Zen to give birth

2023 Author: Anita Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-27 18:44

Your belly is very round! You are approaching the milestone of 40 weeks and it scares you! Mamanpourlavie tells you her secrets to be a little more zen when D-Day arrives!

Get Ready

There is not an athlete who shows up on the day of the competition of their life without being physically and mentally prepared. Exercising during pregnancy does not shorten the time of childbirth, but allows the woman to be more enduring.

Now, the preparations offered are no longer limited to prenatal classes at the local CLSC. haptonomy, sophrology, prenatal yoga, prenatal singing, meditation, affective preparation for birth, aquamom and many other techniques offer future mothers to be ready on D-Day.

Make a plan

By preparing a birth plan, you will have peace of mind when you go to the hospital. First, you won't need to explain everything to the staff who may change depending on the working hours! And as you will have already thought about the many possibilities that may arise, you leave with a calmer head. And we must not hide it, on the spot, between two contractions,you will not have a mind fit to reflect conscientiously. It is better to plan ahead and discuss it with your spouse who will be the spokesperson for your birth plan!

Music please

While prenatal singing improves breathing while relaxing moms-to-be, natal singing or soft background music can relax them during childbirth. Singing reassures, releases tension and releases endorphins, these natural painkilling hormones!

In hot water

When the dance of contractions is over, feeling wrapped in warm water is beneficial. Thus surrounded, it is difficult to be tense. In short, a moment of relaxation that promotes work. The showers - hot, of course! - have the same calming effects. It is said that if you have cold feet during childbirth, you tend to block the pelvis making labor more difficult. Keep warm socks in your suitcase!

Massage me

To be relaxed and rested, some treat themselves to a few professional massages during their pregnancy. On the day of delivery, take advantage of the hands of the dad who will be very happy to "do" something concrete! Listen to your body to target the most receptive areas. And, Sir, listen to your sweetheart who could at any moment no longer bear to be touched. The Bonapace method offers non-painful massages on certain sensitive areas to block the transmission of the message to the brainof pain. Interesting!

View

Entering a bubble of your own and not letting yourself be disturbed (here, the dad must become the watchdog who protects you from all external stimuli) allows you to let go. Visualize a circle opening up. Imagine a peaceful place or people you love.

Shake your primitive brain

According to Michel Odent, giving birth is an instinctive and cerebral act. During childbirth, the primitive brain – the one humans share with animals – secretes the hormones necessary for uterine contractions. However, the activity of the primitive brain can be disturbed if the neocortex – brain of the scientific, rational, logical and language approach – is stimulated. This is explained because the secretion of the hormones necessary for normal childbirth to take place is accompanied by a reduction in the activity of this new brain. When giving birth, shake your primitive brain and let your neocortex relax.

When the primitive brain activates, it is often noted that women change their state of consciousness. It's a good sign! And remember that now is not the time to try to remember a phone number, to put too much light in the room (light stimulates sight, the most intellectual of the senses), or to count the minutes that pass… it would stimulate the neocortex and inhibit the necessary actions of the primitive brain.

Forget the numbers

“Dilated 3cm and 50% erased at 11:27. I'm here sincehalf past four. I rate the pain 6/10.” Stop it! Ditch all those digital thoughts that only stress you out more! Giving birth is not measured. There is no point in calculating or timing everything. Trust yourself, trust your baby who is on an extraordinary journey! So leave your watch at home!

Focus on your baby

For your child, this is the trip of a lifetime. For you too. But of the two, it is he who will experience it the most intensely. He will switch from a dark, cozy and warm world to a bright, chilly environment where he will first feel lost. Pay attention to his movements. Feel its movements. Keep in touch with him to work together until he is born.

Dare acupuncture

Did you know that Sainte-Justine and LaSalle hospitals benefit from acupuncture obstetrical services for their patients during childbirth? Innovator!

A British study has announced that acupuncture would indeed be effective in reducing the pain of contractions.

Move

Lying on your back puts more pressure on your kidneys. And since no one will forbid you to move, take advantage of it! Some roam the corridors, stopping, tender, in front of the nursery. Others prefer to use the balloon to push the contractions through. Finally, some mothers-to-be vary the positions during contractions in order to relieve themselves. The watchword remains the same: move!