Having a baby is one fitness test that can be hard to prepare for. Even though you’ve had nine months to think about and plan for it, there’s nothing that can really help you know what giving birth is going to be like until you’re actually doing it. But luckily, there are a few things you can do beforehand that might make the process a little easier for you.
To show you what these things are, here are three ways to prepare your body for the birth of your first child.
Get A Massage
When you’re pregnant, you’re only going to want to trust your body and your unborn baby’s body with the most professional medical workers. Aside from finding a reputable and trustworthy doctor with a clean medical record, you also want to ensure that anyone else that you trust your medical care with is certified, including a massage therapist.
According to Jennifer Elliott, a contributor to Today’s Parent, a good massage therapist will be able to help you prepare for childbirth by making your muscles softer and more supple. By doing this, your body may have an easier time relaxing during all the stretching and pain that can take place during childbirth. And because massage can often be a little painful as well, getting a good massage can also be a great practice for learning how to breathe through the pain and focus on relaxing your muscles despite what you might be feeling.
Let Gravity Do The Hard Work
While all you might want to do in the last few weeks leading up to the birth of your baby is sit or lie down and relax, getting up and allowing gravity to do a lot of the work for you can make your labor and delivery go much smoother and quicker.
Gayle Sato and Jennifer Cody Epstein, contributors to Parents.com, share that when you’re in an upright position—be it walking, kneeling, sitting, or squatting—you allow gravity to pull the baby into the right position and move it further into the birth canal. This can be hard for some babies to do on their own, so any help you can lend will ensure that you and baby are both more prepared for the final arrival.
Reduce Stress By Planning For After The Birth
While stress is never good for your body, having a lot of extra stress when you’re preparing to have a baby is definitely something you want to avoid.
To help you with this, Evonne Lack, a contributor to BabyCenter, recommends that you put plans in place for after your baby is born well before you head to the hospital. By doing this, you’ll have less to stress out about when you’re in the hospital having your baby and once you get home together as well.
If you’re going to be giving birth to your first child soon, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you prepare your body for this experience.
