Natural Childbirth Archives • My Natural Childbirth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/category/natural-childbirth2/ Down-to-earth advice and tips for women who want to give birth the natural way Fri, 05 Jun 2020 20:19:25 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/cropped-1936721_101031883245969_6280237_n1-32x32.jpg Natural Childbirth Archives • My Natural Childbirth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/category/natural-childbirth2/ 32 32 105303852 The Sensuality of Orgasmic Natural Childbirth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/natural-childbirth-orgasmic-birth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=natural-childbirth-orgasmic-birth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/natural-childbirth-orgasmic-birth/#respond Thu, 04 Jun 2020 12:32:40 +0000 http://mynaturalchildbirth.org/?p=1822 Women are awakening; in growing numbers we and are diving in to experiencing natural childbirth in its full glory! We are reconnecting with our sacred feminine power and calling upon our sensuality to birth our babies. When we birth with our sensuality we effortlessly allow layers of armor to melt away and reveal the hidden jewel of our sacred […]

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Women are awakening; in growing numbers we and are diving in to experiencing natural childbirth in its full glory! We are reconnecting with our sacred feminine power and calling upon our sensuality to birth our babies.

When we birth with our sensuality we effortlessly allow layers of armor to melt away and reveal the hidden jewel of our sacred sensual strength and passion. Within this secret doorway lies all of the power and connection we need to have an amazing natural childbirth.

When we embraced this it can lead us far beyond birth ruled by pain and fear and into the infinite where we rediscover natural childbirth as an empowering, expansive, satisfying, deeply rich, and even orgasmic experience! In this article I will share with you how women are able to use their sensuality to achieve an amazing natural childbirth, how I did it, and how you can do it too!

Orgasmic Natural Childbirth

ORGASMIC BIRTH! I know, it sounds bizarre, but it’s not orgasmic like we think, it is sensual but not sexual, it’s a whole new orgasmic that stretches way beyond what we have perceived in our lifetimes. It stretches far beyond, it is amazing, powerful, expansive, mind blowing, indescribable, a truly out of this world experience!

Natural Childbirth Video “Orgasmic Birth,  The Best-Kept Secret”

Among the natural childbirth documentaries I watched while I was pregnant was “Orgasmic Birth, The Best-Kept Secret.” It resonated with me that giving birth was a simple extension of the very sexual very sensual experience that created the baby in the first place. As this truth shone down upon me I began to see birth as an amazing opportunity to dive into unrefined freedom and feminine expression!

The most common way people give up their power
is by thinking they don’t have any.
~ Alice Walker ~

Don’t Be Fooled- You Were Made for Natural Childbirth

One of the best kept secrets and one of the biggest truths in this world is that as a woman you are an amazing and powerful force in this world, which is why you were designed for natural childbirth!

The energy of natural childbirth is also an amazing and powerful force in this world, and one that we have been perfectly paired with. As powerful and magnificent as birth is we are just as powerful and magnificent ourselves!

The secret is to draw upon your personal power and energy and align it to merge with the energy of the birth. To do this you must first understand that birth, by nature is the ultimate feminine act, it calls us to operate from our full feminine power.

One of the greatest sources of our feminine power lies within our sensual nature.

“Dive into the lusciously rich experience of who you truly are and birth your baby from there!”

We are rediscovering our primordial feminine splendor and power that over time seems to have gotten lost. Within our core lies the very essence of what we are as women. We are truly magical and powerful beings.

We are a woman’s touch, soft, tender, and sensual

We are a Mothers love with everlasting strength

We are passionate and fierce

Yet at the same time we are soft and yielding

These gifts run through us and this is whats going to help you to birth your baby!

“It is possible to have an ecstatic birth—in fact, that is the best natural high that I know of. And these states of consciousness are best reached when a woman is fully aware and fully awake. Women don’t have a way to know how their body works until they really try it out in birth. I think that women can be just completely surprised by the change in them from giving birth—you have something powerful in you—that fierce thing comes up—and I think babies need moms to have that fierceness—you feel like you can do anything and that’s the feeling we want moms to have.”

-Ina May Gaskin

You are Responsible for Your Own Orgasm – You are Responsible for Your Own Orgasmic Natural Childbirth

Remember that birth is an extension of the sensual energy that created your baby in the first place; natural childbirth is the grand climax, this is when the energy peaks and flows powerfully through bringing your baby into life

As your birthing time begins the flood gate swings open and this powerful flame which has so patiently waited inside is set free.  Now how you choose to interpret and use this amazingly powerful energy is up to you, and can be the difference between whether your natural childbirth is experienced as pain or pleasure.

“You are responsible for your own orgasm” Meaning you are responsible for your own experience. Most women will agree that you can have horrible sex or amazing sex just based on how you choose to interpret and respond to it.

It’s all about how much you can allow yourself to release into it.  

Embrace and Explore Your Birthing Waves and the Sensuality of Natural Childbirth

In birth it is helpful to use many of  the same tools as you would in great sex……Release into it…… Turn it into something that you embrace and explore. It’s about the exploration, the journey as much as the destination. Ride the intensity of the waves, welcome them into you, become uninhibited, breathe, moan, and tell yourself how AMAZING it feels!

How Your Partner Can Help You to Have an Amazing Natural Childbirth

The answer is love, it is always love. I’m not talking sex, but the physical expression of love can be an enormous help! Kissing, cuddling, sensual caress, massage, and nipple stimulation can all have a positive effect on the progression of birth.

When you and your partner are able to remain conscious of allowing your love to flow freely without being restricted, then birth is more likely to flow freely without being restricted.

My Orgasmic Natural Childbirth

There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud
was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
~ Anais Nin ~

When my birthing time began I was amazed by the incredibly powerful sensations of the birthing waves.  They were nothing that I could have ever imagined! They were larger than life. About an hour into my birthing time a really powerful pressure wave came on and I thought to myself,”Wow that one hurt!” That moment will stay in my mind forever. It was my moment of truth.

As soon as that thought entered into my mind I felt myself instantly being jerked down to a place of fear.  Then a vision opened up in my mind of the long dark and painful road that was ahead of me if I continued to allow myself to interpret the sensations as pain.

With the very next pressure wave I made a conscious choice that no matter what happened I would interpret the sensations in my body as pleasure.

In that instant the sensations turned from pain into pure juicy life force. It was dancing within me igniting my sacred feminine power. I felt myself come to life, my sensuality, my passion, my power, my undying love, and incredible strength rose up within me. Birth called to the fierce lioness inside of me inviting me to embrace and unite with it’s power, calling me to surrender and ride the waves of ecstasy.

My mouth hung open wide as my breath poured from my body,  and entered again powerful strong and full, each breath building in momentum, each sensation stronger than the last, taking a hold of me, pulling me in, begging for my surrender, calling me to release and flow into it.

I moaned in ecstasy, it felt so incredible! Through this incredible sensual energy I transcended into an alternate reality, and became consumed by this exquisitley expansive feeling of connection on all levels. I was dancing with a pure and powerful energy. It spiraled through me and moved me baby out into my arms.

Here is our birthing video where you can see and hear the ecstasy of the experience!

My Natural Childbirth Advice

Embrace the sensuality of natural childbirth. Open wide the door that leads to your feminine power. Welcome the energy and intensity of the birth. Say YES to the sensations. Repeat to yourself how amazing they feel. Choose pleasure over pain, become uninhibited, and give your baby a natural childbirth encompassed in LOVE.

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How to Make Your Vag Stretchy so that You Won’t Tear During Natural Childbirth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/prevent-tearing/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prevent-tearing https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/prevent-tearing/#comments Wed, 25 Mar 2020 06:59:27 +0000 http://mynaturalchildbirth.org/?p=3595 Sounds fun right, but yes ladies this is indeed a part of preparing yourself for natural childbirth. You want to be as stretchy as you can be, so that your baby’s head will slide right on out easily without a lot of resistance. This can be beneficial to you in so many ways! First of […]

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Sounds fun right, but yes ladies this is indeed a part of preparing yourself for natural childbirth. You want to be as stretchy as you can be, so that your baby’s head will slide right on out easily without a lot of resistance. This can be beneficial to you in so many ways! First of all it can make natural childbirth a whole heck of a lot less painful, and it often helps the pushing phase to be much quicker and easier.

There are a few techniques that you can use to prepare yourself to be really stretchy. In this article I’m not only gonna share them with you, but also share my experiences using these techniques. So get ready to get up close and personal with my flower of life!  ; )

My Biggest Fear about Natural Childbirth

So I come from a family who is no stranger to natural childbirth, I was born at home and my entire life have heard nothing but what a great experience my birth was. So I was pretty confident about having a natural childbirth. But this does not mean that I had no fears. Boy oh boy did I! And this was my biggest fear; I did NOT want to be ripped open or cut during birth. I couldn’t even imagine the pain that would ensue. OUCH!!!!

However I also knew how extremely important it was to rid myself of those fears before my birthing time. I couldn’t very well be birthing my baby while the whole time I was thinking about my most sensitive area being ripped open! So to deal with this fear I decided that instead of dwelling on it I would find out how I could prevent this from happening.

What I found out was that during pregnancy certain hormonal changes occur naturally that help the tissues of the cervix and perineum to become extremely thick and elastic. And I also found out that there were indeed some pretty simple things that I could do to support this process, and to work with my body. I’ll start with the easiest first.

Foods That Help You to Be Stretchy

First I found that you have to stay super hydrated in order to keep your tissues healthy and to help your body with the elasticity. So I drank a ton of water! What I would do was fill up a gallon size water container every morning and just made sure it was all gone by the time I went to bed. Yes I had to pee a lot, but it was a small price to pay!

Also in order to support your body’s process in becoming super stretchy you have to make sure that you get enough of the right stuff: protein, vitamins, and what they call short-chain fatty acids, the “good fats”

Good Fat Sources:  Avocado, nuts, seeds, beans, cold-pressed oils and fish such as salmon and tuna.

Vitamin E Sources: (at least 1,000 mg per day) Wheat germ oil, wheat germ, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, safflower oil, peanuts, corn oil, soybean oil, and lobster.

Vitamin C: (very beneficial for tissue health, cellular integrity, elasticity and regeneration) Strawberries, oranges, grapefruits and other citrus foods.

Bioflavanoids: These are the compounds that make oranges orange, blueberries blue, and cherries red. Some foods rich in flavonoids are blueberries, cherries, citrus fruits, pears, grapes, cabbage, legumes, plums, and onions.

Preparing Your Perineum for Natural Childbirth

OK here is the fun part, perineum massage! This is the process of actually sticking your (or your partners fingers) inside of your yoni and gently stretching it using a certain massaging technique. You do it every day of your last month of pregnancy and it’s supposed to make your tissues uber stretchy so that when your baby’s head is crowning you won’t tear or have any need for an episiotomy.

My Wonderfully Thrilling Journey through Perineal Massage

This is my experience with perineal massage. My slightly kooky childbirth instructor told us in class that this was a good thing to do for many reasons. Not only would it make me super stretchy, but it would allow me the “opportunity” to get acquainted with the sensations that I would feel during birth giving me a platform to practice remaining calm, relaxed and breathing through the sensations.

Also, she suggested that instead of doing it myself that I would have my partner do the massage on me, because this would give us a chance to “work together, communicate with each other and build trust” in preparation for our birth.

Ummm..……..can you say, “AWKWARD!!!?”

Only after she assured me that my vagina wouldn’t stay stretched out forever, and that after birth it would snap back into place did I decide “What the heck, why not.”

After all, when it really came down to it I would do pretty much anything to prevent myself from tearing!

And since I felt like I had done this entire pregnancy by myself I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to con Andy into getting involved in preparing us for our natural childbirth. After all I didn’t make this baby on my own so I thought it only fair that he helped as much as he could. Also it might help him not to pass out if he got used to seeing my vag in a different sort of setting so that he wouldn’t be so shocked by the “expansiveness” during birth.

He was a bit hesitant, and only after cracking a crap load of perineum and vag jokes did he step up to the plate, and we went for it! Now that, is LOVE!

I took a bath to get myself and my tissues relaxed. I imagined that my birthing time had begun and that this was the real thing. We set the room just like we would for the birth; we dimmed the lights, put on the music I had picked out for our natural childbirth, the whole shabang!

Using almond oil to soften up the tissues he stuck both his fingers and his thumbs inside of me and began following the instructions that we had printed out on how to perform the “massage.” http://www.bloomingbellys.com/bb-blog/prenatal-perineal-massage/

I relaxed as much as I possibly could. He would gently and progressively stretch to a point where there was quite a bit of pressure, if it was too much pressure I would cue him by tapping on the bed to tell him to let up a bit, if I could handle a little more pressure I would tap on the wall so that he could apply a little more.

I was a bit shy at first, but I very quickly realized how this was helping us to communicate with each other and had also put us both in a rather vulnerable and intimate position where we had to let down our walls of resistance and really become open with each other.

Even still I have to tell you that it wasn’t much fun, and it actually did create quite an intense sensation! But, it was well worth it! I found myself really having to be creative to find ways to fully and completely relax. Which turned out to be a truly great way to prepare me for natural childbirth, because I got to experience firsthand the difference between how when I tensed up it created pain, and how when I relaxed it became easier and manageable.

So we did it every night for the last month, and every time we did it I was stretchier than before, and it became easier and easier to do.

The Results- A Pain Free Natural Childbirth

So what were the results of all of our efforts? It was the 16th hour of my birthing time (of course I had not known that) I had gone to a place where time didn’t exist. I was fully consumed in this alternate reality, of complete surrender and unhampered connection with this HUGE universal energy that was flowing through me.

All of the sudden I felt my body make a changeover and suddenly I felt the urge to push. It felt so completely natural that I hardly even felt like I actually had to do much pushing at all. It more felt like my body was going to do it. So I tried to relax into it. Sure enough my body began to do some pushing and I helped it out by filling myself with enormous breaths and harnessing all of the power and strength that I had within me. This power expelled itself in these amazingly powerful moans!

I had heard all about the “ring of fire” that I was supposed to feel as the baby’s head came out and was secretly waited for the excruciating pain that was supposed to come. 3 gentle pushes and her head was out. No pain, no ring of fire, just a squish.

It actually felt amazing as her head and body came out, it was like this tremendous relief! And the best part, not a tear, not a rip, not a scrape. My perineum was perfectly intact and my yoni was all shiny and pristine! My baby was amazingly healthy and beautiful, no smooshed or cone shaped head, just perfection.

Oh and by the way, Andy was GREAT during the birth, not squeamish at all, he was oozing with love, tenderness and connection. For us the stretchy vagina techniques definitely paid off!!!

I would love to hear your thoughts! What do you think about this whole stretchy vagina, perineal massage business? Have you tried it, or would you think about trying it for a potentially easier natural childbirth? Or do you have any tips on how to prevent tears?

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Natural Childbirth: How Cord Cutting Can Affect Your Baby for Life https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/natural-childbirth-cord-cutting/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=natural-childbirth-cord-cutting https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/natural-childbirth-cord-cutting/#comments Fri, 20 Mar 2020 04:48:41 +0000 http://mynaturalchildbirth.org/?p=3530 I know that there’s a ton of things that demand your attention when preparing for natural childbirth, but please do not allow yourself to overlook what to do to your baby’s umbilical cord at birth. In this article I would like to express to you the enormous importance and value of waiting to cut the […]

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I know that there’s a ton of things that demand your attention when preparing for natural childbirth, but please do not allow yourself to overlook what to do to your baby’s umbilical cord at birth. In this article I would like to express to you the enormous importance and value of waiting to cut the cord! The difference in waiting a short amount of time after your natural childbirth may not seem particularly monumental to you but to your baby it is huge, and can affect them for the rest of their lives!

What the Umbilical Cord Means to Your Baby – While inside the Womb

The umbilical cord is your baby’s main source of life while it is in your womb. Among other things it takes the place of its lungs.  It connects your baby with the placenta which pumps this amazingly oxygen and nutrient rich blood through their entire body feeding, sustaining and nourishing them. And then when the blood is ready to be cleansed it pumps it back to the placenta where it is refreshed, renewed and sent back to them to use. This is a continuous ever flowing beautiful process that nature has created perfectly.

So there is a constant feeding, nourishing and cleansing system that is taking place between you, your baby and the placenta. In essence it is your baby’s “life cord.”

You Chose When to Cut Your Baby’s Cord After Natural Childbirth- Please Make an Informed Choice

After your babys’ natural childbirth it is still going to be connected to its umbilical cord until you decide that it is time to cut it. Sadly we are living in the days where everything is rush, rush, rush, hurry, hurry, hurry! We seem to have forgotten the importance of slowing down long enough to respect nature’s process. It’s all about the short cuts. And this is what it’s become in the medical community; the quickest way to get things done has taken precedence over the most beneficial.

All too often we just go along with whatever procedures are in place simply because we don’t know any different. But please do not allow your baby to miss out on all of the benefits that nature has intended for it. And remember that this is your baby and all decisions surrounding its’ birth and care are yours to make.

What the Umbilical Cord Means to Your Baby – After Natural Childbirth

Even though your baby is now able to survive on its own without being connected to the cord does not mean that it suddenly is of no use anymore. Remember that this cord has been your baby’s connecting life force for the entire span of its existence so far. So to cut it suddenly, abruptly and prematurely is not beneficial to your baby. In terms of health benefits and emotional benefits it is much better for your baby to wait to cut its cord.

When to Cut Your Babys’ Cord after Natural Childbirth

How long should you wait to cut the cord? After your baby’s natural childbirth the umbilical cord does not just lie limp not functioning. For several minutes after birth the cord is still very much alive and active, still pumping blood and oxygen into your baby. You should not cut the cord until it has completely stopped pulsating. Changes in the cord’s whartons jelly then produce a natural internal clamping within 10-20 minutes after birth. But as long as it is still beating it is still benefiting your baby.

Some parents choose to have what is called a “lotus birth” meaning that they chose not to cut the cord at all but rather allow the baby to naturally detach from the cord and placenta in its own time.

Benefits of Waiting Until the Cord Stops Beating

For one thing it forces everyone to be patient, and leads them as well as the mother to respect the rhythm and the sense of time ordained by the child.

Besides, leaving the cord intact allows the natural physiological changes to take place within the child’s body at their own pace, and allows iron and many other very important nutrients to be delivered to the baby.

What It Means for Your Baby to be Allowed to Experience Natural Childbirth in His Time

“In the act of drawing breath, of oxygenating his own blood with his own lungs, the child becomes himself. With his first breath, the child sets forth on the road to independence, to autonomy, and to freedom. Nature provides oxygen for the child through two sources: the cord continues to beat even as the lungs begin to function, the two systems work together, one taking over from the other, like a relay. The first system, the cord continues to oxygenate the child until the new system, the lungs, has taken over completely.

But practically speaking much depends on the way this transition takes place; whether this transition is made slowly, progressively, or brutally, in panic and terror. This can make the difference between a calm gentle birth or a…tragedy…

If the changeover comes abruptly it will leave a mark for the rest of life, any future changes will always be perceived as threatening.

Although the child is out of the womb he remains dependent on his mother through the umbilical cord, which continues to beat strongly for several minutes four or five sometimes even longer. Oxygenated through the cord and thus protected from anoxia the child can, without shock or danger settle down to breathing without being rushed – in his own time…

For a few minutes the baby straddles two worlds as it were. Then slowly, slowly he can cross the threshold from one to the other peacefully and easily, and with all safety, as long as we don’t rush in, interfere”

~ Frederick Leboyer “Birth Without Violence”

Trust and allow nature to work as it is intended, birth is not an emergency or a race. It is so precious, and those moments right after birth are what defines your child’s view of it’s new world. Savor those moments, allow them to be sweetly sacred. Just taking a little extra care and those few extra minutes can make all the difference in the world to your baby, sending them the message that you are there to support love and respect their individual journey in this life.  After your baby has been allowed to make the change over in its’ own time, and the cord has been detached you can keep it, make art out of it, all sorts of really cool stuff! What are your thoughts on the importance of this process? Do you have any plans on what you’re gonna do with the cord after your natural childbirth, or are any of you planning a lotus birth?

the beautiful umbilical cord stump
umbilical cord art
happy baby minutes after birth with umbilical cord still intact

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5 Great Ways to Use a Birthing Ball For an Easier Childbirth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/birthing-ball-for-easy-birth/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=birthing-ball-for-easy-birth https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/birthing-ball-for-easy-birth/#comments Sun, 08 Mar 2020 23:13:11 +0000 http://mynaturalchildbirth.org/?p=3708 What is a Birthing Ball? Very simply it’s an exercise ball that you can find at any department store. We call them birthing balls because we use them for birth, but you don’t have to go seek out any sort of specialty “birthing ball.” They’re pretty inexpensive and definitely invaluable. 1) Using the Birthing Ball […]

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What is a Birthing Ball?

Very simply it’s an exercise ball that you can find at any department store. We call them birthing balls because we use them for birth, but you don’t have to go seek out any sort of specialty “birthing ball.” They’re pretty inexpensive and definitely invaluable.

1) Using the Birthing Ball During The Early Stages of Birth

When you first start to feel your rushes coming on using your birthing ball is a great way to ease into the process. The best way to use your birthing ball in the beginning is to simply sit on it and begin spiraling your hips in a circular motion. Having your birth partner standing in front of you holding your hands or being available for you to rest your head on between rushes can help you feel more supported.

Don’t think too much, don’t worry about the direction your going, or counting your spirals. You can just follow the natural flow and rhythm that you feel in your body. Remember to trust your body and allow it to lead you. This spiraling movement is one of those essential keys to moving the rushes through without allowing them to compound and become painful. The birthing ball makes it easy to move without  a ton of effort allowing you to just relax and merge that connection between the rhythm and movement of your body and the flow of the birth. While simultaneously it is opening up your pelvis creating space for your baby to move down.

Using Spirals on the Birthing Ball to Get into Active Labor

Now this one is similar to the first one but is used to get your birthing rushes started. Perhaps your water has broken but it’s taking a while to progress to the point of contractions yet, so to get things rolling you can sit on the ball and do smooth but active circles (perhaps to the same flow as salsa music)  for 20 minute alternating directions periodically during that time. This will bring your babies head right down onto your cervix and some nice juicy rushes (contractions) should start flowing.

2) Rocking and Spiraling on Hands and Knees Over the Birthing  Ball

Great to use any time throughout your birth. It’s a good way to maintain that hands and knees position without putting any extra strain on your wrists. And the birthing ball is a fabulous support for your upper body allowing you to relax while your body does the work. In this position you can lean over the birthing ball and rock or sway your hips from side to side or from front to back. This movement feels really nice, and can be very soothing. Or even better spiral your hips in this position.

3) Using the Birthing Ball When Mama gets Tired and Needs A Little Extra Support

Birth Partners Helping Mother on the Birthing Ball

Another great reason to have a birthing ball on hand is because there may be times during your birth that you get really tired and movement may become challenging. This is when the birthing ball comes in handy. With the help of your birth partners you can sit on the ball and they can easily help to move rock and spiral your hips while your on the ball. Since balls move around easily it is a way to keep your body moving and flowing with the birth without exerting a lot of effort. Also if you’d like to lean over the birthing ball as in the previous position while your birth partners rub your back or apply warm compresses it can help you to relax and release your muscles.

4) Using Birthing Ball to Progress Labor or Get Baby into Favorable Position

Using Birthing Ball to Progress labor

This is a position to use if birth has slowed for some reason and you need to get it going again. Sometimes when birth has slowed it is because the baby has moved into an unfavorable position. This one will help to correct this and get your baby properly aligned. You sit and bend your knees touching the soles of your feet together. The birthing ball is placed in the space between your knees and you lean forward to hug the ball. Now you have two trusted people at either side of you.You vigorously rocks side to side as your support team holds your arms and shoulders to hold your weight when you lean towards them preventing you from falling. This is a vigorous movement that shifts the asynclitic  (the baby’s head is tipped as if listening). It may correct the angle of the baby’s head and allow it to descend if it was in an unfavorable position.

5) Deep Squatting with the Birthing Ball

Squatting is a great position to be in during birth, because you are upright and working with the pull of gravity to move the baby down, it also creates a wide opening in your pelvis. The arch of the ball can help to support your upper body while in this position. This is a great one to use during all phases of birth and may even be a good possiblity during the pushing phase.

So go out and get yourself a birthing ball! You can practice doing some of these moves while your pregnant such as leaning over the ball (which is awesome to help with back strain) or doing the comfortable spirals on the ball. I used my birthing ball through my whole pregnancy, which relieved a ton of the discomfort and pressure especially the further along I got, and I used it some during the birth. If you already have a birthing ball and have any tips that you’d like to share or if you have any questions please leave me a comment below 🙂

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How to Get Your Partner on Board With Your “Crazy” Natural Childbirth Idea- A Mans Perspective https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/natural-childbirth-partner/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=natural-childbirth-partner https://www.mynaturalchildbirth.com/natural-childbirth-partner/#comments Mon, 08 Apr 2019 10:30:00 +0000 http://mynaturalchildbirth.org/?p=2347 For many of us the thought of bringing our baby into the world in a hospital is simply not an option in our minds, and for us the only way we can imagine is to have a natural childbirth, and preferably at home. But how in the world do we get our partners on board […]

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For many of us the thought of bringing our baby into the world in a hospital is simply not an option in our minds, and for us the only way we can imagine is to have a natural childbirth, and preferably at home. But how in the world do we get our partners on board with us, and how do we even go about it without just sounding like a crazy hippy??

Oh yes, I had this same dilemma, it took me the majority of the pregnancy to convince Andy that I wasn’t just trying to be a rebel, but that it was the most educated thing to do. In the end he gave me his full support, he was absolutely wonderful during the birth, we had an amazing experience and now he is Mr. Home Birth!

My partner wrote this wonderful article on how you convince someone who is accustomed to thinking of birth as a medical emergency that it’s really not such a big deal.

Why Men Think Having a Natural Childbirth at Home is a Crazy Idea

By Andrew Briggs

 The key is in understanding how they are accustomed to viewing birth. Imagine in general how uninformed women are about the birthing process and then imagine someone whose only experience in the matter comes from dramatizations they see on television.

Especially imagine the births you see in movies set in the Middle Ages, when I thought about birth before hospitals that’s where my mind went. So that’s how I thought a homebirth would be; dark and dank room with wet rags as our only tool against all the bleeding and screaming along with infections and dirt everywhere.

So that made me think it was going to be a dangerous, dirty and scary way to give birth!

When in reality that is not the case at all. And none of this view actually holds up if given a rational examination of the situation.

What you are going to need to show them is that home birth is just as safe as hospital birth because safety is going to be their only real concern.

How to Talk to Your Partner about Having a Natural Childbirth at Home

When you approach them you need to do so directly and let them know how important it is to you that they keep an open mind.

I was very stuck in the hospital mindset to begin with because I had used them often in the past so it was natural for me to think that everything they do there is for the best. So my initial reaction was to scoff and mock the idea but when April let me know how serious she was about the idea I became more open to evaluating it honestly.

Have Them Specify and List Their Fears

What you need to do is get them to analyze their preconceptions and actually specify and list the actual fears. Once the fears are listed they seem less overwhelming and can be refuted one by one. This will take some research, but from what I was told all the risks of home birth for healthy women can all be minimized by educating and preparing yourself.

When given enough information they will discover that there really is very little to fear, you just need to introduce them to that fact, and if they are anything like I was they really have only a vague idea of the potential risks.

Get the Facts on Natural Childbirth

Use as many hard facts as possible. If you can, get the actual percentages of complications they fear, show them how unlikely that situation happens in a homebirth scenario and what the midwife is able to do to help if it does happen.

 Persistence is the Way to Get Them to Except Natural Childbirth

It can be very difficult to change an ingrained misconception. This is the key to getting them to adjust their opinion. It was for me, and without the persistent extermination of the causes of my fear it would have been difficult to imagine such a dramatic change in my paradigm.   

The Big Whammy- Our Natural Childbirth

The birth itself I found to be a very exciting and fascinating experience!

Most of the birth I just tried to read what April needed and do anything I could to make her comfortable.

It was near the end when I went into the tub and got ready to deliver our daughter that I was most thankful to have the midwives there to reassure me that I was doing everything right. With them there I wasn’t really nervous or afraid of anything.

After Lileahs birth it seemed infinitely easier than I ever thought it would be! Everyone’s birth is different and I think I got off easy but in general I think guys are more afraid of not knowing what to expect than when they are in the middle of it.

It was great doing it at home because of how personal and peaceful it all felt. No body was running around screaming, and it was just me and April through the whole thing until the very end.  I was in the tub and when she came out I brought her up out of the water. It was the most amazing experience of my life to be the first one to welcome Lileah into the world!

Seeing Natural Childbirth Made Me a Believer!

After experiencing the birth of my daughter and seeing the benefits of natural childbirth versus hospital births I was convinced that this is the only way to bring our children into the world. The difference in her and other kids I saw that were born on drugs in the hospital is amazing! Lileah could hold her head up immediately and had her eyes wide open and alert for hours after she was born.  She was able to push herself up on her belly, she was unbelievably strong and healthy.

I was impressed and completely blown away by the experience so I have since been very much an advocate for natural childbirth! This is a huge change from how I thought just 6 months before Lileahs birth and it’s very much a result of Aprils research and our daughters beautiful entry into this world.

” And remember be Persistant!” -Andy

Aww I love him!  What a Great man! If you haven’t seen our birth video yet you should definately watch it, he completely surrounded me with LOVE and support, he was so Amazing!! Makes me cry every time! When you work together the possibilities for a great natural childbirth are infinite!

 

 

The post How to Get Your Partner on Board With Your “Crazy” Natural Childbirth Idea- A Mans Perspective appeared first on My Natural Childbirth.

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