Birthing and Marathon running – Both need preparation!

Giving birth is very like running a marathon and your preparation needs to reflect that.

If you look at marathon training apps they all recommend about 16 weeks(4 months) of physical training to be able to confidently complete the distance

The other thing any experienced marathon runner will tell you is that “it is a mind game, more than a physical game”

Finally, everyone emphasises the importance of nutrition, both leading into a marathon but also on the day. Energy in equals energy out.

So, how does this relate to having a baby you ask?

Whilst our bodies are designed to birth, our lifestyle often is not! We are really designed to spend most of our time upright, rather than sitting at desks, or lounging on couches. So, physical preparation is important. Regular walking every day is a good start, and also stretching particularly all of the muscles and ligaments around the pelvis, because after all, that is where the baby needs to come through.

The mind and the body work incredibly closely in birth, and the other thing marathon runners don’t have to contend with is keeping those birth hormones in balance during the birth process, and this is all controlled by the mind. The less stress and therefore less adrenaline that is around, the better your body can work to birth this baby.

Hydration and nutrition during labour are also incredibly important. Labour is really hard physical work, so in early labour you need to pre load with small nutritious meals and then make sure you have lots of snacks to eat during labour, anything you can eat in small bits as you won’t feel like a big meal in active labour. Gastrolyte drinks are your friend! Water is also important.

To learn more about all of these topics, come and do a Calmbirth course with me!

Calmbirth with Sally by going to: https://calmbirth.com.au/educators-profile/?edid=153