Getting Educated and Prepared on Childbirth

How parents prepare for their first birth is completely personal. For me, I am an over-planner by nature, and I knew that I needed to overcome certain fears so I dove right in to preparing. While it might sound overkill, it was what I needed personally to feel comfortable, educated, and confident about this pregnancy and about birth.

My path to childbirth education and preparation so far:

  1. 85 hrs of prenatal yoga teacher training (certified by Maha Mamas)

  2. 20 hrs of birth classes (led by Rachel Yellin, Yes to Birth)

  3. Hired a spinning babies-certified doula

  4. Infant CPR certified

  5. Endless books / articles / podcasts

So what have I learned after all of that? That I’m ready for this! Here are our top takeaways and learnings:

  • Prenatal yoga teacher training: I wrote several posts back in December (here and here) about this, but just to recap, this was an important stepping stone for me. I conquered my fears and found my voice. I felt like this was the first time I felt like a mom!

  • Birth classes: Jeff and I learned a LOT - from breathing techniques, to relationship building and communication, to different birth scenarios, and so much more. Most importantly, we are equipped with a list of questions for our provider during our next appointment. I also solidified my preferences / intentions for birth:

    • We will try for a natural birth, but I am absolutely not opposed to an epidural if it feels right / necessary in the moment

    • We will try to labor at home with the hypno-birthing techniques we learned for as long as possible before transferring to the hospital

    • We have a clearer picture of our preferences after the baby is born — such as delayed cord clamping, baby staying with me immediately after birth, Jeff and our doula present, etc

  • Spinning babies-certified doula: One of the most common reasons for C-section (and frankly one of my personal fears) is a breech baby — i.e. when the baby is not in optimal position. The baby will decide how he wants to come into the world, but we can at least TRY (key word: try) to get baby in optimal position with spinning babies techniques. Jeff learned The Three Sisters of spinning babies, and we try to practice it as much as we can!

I cannot say thank you to Jeff enough for always supporting me and being the best partner through all of it. During our “Yes to Birth” class, we had an exercise where we had to define our relationship and roles as if we were running a start-up. I’m the big-picture CEO, and Jeff is the get-it-done President/COO. We’ve been in each other’s lives for over ten years now, and it’s amazing that we keep growing in our love, respect, and support for each other.

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