You’re unique. Your baby is going to be unique. But the one thing that every woman hopes isn’t unique is her delivery. Women always want to know how to get a normal delivery, and while there is no 100% certainty that you’ll have a normal delivery, this doesn’t mean you can’t take steps to have a somewhat normal delivery.
We’re going to discuss practical methods and tips to help boost your chances of a normal delivery.
6 Normal Baby Delivery Tips
1. Make Exercise Part of Your Routine
One of the best ways for a normal delivery is exercise. Yup, pregnant women exercise for normal delivery, and this works very well.
You don’t want to engage in risky exercise or rocky climbing where you could potentially fall and hurt your unborn child. But you can lift weights and perform other exercises that can help make delivery more pleasant.
A few of the exercises you’ll want to perform are:
- Kegel exercises
- Squats
- Lower body exercises
Many women will perform yoga while pregnant to ensure that their blood flow is strong, they maintain good heart health, and they’re able to maintain their strength well into pregnancy. It’s always a great feeling to be in peak fitness.
Squats are a great exercise because they will keep the thighs and butt strong, allowing you to push harder when in labor.
2. Maintain a Normal Delivery Diet
The great thing about being pregnant is that you can eat – a lot. Pregnant women eat often to keep up their energy levels and ensure that their fetus remains healthy. But what many women don’t realize is that the added weight may be too much.
Women who aren’t overweight tend to have fewer medical interventions when they’re pregnant.
You have to also listen to your doctor:
- Take your prenatal vitamins
- Eat healthy foods
- Don’t neglect fats
You will need to eat more – it’s a necessity – but if you become unfit in the process, you’ll risk having to have a medical intervention to give birth.
3. Meditate to Reduce Stress
One thing every article or class on pregnancy care for normal delivery seems to forget is that stress will lower a woman’s oxytocin levels in the body. This isn’t a good thing for a normal delivery because oxytocin is essential for contractions during labor.
What happens is that lower levels of this chemical will cause a longer delay in contractions while in labor.
Prolonged labor is very stressful on the mother and child, so the birthing process may require some form of medical intervention if labor becomes too intense. You need to find ways to remain as stress-free as possible during your pregnancy if you hope to have a normal delivery.
How can you remain stress-free?
Well, there are a lot of small things you can do today that will help, such as:
- If you can safely exercise, this is a great way to relieve stress and start to relax. This also works to keep the muscles strong, which is never a bad thing.
- It sounds silly to some people, but meditation has proven health benefits that really make a huge difference when in labor. When trying to meditate, close your eyes and focus on your breathing. Pay attention to the breath going in your nose and out of your nose. If thoughts come into your mind, don’t worry – they’ll always be there. But your goal is to ignore these thoughts and focus on the now.
Stress relief will make the entire pregnancy cycle much easier, and you’ll be able to kick back and relax when you go into labor because you’ll now know how to calm the mind through meditation.
4. Practice Deep Breathing
A lot of women will wonder how to get a normal delivery, yet very few will realize the impact that deep breathing has on their labor. The truth is that many people breathe all wrong. You need to practice corrective breathing, which is a tad different than what most people are accustomed to.
A few key points are to:
- Breathe deeply through the nose
- Exhale deeply through the nose
- Don’t be afraid to take deep breaths
Proper oxygen intake is vital to the health and vitality of the baby. You’ll also find that deep breathing has the ability to boost a person’s energy, helps with the baby’s growth and will reduce stress drastically.
Try to practice deep breathing while you meditate for an added stress-relief benefit.
5. Prenatal Care and Education
Birth is the most natural thing a woman can experience, but it’s also very intense and acts as a great learning experience. You don’t want to go into the latter stages of pregnancy unprepared for the roller coaster ride that awaits.
You want to seek out prenatal courses and education that will allow you to best prepare for the labor and birth of a child.
What can you do?
Well, you’ll want to seek out classes that include:
- Natural pain management
- Birth work
- How to labor
Many of these classes will go through all of the basics that other classes seem to miss. You can try a variety of classes, and your doctor may be able to recommend some great ways to educate yourself on the entire pregnancy process.
You’ll be surprised by just how much you didn’t know about pregnancy.
When possible, bring the father along for the ride, too. He is a part of your support system, and you need to learn to lean on him when you go into labor. He will be an integral part of you trying to have a normal pregnancy.
A father-to-be that is absent for prenatal classes and has a tendency to put the entire responsibility on the women will find that a normal delivery is less likely.
6. Don’t Rush to the Doctor
You need your doctor when something is amiss or you’re fearful during pregnancy, but this doesn’t mean you need to be at the hospital ready to deliver the moment you start to have contractions. It may seem hard, and it’s far easier to write than it is to do, but you need to remain calm and stay at home during the early labor process.
Many women state that staying home until their contractions were less than five minutes apart allowed them to remain calm, well-fed and relaxed.
You don’t need to sit in the hospital when your contractions are far apart. Some women will go to the hospital, find that they’re not dilated enough and turn back home. This is done to help keep stress, anxiety and fear levels down.
【Read more about Contractions】
Go to the hospital when you’re giving birth, but don’t think you have seconds before the baby comes out – this normally isn’t the case.
