Antenatal classes! Preparing for childbirth in the correct way allows you to experience the birth of a child in a peaceful way and ensures a quick recovery of the mother. Here are the things you absolutely need to know before giving birth, things to prepare and tips for taking care of yourself and your baby.
When to prepare for childbirth
The preparation for childbirth is of considerable importance for every woman because it allows her to dissolve doubts and uncertainties relating to labor, the birth of the baby and the puerperium. During pregnancy, strong emotions are experienced and both physical and psychological changes occur in the pregnant woman who, in order to be experienced at their best, require friendly support accompanied by right and correct information on what will happen during birth and what actually needs to be done to prepare for the best. Whether you will give birth in a physiological way or with a caesarean section, the preparation for childbirth should begin in the third trimester of pregnancy around the thirtieth week in order to organize the house in time, prepare the mother's body for the big event and above all do everything calmly. without the rush of the last moment.
How to prepare for childbirth
Childbirth preparation consists in preparing for the birth physically and psychologically ready, receiving correct information that improves the well-being of the mind and body of the new mother. I'm sure you will have a thousand questions to ask about childbirth, what to prepare, how to organize the home, how to start breastfeeding and much more. Well you are in the right place! Here you will find a lineup of things you need to plan before giving birth and tips to put into practice for a stress-free birth. First of all, you will have to choose the facility where to give birth and the delivery options it offers. Not all maternity wards are equipped to have a particular birth experience, for example, some birth points offer the possibility to give birth in water or to have a totally demedicalized humanized birth, others still allow the partner or the trusted person of the pregnant woman. to witness labor and birth. Another important assessment to make when choosing where to give birth is to make sure there is adequate support for the newborn, such as the neonatal ward, should the newborn need to be cared for. The person who attends the birth is generally the baby's father but if for various reasons this is not the case, choose a person you trust and with whom you can be free to express your intimacy as a woman and mother. After choosing the facility in which to give birth to the newborn, visit the ward, ask for information on the rules within it such as visiting hours, hospitalization, services offered and any questions that you think can improve your stay. Last but not least, get in touch with your trusted midwife in order to have a valid and competent point of reference who will help you not only at the time of the birth but in the whole phase of childbirth preparation.
How to organize the house?
Preparing for childbirth also presupposes the preparation and reorganization of the house in view of the baby's arrival, you will have to set up everything so that you can care for it in a fluid manner. First of all, it is necessary to identify a space inside the master bedroom where to place the cot, a quiet place, away from drafts and not in transit. In another area of the house you will need to have a nappy changing area with everything you need for the baby. Babies do not need many things but it is important for their safety and comfort that they are all close at hand so that they can easily take what is needed to meet a need for the little one. To prepare for the baby's arrival, write a list of the things the baby needs to have everything under control and not forget anything. Write down the really essential things in the list and don't buy too many clothes, babies grow up fast. You can make a list to share with friends and relatives like the Amazon one that has no obligation to purchase and offers the advantage of being able to be shared so that whoever wants to give you a gift chooses what you have previously put on the list. The baby's clothes should be washed with a specific soap for babies or with a totally natural one such as Marseille soap.
Normal detergents can contain fragrances and give allergies to the baby's delicate skin. After washing, rinse the clothes thoroughly and lay them out in the sun, then organize the drawers in a functional way.
How to prepare the delivery bag?
The delivery bag must contain everything necessary for the mother in the labor room and for the newborn. Prepare the bag around the seventh month of pregnancy so that you are ready for any unexpected hospitalization. Inside the suitcase do not forget to put the pregnancy documents and a valid document of yours.
How to prepare for childbirth: breasts and perineum
Your body also needs to prepare for childbirth. You will be able to prepare your breasts for breastfeeding with the correct hygienic breast care and possibly massage your nipples, especially if they are inverted. Breast preparation must begin no earlier than the thirty-fourth week because the solicitation of the nipples could favor uterine contractions. Preparing the mother's body for childbirth also consists in taking care of the perineum, which plays an active role at the time of childbirth. Perineal care and attention during pregnancy should be done with perineum massage and exercises for the perineum that allow you to become aware of this important part of the body. The preparation of the perineum serves to make it elastic in order to avoid lacerations and episiotomy during childbirth. Trivially, preparing for childbirth also includes how to shave before labor. Prepartum hair removal is called a trichotomy and can be done two weeks before the expected date of delivery.
How to prepare for natural childbirth
Natural childbirth is anticipated by symptoms and signs that the time of birth is near. Loss of the mucous plug, preparatory and irregular contractions are just some of the pre-birth symptoms. Preparing for delivery means recognizing the signs to assess whether it is true labor or false labor. Active labor is preceded by a phase called prodromal in which the contractions are not very annoying and appear irregular. The preparation for birth will allow you to recognize when the actual labor begins so that you can go to the hospital for the birth of the baby. You will also be able to learn about the stages of childbirth and what they are characterized by, how to push effectively and the various positions to give birth.
Prepare for caesarean delivery
Even a caesarean section requires proper preparation. Ask for information at the facility where you will be undergoing the surgery in order to know the length of stay, the preparation process with the anesthetist and the things to show at the time of admission. Do not forget to ask the midwife who will assist you to start breastfeeding immediately after the caesarean section if you want to do so and if it is possible to do skin to skin in the operating room.
Pain management in the delivery room
Pain management techniques in childbirth are of great help to the woman in labor regardless of whether she is in her first second or third child. The natural techniques for suffering pain are breathing, movement, pain relieving positions and relaxation. Learning the breathing patterns, perhaps together with the partner present in the delivery room, allow you to better tolerate the birth contractions. In addition to natural techniques, you can request painless childbirth using epidural analgesia. Get in touch with the hospital in order to prepare for analgesia with the anesthetist and have everything ready when labor begins.
Tips for post partum
After giving birth, you need to take care of your body in the right way and with the right products. Practicing proper intimate hygiene will help you have a faster recovery. Learning to recognize the signs of a possible infection or an abnormal lochiation allow the new mother to intervene promptly and easily find the solution to a possible clinical problem. The correct dressing of any sutures or episiorraphy, or of the caesarean section, will allow you to resume a satisfying sex life and not to alter the normal containment functions. After the birth of the baby it will be necessary to register it in the registry office and in different ways if the parents are married or not, informed about the procedure to follow to complete this bureaucratic practice.
Prepare for breastfeeding
Preparing for childbirth also means awareness of the important function of colostrum first and then of breast milk for the baby's nutrition. To start breastfeeding, it is necessary to attach the baby correctly to avoid nipple discomfort and promote milk supply. Proper birth preparation informs you about breastfeeding positions and breast milk storage.
How to prepare for childbirth: the book
To help you prepare for both natural birth and caesarean delivery, here is a book for you that represents a prepared course on paper.
You will have useful tips to prepare for the baby's arrival, in particular in preparing your body, home and what you will need for the birth and for the hospital stay.
You will be aware of the function of the perineum in pregnancy, how to prepare it for childbirth and how to care for it after birth.
You will recognize the signs that anticipate childbirth.
I will tell you about the relaxation techniques that you can use in the moment of labor, and the pharmacological techniques for pain control such as epidural analgesia.
You will immerse yourself in the amazing birth event, understanding the dynamics that characterize it.
You will live post partum well by taking care of yourself and understanding the signals that your body is sending you.
You will address important issues after childbirth such as the process to reveal the newborn at the registry office, sadness after childbirth and sexuality with the partner.
You will know how to feed your baby by latching him to the breast correctly, the properties of colostrum and the arrival of milk.
You will take care of your baby in a conscious way. As I like to say I will try to take care not only of what your body is but above all of your mind.