blessed to have been exposed to a very different approach to giving birth and since we are currently counting the weeks until this baby's arrival, I thought I would share some of the preparations going on over here.
My amazing midwife has mentioned more than once that we need to prepare not only for birth, but also recovery - and not just recovery from labour and birth but recovery from the entire nine months of pregnancy that has taken it's toll on your body.
One of the most important ways to do this is to look after your body. There's a couple of ways to do this:
A) NUTRITION
I generally attempt to eat healthily (although doing so during this pregnancy has been a challenge for me).
In these last few weeks though, under the advice of my midwife, I am trying to eat a primarily raw vegan diet (hence the delicious salad pictured).
My amazing midwife has mentioned more than once that we need to prepare not only for birth, but also recovery - and not just recovery from labour and birth but recovery from the entire nine months of pregnancy that has taken it's toll on your body.
One of the most important ways to do this is to look after your body. There's a couple of ways to do this:
A) NUTRITION
I generally attempt to eat healthily (although doing so during this pregnancy has been a challenge for me).
In these last few weeks though, under the advice of my midwife, I am trying to eat a primarily raw vegan diet (hence the delicious salad pictured).
I did this for my last pregnancy too and although I found it tough to do, the results were undeniable - I had no bloating, minimal heartburn and loads of energy in those last few weeks. I also barely bled while delivering my baby into the water (five drops of blood!) and had very light post-partum bleeding. By the day after birth I was almost back down to my pre-pregnancy weight.
In addition to being super careful with my diet, I also make sure to supplement . Under the advice of my midwife, I take The Real Thing Green Power and omega (which I have swopped for evening primrose oil for these last few weeks.) I also recently added some AIM products to help supplement me as I was feeling tired. AIM Redibeets, chlorella and spatone help with my iron as I was struggling with low iron through this pregnancy. I also usually have a probiotic, digestive enzymes, black seed oil and occasionally olive leaf extract.
B) EXERCISE
I wish I could say I was exercising regularly but that tends to be an area I fall short in. I swam often in the earlier (and warmer!) months of this pregnancy but recently my primary activity comes from running after my toddler and pre-schooler. Exercise is definitely a great way to prepare your body for labour and recovery though. I'm also a fan of deep breathing exercises as recommended by the Tupler Technique, as it helps your tummy muscles recover faster from the separation that usually occurs during pregnancy.
C.OSTEOPATHIC/CHIROPRACTIC CARE.
My midwife strongly recommends seeing an osteopath throughout pregnancy to help align your pelvis and body. Having attended her antenatal class which shows how babies pass through the pelvis and how difficult it can be for them (and you!) if your pelvis is misaligned, I can clearly see the importance of being properly aligned for birth.
This pregnancy I have seen a chiropractor, an osteopath and someone who does postural integration. The combination has greatly increased my comfort levels and has kept back pain at bay and has eased the hip pain that troubles me. I have also found improvements in baby's positioning after my sessions, alhamdulillah. I intend to continue seeing all three until I give birth and then both baby and I will go for treatments post partum.
Stay tuned for for Parts 2 and 3 of PREPARING FOR BIRTH AND BEYOND!
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