Healthy Birth Practice # 5

Avoid Giving Birth on Your Back and Follow Your Body's Urges to Push.

What comes to mind when you think of a woman giving birth? For many parents-to-be who have yet to experience labor, their minds go straight to the TV/Movie version of birth. A mum lying on her back, in pain and screaming, it is easy to think that there is only one way to push during birth—with the woman on her back with her legs propped up, holding her breath and pushing while others count to 10 and coach/ tell her to push harder.

Being upright during the pushing stage of labor not only utilizes gravity to help you, but it is also often less stressful for baby. When you are upright, you tend to get into positions like squatting, which can open your pelvis by as much as 30% more, creating lots of space for baby. 
Upright and gravity-neutral positions are safe during pushing and are often more comfortable than lying on your back. Babies are more likely to show signs of distress when women are flat on their backs while pushing.

Research does not support the widespread practice of directed pushing, which has been shown to stress the maternal cardiovascular system, reduce circulating oxygen, and trigger changes in the fetal heart rate. Women following their own urge to push usually will wait for each contraction to build and then push for about 5 seconds, take a few short breaths, then push again.

When a woman follows her own body during the pushing stage of labor, she is likely to push when she feels a strong urge to do so, and she will hold her breath for only short periods, if at all. This is called “spontaneous pushing.” Pushing when and how your body tells you to means you are pushing just the way you need to give birth to your baby.

Following your own urge to push is less stressful for your baby than directed pushing.

Pushing when and how your natural urge tells you to gives you the best chance of preventing tears, muscle weakness in your pelvis and protecting your pelvic floor after birth.
Using a variety of positions during the second stage of labor (the bearing-down part of labor) helps, you work with your baby as he/she turns and comes down through your pelvis.

Women have an innate ability to give birth!

Want to learn more? Contact us now for more information and to learn more about Birthability Lamaze Childbirth Courses.

Healthy Birth Practice # 4

 Avoid interventions that aren't medically necessary.

The topic of interventions during labor and at birth can be controversial. Everyone has an opinion to share, and as an expecting mum those opinions can be overwhelming.

Birth is a natural process. We want to limit interfering with the vital hormones that regulate pregnancy, labour, birth, breastfeeding and attachment. Our bodies are amazing, and we are gifted with several hormones that help the birthing process move along to eventually give us a baby.

While it can be critical to use the available interventions to improve an outcome during labour, Certain medical interventions (medical procedures) are performed routinely on women in labour and in birth, but unfortunately, are not always necessary, and in fact, can cause unnecessary harm.

It is important to have a healthy understanding of interventions, and Birthability Childbirth education classes can help you become more informed, confident and supported at your birth.

Healthy Birth Practice #3

Bring a loved one, Friend or Doula for Continuous Support.

As humans, we are social beings. We like to be surrounded by people we know and trust, who care for us and encourage us.

Women benefit from good support in labor.

Research confirms that the better the support women receive, the easier their labour is and the more satisfied they will be with their birth experience.

One of the best ways to get quality continuous support is by hiring a doula. A doula is a woman who provides support during labour. They provide informational, physical, and emotional support.

Good labor support is not watching the clock and playing on their phone or watching TV. It is making sure you are not disturbed, respecting the time that labour takes, and reminding you that you know how to birth your baby. Your helpers should spin a cocoon around you while you are in labour—create a space where you feel safe and secure and can do the hard work of labor without worry

Healthy Birth Practices # 2

Walk, Move Around and Change Positions Throughout Labour.

Movement in labour serves two very important purposes. First, it helps you cope with you increasingly strong and powerful contractions, Second, it helps wiggle your baby into your pelvis and through the birth canal.

When allowed to move freely during labour, women instinctively respond to their powerful contractions. Walking, swaying, squatting, rocking, rubbing and changing positions during labour. 

Research supports that movement may help shorten labour, can provide effective pain relief and can decrease the likelihood of having a cesarean (Storton.S (2007) "the coalition for improving maternity services")

The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices

The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices

The Lamaze 6 Healthy Birth Practices, have you heard of them?

Years ago Lamaze became widely known as a ‘method’ for birth, teaching a breathing and coping style that came to be known by its name.

Lamaze today is a ‘philosophy’ of birth, founded on 6 Healthy Birth Practices that are designed to encourage women to trust their bodies, reduce fear, and have a healthy and safe birth for mother and baby.

The Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices are the foundation of Lamaze. These Birth Practices are designed based on years of research to help simplify the birth process with an informed approach that helps alleviate fears and manage pain. Regardless of baby’s size, your labor’s length and complexity, or your confidence level, these care practices will help keep labor and your baby's birth as safe and healthy as possible.