It’s sheer bliss to embrace motherhood. Starting right from the day you gleamed with delight when the pregnancy tests showed positive until the day you watched your baby’s movements in your belly for the first time. Motherhood comes with feelings of love and instinct to protect and nurture your baby. However, anxiety starts to seep in a little when the time of birth comes nearer. There are several thoughts and moments wherein you feel that you might not be able to give normal birth to your child.

This is when some mothers resort to drugs for making the childbirth easy and wonder if they can go for a cesarean. So, is there a way to make childbirth easy? Are there any steps that you can take which will not only make it less painful and stress-free for yourself but also for your little one? Yes, there are and we can’t wait to share you with them! So, sit back and relax while we give you tips for a natural and stress-free birth

1. Wait for the Labor Pain to Begin

When the baby reaches the end of gestation, it gets the protective fat layers around it and comes down to the position. Thereafter, the cervix ripens and the muscles of uterine ready themselves for the upcoming oxytocin influx.

Now, you have to wait for this process to occur naturally and on its own. Enforcing labour can strain you and your baby leading to c-sections, shoulder dystocia, heart distress and other birth augmentations. Hence, the best way to go about it is to wait until your body is ready and has ripened to give birth.

2. Movement During Birth

It is obvious for mothers to move during the labour process. But if it is accompanied by pain and waves, it is an indication that you must get yourself in a comfortable position for the labour process to take place. It will happen anyway as every time you feel the pain, there is a release of oxytocin.

Changing positions safely during labour cause less harm to the baby and you tend to bleed less. Choose walking if you can as it keeps the usage of birth interventions like cesarean, forceps and vacuum extraction at bay.

3. Get Help During Labour

It works best if a woman about to get into labour gets the support of people who can help, motivate and empower her even if it means being with her constantly in the labour room. Through the motivation of the husband/father or a closest family member, she will be able to relax and cope with labour in a better way.

Studies show that women who are surrounded by friends, family members and midwives have more chances of delivering a baby successfully as compared to the ones who do not get any support. Apart from providing emotional support, physical support like back rubs, foot rubs and assisting with the movements also helps a lot.

4. Say No to Interventions

Some of the hospitals today insist on following rigid procedures and policies rather than addressing or focusing on the reality of what is happening. This includes incessant rounds of Electronic Fetal Monitoring and unnecessary c-sections. If these procedures occur intermittently, there is a lesser risk during baby birth and it lowers the chances of c-sections.

Having epidurals at this time should also be avoided as if the brain doesn’t process the pain, it doesn’t receive the signal to release oxytocin which helps with the birth to occur naturally. Most of the pain killers are likely to cause longer labour periods, more tearing and a major risk of the cesarean procedure.

5. Try Not to Lay on the Back and Wait Until You Push

Although inducing childbirth by laying the mothers on their back is convenient for doctors, it can prove to be bad for mothers. This is because the pelvic opening narrows down making it difficult to get the baby in the right position for its birth.

See if you can find a comfortable position like kneeling, side-lying, squatting, all fours etc so that you can make the birth easier. That being said, for some women, giving birth while being on their back is comfortable and helps them to push better. So, do not form an opinion based on others’ views of childbirth positioning and go with your instincts.

6. Bond with the Baby

And last, but not the least, keep your baby right by your side and bond with it. Being besides your baby helps keep your heart rates and body temperatures normal and results in oxytocin-induced bonding. Over and above that, you can see your little one any time you want and hold its little hand with yours.

We hope that the above tips will give you a positive outlook about giving birth and get you prepared for a natural birth. The best thing to do is not to think or analyze too much and go with the flow as and when the occurrence of childbirth takes place. Good luck to you!

*Information shared here is for general purpose Please take doctors’ advice before taking any decision.