How to plan for your birth…

In life, we plan for most milestone events such as birthdays, holidays, marathons, weddings, and funerals so birth should be no different. In fact, planning for your birth is a game changer because your birth experience is one that you will remember forever and the way you feel about your birth matters. The more prepared you are with your birth preferences the better birth outcomes you will have both physically and emotionally.

So why not start by asking yourself these simple questions:

What kind of birth you would like?

• homebirth,
• hospital birth,
• normal birth,
• C-Section birth,
• waterbirth,
• free birth,
• active birth,
• birth with epidural,
• no epidural,
• options to use complimentary pain management techniques

Who will help you achieve this kind of birth – What kind of Care provider will you choose?

• a private obstetrician,
• doula,
• midwife,
• midwifery continuity of care group practice,
• public hospital,
• private hospital,
• your birth support person.

So, surround yourselves with a loving, nurturing, and supportive birth team that share your values, respect your decisions, know your birth plans, and will do their utmost to keep your sacred birth space – safe, private, calm, and undisturbed.

How will you empower yourselves with knowledge and practical tools about your pregnancy, labour, and birth so that you can make informed choices and decisions about your birth.

This can include investing in an antenatal program such as Calmbirth,

• listening to podcasts such as the Calmbirth Conversation Podcast,
• Australian Birth Stories,
• VBAC Birth stories,
• reading pregnancy, labour, birth, breastfeeding, and postpartum books and
• knowing your birth options and pain management options.
• Know your BRAINS and HEART acronyms.
• Have a Plan B.

Which means you need to be open and flexible to change and surrender to the birth process because let’s face it…birth is unpredictable.

To learn more or to book a Calmbirth course or find a Calmbirth Educator or maternity hospital that offers the Calmbirth program go to: https://calmbirth.com.au/calmbirth-classes/