Let’s talk about birth baby, let’s talk about you and me. Let’s talk about all the good things and the bad things that may be.. let’s talk about birth! Ha ok hope you enjoyed my little play on Salt n’ Pepa’s iconic song 😉 But in all seriousness, let’s talk about birth, and more specifically, the negative stigma around birth in our culture.
I was recently chatting with some pregnant soon-to-be first time mamas and they all shared that they were terrified of giving birth. It echoed sentiments I almost always hear regarding birth. Why are women automatically conditioned to fear this amazing act?
I’ve noticed in our culture, birth really is so stigmatized. It’s viewed so negatively and something a woman should fear. Everything you see and hear in pop culture often dictates that it’s going to be this awful, grueling experience. (Just think of any movie scene about birth and you get my drift.) Don’t get me wrong. Birth is tough, no question about it. But it’s also a beautiful act of human nature, one that often gets a really bad rap. Of course, if you’re conditioned your whole life into believing that giving birth is this terrifying act, naturally you’re gonna be afraid of it! Fighting against the common notion isn’t easy. But is is possible.
My advice to any pregnant first time mom would be to tune out the negative noise! Surround yourself in a bubble of birth positivity and seek out positive birth experiences.
Do things go wrong/unplanned during birth? Of course. Can be it scary? Absolutely. But you won’t know any of that ahead of time so why set yourself up for an immediate negative experience?
Another thing I recommend is educate yourself! The more you know, the more reassured you’ll feel. Knowledge is power.
My husband and I took a natural birthing class and learned SO much. I knew all the terminology that doctors/nurses would use during my labor and delivery and most importantly I was educated about what exactly what happening in my body. I can’t emphasize enough how impactful that is. For example, I knew that foregoing pain medication meant I’d have freedom to move around and labor in various positions (and potentially speed up labor!) so it’s something I planned for. Another thing I learned was the importance of understanding the medical steps that were being taken. I was ultimately induced with my daughter after going 2 weeks past my due date and was given Pitocin to induce contractions. I knew that medical professionals referred to it simply as “Pit.” When I heard them say they were going to increase the “Pit” I stepped in and requested it be turned off because I wanted to see if my body would contract on its own. (Spoiler alert, it did! And natural contractions vs ones induced by Pitocin were like night and day!)
Basically, knowing and understanding the induction process inside and out helped me speak up for myself during a very intense time. If I hadn’t been educated about what things meant and what I could/should request I might not have spoken up and the outcome would’ve been very different.
I’d also suggest to write out a birth plan.
I know this might sound a bit ridiculous to some but even the act of sitting down and writing out your ideal birth experience is a great mental exercise. Will everything go according to plan? Probably not. But that’s not the point. Writing out those goals and positive affirmations can go a long way in helping you mentally prepare for the physical act of labor and delivery.
I followed all of these steps when I was pregnant with my daughter and I can absolutely credit them to the very positive birth experience I ultimately ended up having. I think the most important thing was to choose to only focus on all the positive birthing vibes. I read books that positively affirmed the birth experience, surrounded myself with positive birthing stories and really embraced the notion that as a woman, this is something that my body was designed to do, so I shouldn’t fear it.
Yes of course, I knew that there was always the possibility that I’d need to have a Caesarean or have any other types of unexpected potential complications arise, but I didn’t dwell on that.
Instead, I really mentally prepared myself with the notion that yes I CAN do this! And I will be AWESOME at it.
I truly believe that all those positive affirmations played a huge role in the positive birthing experience I had with my daughter. And I’m once again mentally prepping for the birth of my second child in the same way.
To all the pregnant ladies out there, don’t fear birth! I really can’t emphasize that enough. Instead focus on surrounding yourself with positive birthing experiences and affirmations. Prepare as best as you can and really educate yourself on the labor/delivery process. And most of all embrace this beautiful time in your life.
After the birth of my daughter I felt like Superwoman. No matter how you ultimately give birth, whether vaginally or via C-section, with or without pain medication, the most important end result is that YOU BIRTHED A HUMAN. How amazing and awe-inspiring is that?! Let’s focus on the beauty and honor that pregnancy and childbirth bring to a woman’s life and end the negative stigma of childbirth once and for all. ♡
Photo by Kimber Collective
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