Search Results for: blog relaxation exercises for pregnancy and labor

Pain Relief for Back Labor

Back labor is a term used for pain in the lower back that occurs during labor. The pain tends to happen both during and between contractions. The position of the baby is generally the cause. Back labor tends to occur when the back of the baby’s head is pressing into the lower part of your spine. Like all labor, women experience back labor differently. As the baby moves through the pelvis, the head will often turn to the anterior position. In some cases, this will relieve the back labor pains. Other women will continue to experience back pain throughout the … Continue reading →

Choosing Goals for Your Birth Plan for Labor

A birth plan is an essential part of having the birth that you want. All pregnant women should write a comprehensive birth plan that describes their preferences for labor, birth and the immediate post partum period. Before you can write a birth plan, you need to know what you want. That is where having goals is beneficial. Setting goals for your birth is a big topic. For this reason, I will split it into two blogs, one for labor and the other for the birth and beyond. In our society, we often focus on what can go wrong during birth. … Continue reading →

Building Stamina for Labor

Labor is appropriately named because it is hard work. I’ve heard preparing to bring your baby into the world compared to training for a marathon. This is a good analogy. Reading books or even this blog isn’t enough; you need to train for the big event. As you need to build stamina to run a marathon, you need to do the same prior to labor. The first thing that comes to mind when you think of building stamina is exercise. This is a good thing. Regular exercise is very important for you and your baby. Walking on a treadmill or … Continue reading →

Reduce Your Stress for Your Baby’s Health

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Recent research conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical Center revealed that stress during pregnancy increases the child’s risk for asthma. Stress in the mother triggers an immune response, evidenced in the cord blood collected at birth, possibly later heightening their response to inhaled antigens. It stands to reason, therefore, that reducing stress during pregnancy can only have a positive effect on both the baby and the mother. Most of us immediately want to remove the source of the stress. Sometimes it is simple enough as hiring a babysitter for a few hours or telling someone to mind … Continue reading →

Getting Enough Rest with Multiple Children

The importance of rest during pregnancy is well documented. Any woman who has ever been pregnant will tell you that getting enough rest is one of the best things you can do for you and your baby. You will find that you are tired sooner at night and even in the middle of the day, especially in the first trimester and late in the third. Getting enough rest is generally not very difficult with the first pregnancy. You have no other children to care for, so you can take a nap whenever you feel tired. Even if you are working, … Continue reading →

Does Natural Birth Really Matter?

Proponents of natural child birth say natural birth is the safest option for both mothers and their babies. Some women swear by the epidural and will recommend one immediately upon hearing the news that you are expecting a baby. You may be left wondering if natural child birth is really all that important. Does it matter whether you have pain medication when you are in labor? Although opinions vary widely on this issue natural child birth does offer some benefits to the mother and baby. One benefit to the mother is a lower risk of interventions during labor, such as … Continue reading →

Why I Chose Hypnobirthing

I was led to hypnobirthing, because I was looking for a tool to help me to have a natural childbirth. I had wanted to have a natural childbirth with my first child, but the class my husband and I took only taught us a few breathing techniques. We didn’t practice, and so I became overwhelmed and received an epidural. For the birth of my second child, I decided to take the easy way out and get the epidural before things got rough. But I did not feel good about an epidural for my third child, and so I needed to … Continue reading →

Did Hypnobirthing Work for Me?

Hypnobirthing worked for me on many levels, but I did not have a completely pain free experience. At the same time I was not seeking a completely pain free experience and so I was not disappointed in the results. I used the Hypnobabies program, which is a home study program. The classes last about six weeks. You read from a manual and then listen to a CD every day. You can slow down the classes by listening to the CDs for a longer amount of time. After you complete the class you are supposed to follow a maintenance program, which … Continue reading →

When Birth Doesn’t Go As Planned

You have an image of your birth in mind throughout your pregnancy. Maybe you imagine yourself to be an Earth mama. You will have this baby with no pain medications and no unnecessary medical interventions. You write your birth plan, read books, take classes and watch birth videos. As the day approaches, you feel confident and ready to deliver your baby. That is how many of us approach birth for the first time. We are eager to try the exercises and relaxation techniques we learned in child birth classes. However, sometimes life doesn’t go according to plan. When the birth … Continue reading →

Great Birth Books

Yesterday I wrote a blog about finding great pregnancy books. You will be thinking a lot about and making plans your upcoming birth. The best way to reduce fear of labor is to get educated about labor. Reading is a great way to begin to think about what you want in your labor. There are many books written on this subject. I’m going to share a little about a few that I really like. The Birth Book: Everything You Need to Know to Have a Safe and Satisfying Birth by William Sears, MD and Martha Sears RN Dr. Sears is … Continue reading →