101 Baby Care

5 Gifts to make Labor and Birth Easier

1. Books- Inundate her with positive birth stories. The more she reads about how beautiful and positive labor and birth can be, the less fear she will have, and the better her labor and birth will go. Try:
Ina May’s Guide To Childbirth, by Ina May Gaskin
Journey Into Motherhood, by Sheri Menelli
Mother’s Intention: How Belief Shapes Birth, by Kim Wildner
The Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth, by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg

2. A Birth Ball- Any exercise ball will do. She can use it during pregnancy to practice good posture, during labor to sit on in the shower, or to lean on for back labor. After the baby is here, she can hold the baby and sit and bounce gently. Babies love it!

3. A Doula-Chip in with some friends to pay for or help pay for her to hire a doula. Research shows that a doula’s presence facilitates several factors in labor and birth: 25% reduction in length of labor, a 60% reduction in epidural requests, a 30% reduction in analgesia use, a 50% reduction in cesarean rate, a 40% reduction in Pitocin use. Find a doula at www.birthresourcenetwork.org, or www.dona.org, or www.alace.org. or www.beautifulbeginnings.org

4. Prenatal Yoga Series or DVD- Research has proven that yoga can:
• Relieve back pain
• Induce relaxation and relieve stress
• Increase stamina
• Produce healthier babies and mothers
• By working on breath control exercises, mothers are better able to use their breath to relax during labor.

Make sure the class is Prenatal Yoga. For more information and other links go to www.yogajanda.com

5. Feed her or do chores for her- For those who can’t afford to spend a lot, organize friends and/or family to bring food over every night for the first week or two. Make sure she can freeze it. Or assign people to come over and do laundry, or grocery shop, or vacuum. Just make sure no one stays too long. It’s easy to tire a new mother.

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January 12, 2007 | In Pregnancy |