natural childbirth ideas

[BlessedMommy]

Hey ladies, for all those who are going all natural with birth, what are some preparation ideas that you have?
I have been:
--Walking and exercising regularly
--Trying to remember to drink red raspberry leaf tea
--Taking my prenatals and herbs
--Trying to do my toning exercises from childbirth class
--Practicing relaxation, getting regular massages from DH
--Learning about perineal massage and starting to practice a bit
--Practicing postures such as squatting, etc. that help tone my muscles
--Taking Bradley Method classes
--Reading all that I possibly can about natural childbirth, breastfeeding, etc. to ensure that I'm well informed

If any of you ladies have any other great ideas that have helped you to prepare for a happy birth, let me know!

~Ruth

[Bekah]

Okay... I had my 9lb 12 oz son in December... I had him naturally no meds... and he got stuck (shoulder dystocia) and I didn't tear... I just have to say that my midwife rocks!

Anyhow... I have never had perineal massage done either by myself or my dh... my midwife does it as the head is coming down the birth canal and I haven't torn yet.

I am not a big exerciser during pregnancy because I have an old back injury that doesn't allow me to be too active while carrying all that weight around.

Basically I took a natural childbirth class where I learned different positions and I learned to not fight the contractions (which I did with my dd) I really didn't do anything special. But then again this was my second and I knew what to expect this time.

I dealt with each contraction as it came and was able to breath through them all... I won't lie! It gets bad when you hit transition and pushing,... But if you can accomplish it naturally you feel such an awesome feeling of accomplishment and pride! I did!

Definitely arm yourself with lots of coping techniques and knowledge and I think you will do great! Just don't be dead set against any one thing... Always be flexible because labor and delivery is unpredictable.

[BlessedMommy]

Wow! Your midwife does sound good. No tear with almost a 10 pound baby AND shoulder dystocia. I'm thoroughly impressed.

I know that I need to keep my mind open to emergency situations, so my DH and I have been working through our medical backup plan in case I need to go to the hospital. I'm sure hoping not to though!

Good thing that your baby was born 2 weeks early. He might have been a 12 pounder if you carried him to 40 weeks! :)

It's awesome to hear from women who have had positive birth experiences. Thanks for sharing!

~Ruth