Labour

Have you looked into any hypnobirthing courses / books / videos? I found it really helped me to feel positive about giving birth 😊

I was so nervous too!
Think of it as one contraction at a time, not the whole thing. Concentrate on getting over the contraction, then relax ready for the next one. Keep your energy up, I was drinking Lucozade and eating crossiants 😂
For aftercare, I highly recommend a peri bottle, absolutely amazing!
Good luck x

honestly birth and afterwards isnt as bad as everyone makes out, i know hearing the people that had trauma is scary, but it can be easy and peaceful, ive had 3 unmedicated, non intervention, no stitches births, and i was up and back to normal same day, my main advice is stay calm, if you panic baby panics and it all starts going downhill so breathe good and stay calm xx

Honestly girl before Labour I had the mindset of I’m gonna need all the drugs etc because people were worrying me .. when the time came I had a very long Labour however it was amazing , I had a water birth and didn’t feel I needed anything , focus on your breathing. Xx

I second hypnobirthing or looking into the Bradley method but if you want to do it I’d get a move on because it does take time to prepare yourself.

which ones would you recommend that helped you?

what does the peri bottle do?

helps clean you off after using the bathroom so you don’t have to use toilet paper on your sensitive/sore privates

I didn’t read or look into anything hypno birthing , just done it on my own in the moment , I done in for 4 seconds and out for 8 , really helped to keep me focused during contractions xx

I put warm water in mine and squirted it around my area when weeing and when I was done. It was so soothing after a 2nd degree tear and an episiotomy. I used it for a good 2 weeks after birth, highly recommend x

With my first baby,I decided not to listen to labour stories or do classes etc,as I wanted to be in the unknown about it and just let my body decide how my labour was going to progress,I did have a the mind set no medical interventions,and was the best thing ever..went into labour had my son,was up walking round after our skin to skin time..went on and had 3 more babies..

My advice is relax as much as possible! The more tense & stressed you are the harder it becomes. Relax and let your body do it’s thing, it will tell you when to push. Work with gravity & birth on all fours or my favourite is on your knees resting against the bed so you’re upright. Think happy thoughts and focus on your breath that is the most important thing!! Breathe through every contraction & every push. Shouting and screaming will make you tense up and will hurt a lot more. You’ll do amazing tho, best thing is try not to stress yourself out & trust your body xx

The advice I would have given myself is don't have any expectations. Plan for the kind of birth you want but know that things can change. I had a good birth experience but because I had other expectations it made things alot harder for me mentally. Just go with the flow and follow how you feel in the moment and be open to possible changes.

You know what.. I was super nervous too and it turned out to be the most incredible experience of my life, seriously. (The epidural helped lol) to make the process smooth for you, I'd suggest having your bags ready if they're not already & for the aftercare, other than a peri bottle and diapers for comfort (i wasnt a fan of pads) also, I'd suggest prepared meals at home in the freezer if you can. (& tonsssss of snacks)

I was all prepared for a simple birth, ended up with an early baby with a heartrate that was dropping with contractions so I had to push her out fast which resulted in ripping almost all the way from my v to my a and getting an internal hematoma, plus hemorrhoid action that made it impossible to sit on my butt 🫠

Even with ALL of that, 2 weeks later I can walk around, drive a car, run errands, etc. The first few days SUCKED but honestly you're going to likely be so focused on the baby that it won't matter as much as it feels like it would now.

Ice pads, witch hazel, and the Frida peri bottle are great, your hospital will likely provide versions when you are there. Take as many home as you can. Stool softener also is helpful if you tear.

Hoping you get the "easy" (never easy lol), tear free version, but even if you don't it will be ok. Your brain is likely to erase a lot of the pain memories afterwards, it's a way that our bodies manipulate us into thinking it's a good idea to have more pregnancies lol!

Most importantly focus on breathing during labor be calm n relaxed . Be prepared to get your cervix checked I say be real calm during that . Get you a speaker make a playlist with music you would like also get you a diffuser with scents you’ll like to smell that will keep you calm

I read the Positive Birth Book and I did a Wise Hippo in-person course - think you can do them online as well

thank you soo much I appreciate you sharing yur story.

Thank you I appreciate the advice