Preparing for childbirth: everything pregnant women need to know

Experienced mothers know that a lot depends on how responsibly the preparation for childbirth was organized - in part, the process of giving birth to a baby, and the postpartum period. In a woman's body, all organs and systems begin to prepare for the upcoming birth almost from the first days of the “interesting situation”. These are physiological, hormonal, cellular processes, the task of which is to ensure the bearing and subsequent birth of a child. No less painstaking preparatory work is required from the woman herself, who is preparing to become a mother. In this article we will tell you how to properly and competently prepare for childbirth, what to foresee.

Do I need to prepare?

Getting ready for childbirth is important for several reasons, and preparation should be done in several ways. Childbirth is always a great stress, which sometimes prevents a woman from giving birth easily, without tears and injuries. The greater the stress, the higher the likelihood of birth complications. With fear, in a panic, muscle clamps occur in women in labor, which prevent the rapid birth of a child. On this statement, numerous works of scientists, doctors from all over the world were based, as a result of which the programs "Childbirth without pain and fear", "Painless childbirth" and others appeared.

The more relaxed and confident a woman is during pregnancy and during childbirth, the more correct, easy and with minimal pain the baby will be born.

Preparation for childbirth is given great attention by obstetricians of all countries. In some cases, pregnant women are required to attend courses and schools for women "in position". In Russia, courses for future women in labor are a purely voluntary matter; upon admission to a maternity hospital, no one will ask for a certificate of completion of the preparatory courses. or trust in the case of chance - it is up to the woman herself to decide.

There are a lot of psychosomatic factors in the birth process: fear, fear, unwillingness to experience pain, the expectation of this very pain, the opinion that it is necessary and inevitable, can significantly complicate childbirth. While proper breathing, the readiness of the birth canal and all the muscles in the body will help to give birth to a baby faster. Correctly selected things and documents, reasonably organized space at home will make the first days after the birth of a child more comfortable for everyone.

Many are interested in who needs preparation. The answer is pretty simple - any pregnant woman. But to a greater extent - primiparous, pregnant with twins or triplets, women who give birth to a second or third child after a long temporary break, as well as those who choose partner birth.

The preparation includes physical exercises, some specific procedures, and psychological preparation.

And also we must not forget about the practical side of the issue - properly assembled things for the mother and child have not prevented anyone yet.

Getting ready physically

Physical fitness for a woman in labor is very important. Women with low muscle tone, with obesity, are more likely to suffer from complications during childbirth and in the early postpartum period, so muscle preparation should be done from the very beginning of pregnancy, or better - before it occurs. Some, seeing two stripes on the test, deliberately refuse to visit the gym and other physical activities, stop walking, believing that it is the state of maternal rest that is most preferable for the unborn child. But this opinion is wrong. It is impossible to prepare the body for childbirth lying on the couch.

Nobody demands from a woman to set Olympic records and exorbitant physical activity. In the first trimester of pregnancy, which is considered the period of greatest risks, in general, it is considered better to reduce the load to a minimum, but not to abandon them altogether - restorative gymnastics, walking will be useful to all pregnant women, without exception, even if the woman does not play sports before the "interesting position" was engaged.

There are special physical groups for pregnant women - they work at the pools, in most sports centers. You can study in a group with other expectant mothers. Yoga and Pilates are especially useful for preparing muscles for childbirth. Swimming and water aerobics can also be invaluable. Being in the water will help the baby to take the correct position in the uterine cavity.

Any exercise in water or on land should be comparable to the gestational age. A woman should not get tired, the load should not be a burden, cause muscle pain or discomfort. Physical training can also include breathing techniques that promote relaxation during childbirth, increase the intensity of blood flow, and prevent hypoxia during childbirth.

Proper breathing not only makes labor easier, but also reduces pain during labor pains. It is on the breathing techniques that all the programs of "Childbirth without pain and fear" existing today are based. We have written a separate article for you about proper breathing during childbirth, because this issue needs to be considered in detail.

A lot of videos have been filmed about the correct breathing technique.

Moral readiness

Psychological prenatal preparation is very important. Often it is fear that becomes the cause of abnormal labor, weakness of birth forces. Defeating fears and anxieties is important in order for the birth to go smoothly and quickly. The main difficulty lies in the fact that the girl is hammered into her head almost from childhood that childbirth is painful and difficult. There are such scenes in films, there are negative examples in literature, even in classic children's fairy tales, where the queen dies during childbirth, not enduring torment. As a result, a girl, a girl, a woman forms a persistent block that triggers the processes of animal horror before childbirth.

It may sound strange, but there are almost no pain receptors in the tissues of the uterus, so labor pain exists only in the head of the woman in labor. The more afraid she is, the stronger the pain will be - this is the basic rule of hypnotherapy before childbirth, which was practiced back in the USSR, and now the methods of psychologists and psychiatrists are based on it.

It is foolish to demand from a pregnant woman the determination of a spetsnaz intelligence officer and the same high pain threshold. But psychologists in antenatal clinics, psychotherapists in any clinic, public or private, can calm a woman down and convey to her the principles of hypnorods. You just need to apply. And the sooner, the better, because an express psychological training course in the third trimester is not as effective as a planned long preparation.

You can do psychological preparation on your own, while you need to know what it consists of.

Learning theory - processes and stages, everything related to childbirth. How do contractions, attempts pass, how to behave at one stage or another, how to breathe, when and why, when to push, and when to relax. The better a woman is theoretically grounded, the better she behaves in the delivery room. When studying theory, you need to use materials from trusted sources and avoid reading women's forums, where the information is often not true. In addition, the pregnant woman has absolutely no use for other people's negative stories and examples. You can ask the obstetrician-gynecologist in the antenatal clinic for advice on the choice of literature. The doctor will always advise which books for pregnant women will be most useful in light of preparing for childbirth.
Auto-training. A woman who repeats to herself every day that everything will be fine will definitely believe it. This confidence will give calmness, measuredness. A woman will not perceive the beginning of childbirth as a disaster, and the birth itself will not be an ordeal. Childbirth is a process that brings closer a meeting with a beloved and long-awaited baby, and not at all "nature's mockery of the female body." The body of every woman on the planet has everything it needs to give birth to a child. This should not be forgotten. Trust in your own body and confidence in a positive outcome is half the battle.
Changing ideas about labor pain. It was said above that pain is of psychogenic origin, which means it can be minimized with proper psychological preparation. The natural process of childbirth is not a disease, not an emergency. This is where breathing techniques in childbirth come in handy, for example, breathing according to Sausage, as well as other methods of natural anesthesia, which are taught in the courses.
Modeling the situation. A woman in her own imagination can replay her own birth many times - imagine how she endures contractions, how she pushes, how a baby is born. At the same time, it is important to imagine everything from a positive point of view. It is believed that any woman is mentally able to program herself the course of her own birth. The expectation of pain and horror leads to painful, difficult, long labor. An easy and positive attitude towards a completely natural process leads to a corresponding reality.
Partner childbirth. Childbirth with an assistant from among relatives and friends, whom the woman fully trusts, increases the comfort of stay in the birth ward and delivery room. If a decision is made to give birth together, you need to start joint preparation, both psychological and physical. A partner in the hospital can be very helpful - he will massage you between contractions, remind you when and how to breathe, help you take the best posture for easier handling of contractions.
Trust in the medical staff. A very big psychological effect on a pregnant woman is the trust in the doctor who will deliver or perform a planned cesarean section. If a woman fully trusts a medical specialist, the stress level during hospitalization decreases tenfold. Therefore, it is important to choose the doctor with whom it will not be scary to go to the hospital or operating room.

Important! If you can't put your thoughts and feelings in order on your own, you should definitely contact a psychologist. In antenatal clinics, maternity hospitals and perinatal centers, the help of such specialists is completely free.

The readiness of the birth canal

During physiological labor, the load on the pelvic floor muscles is always incredibly high. The Kegel gymnastic complex will help reduce the likelihood of perineal injury, ruptures, and weak disclosure of the cervix. Exercises to strengthen the pelvic floor must be done with the permission of the doctor. If a woman does not have isthmic-cervical insufficiency, the threat of miscarriage or premature birth, the obstetrician-gynecologist may well allow her to practice such a complex.

Kegel exercises are a set of muscle exercises for the muscles of the vagina and pelvic floor, as well as for the muscles and the sphincter of the anus. It helps to strengthen the corresponding muscles and is an excellent prevention of tears and postpartum hemorrhoids.

For preparation of the birth canal in the third trimester, especially in the last days before childbirth, it is recommended carry out a light massage with natural oil, which will include massaging the external genitalia to increase the elasticity of the skin and muscles of the perineum.

To relax the round muscle of the cervix 2 weeks before delivery, some pregnant women are advised to take "No-Shpu". This effective antispasmodic helps the cervix better prepare for labor opening.

Breasts and upcoming feeding

So that after the birth of the baby there are no problems with feeding it, experts advise preparing the mammary glands in advance. Breast preparation should become a mandatory procedure, you can take it at home, on your own, since such preparation in itself is not difficult. Of course, a woman cannot influence the timing of the arrival of permanent milk. This process is due to the production of the hormone prolactin. But preparing your own nipples for feeding the baby is the task of the future woman in labor. Cracks, painful wounds on the nipples often stop the process of feeding the baby in a rather painful event. In order to prevent them, a woman, even during pregnancy, is advised to correctly approach the issues of breast hygiene, especially when colostrum begins to be produced.

You need to wash your breasts with warm water, without soap, at least twice a day. A support bra for pregnant women will ease the discomfort that is accompanied by an increase in the number of breast lobules during the process of carrying a baby.

To strengthen the mammary glands as part of their preparation, it is recommended to take a contrast shower every day, wear bra pads.

Regarding the advice to rub the nipples with a coarse towel, massage them, be sure to consult a doctor - over-stimulation of the nipples leads to an increase in the level of oxytocin in the body, which can provoke premature birth. In obstetrics of the Soviet period, such recommendations did take place and were applied mainly in the late stages of pregnancy. Modern obstetrics has a slightly different view on this - it is possible to prepare nipples with massage and stimulation only for those women whose pregnancy proceeds without complications and pathologies.

The technique of latching a baby to the breast, if a woman is going to give birth to her first child, is also worth studying in advance. Not every maternity hospital devotes enough time to this issue.

It is always easier for multiparous with a child - there is a corresponding experience. It is recommended to actively prepare the breast for the upcoming breastfeeding no earlier than 38 weeks of pregnancy, while the hygienic requirements for breast care are in effect from the very first months of gestation.

What do the courses teach?

Free courses for pregnant women are not a showcase event, as some think. This is a great opportunity to ask all the painful questions not to faceless advisers on the Internet, but real certified specialists. Obstetricians-gynecologists, pediatricians, neonatologists, psychologists and specialists in social services of the population conduct classes at the school of preparation for childbirth.

Thus, the training in such courses is multifaceted and very interesting. Women are told how labor begins, how contractions develop, how to ease them, how to behave in the process of attempts, how the early recovery period after childbirth goes, what recommendations should be followed so that rehabilitation is faster and easier.

Pediatricians and neonatologists will talk about how to take care of a baby in the first days of his life, how to feed a baby, how to treat an umbilical wound and prevent diaper rash. Psychologists can help you set up a positive mindset for childbirth and avoid postpartum depression, while social workers can advise on family-specific benefits and benefits for having a baby and advise on how to get them done quickly.

If a partner birth is planned, both partners must attend classes. If the presence of the husband is supposed, then he will be taught to give his wife a relaxing massage, they will show effective positions for partner childbirth, in which a woman can wait out the next labor contraction. And also during the course, the partner will be provided with a list of tests and examinations that need to be done in order to be admitted with the woman in labor to the walls of the hospital. Lectures are held both in the daytime and in the evenings; it will be convenient to attend them both for those who work or study, and for those who are already on maternity leave and have a lot of free time.

How to choose a maternity hospital?

Previously, women did not have the right to choose; a woman in labor was hospitalized either in a maternity hospital at the place of residence, or in a maternity hospital on duty if she was delivered by ambulance. Since 2006, every pregnant woman has been legally entitled to choose a maternity hospital or a perinatal center in which she wants to give birth to her child. This right is supported by a generic certificate. It is issued in the antenatal clinic, where a pregnant woman is observed along with a sick leave when going on maternity leave.

If childbirth is planned on a paid basis, then there is no need for a generic certificate. The woman will be able to negotiate the conditions with the management of the selected maternity hospital on her own - a contract for paid medical services usually implies the presence of a certain doctor or obstetrician at childbirth, a ward of superior comfort before and after childbirth, the use of epidural anesthesia not according to indications, but at the woman's own will, the presence of a partner at childbirth, free visits by relatives in a separate box

The same services, in addition to free visits by relatives and the VIP ward, can be obtained free of charge, but on condition that the obstetrician is on duty on the day the birth begins, and the presence of a partner is allowed by the management of the hospital. When choosing a maternity hospital, a woman can be guided by her own preferences, reviews of other pregnant women and women in childbirth.

It would also not hurt to visit the selected obstetric facility and clarify the following questions:

conditions for prenatal and postnatal stay - which wards, how many places, where the bathroom is located, is there a shower;
conditions of stay of children - joint with mothers or separate;
qualifications of doctors and obstetricians, qualifications of pediatricians, anesthesiologists;
equipment and equipment - does the maternity hospital have the necessary equipment to help children and mothers in case of unforeseen dangerous complications.

You should take into account the remoteness of the hospital from the place of residence - think about relatives, because they will visit you almost daily.

At the selected maternity hospital, you need to sign an exchange card after 30 weeks of pregnancy. And also the woman there will be given a memo about what documents and things you need to collect with you for hospitalization.

Collecting things

There are universal lists of things for the maternity hospital, but in each obstetric institution, the list of things that are allowed may differ. Therefore, it is imperative to ask the personnel of the selected maternity hospital what you need and what you don’t need to take with you to a specific institution.

On average, the lists are pretty similar. A mother's bag in its classic version represents three groups of things:

For childbirth - the list is individual.
For a woman in the postpartum period. A hospital stay usually requires washable slippers, a nightgown, a wrap of postpartum pads, a bathrobe, a cup and spoon, as well as toilet paper, soap, a toothbrush, and toothpaste.
For a child. To care for your baby, you need to take the smallest diapers for newborns, powder, baby cream, several undershirts and sliders or diapers made of natural fabrics. A breast pump may also come in handy.

The set of necessary documents is always the same, regardless of the chosen hospital. It includes:

passport;
policy;
generic certificate;
exchange card;
a medical card from the clinic (if there are concomitant chronic diseases);
partner health certificates for partner childbirth.

Some obstetric institutions also require a copy of the sick leave, the original of which, when the woman went on maternity leave, handed over to the accounting department at the place of work.

Recently, doctors strongly recommend that women take a pair of medical compression stockings with them to childbirth to prevent complications with the vessels and veins of the lower extremities. It is important not to forget your mobile phone and charger for it, you can also take a book or magazine to while away your free time usefully.

If you have a caesarean section

Hospitalization before a planned operation, if indicated, must be taken seriously. A referral to a maternity hospital must be made at 38 weeks of gestation, because the operation itself is performed after 39 weeks.

It is necessary to go to the hospital in advance, since before the operation the woman is carefully prepared in the maternity hospital - they do the necessary examinations, tests, and choose the method of anesthesia.

A disposable razor, disposable diapers and compression stockings of the second degree of compression must be added to the list of things for a woman who is sent for a planned operation. If desired, a woman can also purchase and take with her a postpartum postoperative bandage, which will facilitate the recovery process after delivery surgery.

Useful Tips

When preparing for the upcoming birth, a woman must definitely enlist the support of the attending physician with whom she is registered. He needs to be completely trusted. Only he will be able to answer with great accuracy that a particular pregnant woman can drink from a headache, whether she needs to drink a decoction of raspberry leaves before giving birth and others.

Many try to collect the "dowry" for the baby in advance. This preparation point really needs to be given special attention. But everything needs to be done in advance so that it does not happen that in the last days before childbirth, instead of resting, a woman will run to children's stores.

According to women, after appropriate planned preparation, which covers all the above aspects, it is easy and even noticeably calmer to go to the maternity hospital than spontaneously in the hope of a good outcome. Of course, no one can foresee all possible situations, all possible complications in advance - neither the doctor nor the pregnant woman. But a woman must remember the main thing - she is in good hands. If something goes wrong, they will definitely help her. Modern medicine is at a fairly high level, so infant and female mortality during childbirth is now extremely low, and the percentage of complications is decreasing.