10 Steps Towards a Natural Pregnancy & Birth
Natural Pregnancy – What is it?? I have been on a journey the past few years of discovering what it means to be healthy and make healthy choices for my family. So when I got pregnant for the first time {we thought it was only 1 baby at that time}, I knew I had a lot of studying and a lot of hard decisions coming up over the next 9 months.
From my journey towards whole foods, I learned that a lot of “conventional” thoughts on diet are not all that healthy such as consuming low fat dairy or artificial sweeteners. So I began a new journey towards natural pregnancy. I studied nutrition, natural aids, unhealthy choices during pregnancy, and everything else under the sun.
While I only have almost one pregnancy experience under my belt and am eagerly anticipating the arrival of my boys any day now, I have found some fabulous resources and blogs that I want to share with you. And there is always more stuff to learn!
10 Steps Towards a Natural Pregnancy
1) Nutrition
Proper nutrition and avoiding harmful products in your diet is one of the most important things you can do for your body and your baby! Artificial sweeteners and other chemicals have been shown to be particularly harmful during pregnancy. The placenta does not act like a barrier…what you consume…your baby consumes!
Suggestion #1: Stick to a whole foods based diet. Try and eat a lot of natural foods such as chicken, lots of fresh vegetables, and yummy fruit.
Suggestion #2: Make sure that your diet is well balanced and that you are consuming enough essential vitamins for baby and mama. Often the vitamins we need are hiding in unusual foods.
Suggestion #3: Give yourself a little grace and remember that God is in control of this pregnancy…even if that means using canned beans and store bought chicken stock.
Suggestion #4: Create a menu plan {this especially becomes important as you get later into pregnancy}. Especially if you have other little kids in the house, getting any sort of dinner on the table can become a challenge while pregnant. And if you suffer from morning sickness or fatigue then it can become nearly impossible. So develop a meal plan early on and check out these tips for an easy meal plan to use while pregnant and still get the nutrition that you need!
Suggestion #5: This one isn’t really a suggestion but rather something you should be doing. Consume plenty of protein! Protein is absolutely vital in pregnancy! I am following the Bradley Method diet during my pregnancy and it really helps me get that essential 80-100 grams of protein each day {well more actually since I’m carrying twins)!
Source
2) Natural Pregnancy Aids
It’s very important to be eating the proper foods in the proper portions but there are also some pregnancy “aids” that can really help!
Red Raspberry Tea: I have been at first for premature labor since I’m carrying twins. So I have been drinking Red Raspberry tea from The Bulk Herb Store. Regularly drinking the tea can help with labor and can even help with morning sickness!
“Red Raspberry leaf has a medically proven and trusted track record in helping strengthen the womb of a pregnant woman, and it is also reported to be effective in restoring the womb after delivering.”
Herbs: Pretty much any type of medicine or drug is harmful during pregnancy, can leak through the placenta and get to your baby, and should be avoided during pregnancy. But herbs can be wonderful in place of medicine {do your research though because not all herbs are approved for pregnancy}. Herbs such as nettle {helps tone the uterus}, ginger {helps with morning sickness}, alfalfa {helps increase milk supply}, and more can be so helpful during and after pregnancy!
3) Study, study, study, and do some more research
Is diet really that important? Is it really possible to have an un-medicated birth? “Everyone” seems to think that a hospital setting is the safest place for a birth?
You might be thinking all of these things {and more} when you hear the term natural birth. Maybe you are a bit skeptical like I was. So I encourage you to NOT take my word for it. Get out there and do your own research. Study the facts and listen to people’s experiences. This was eye opening for me! I will do another post on great books to read but for now here are a few sources that I suggest you start at:
- Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg
- Take a Bradley birthing class {I am so glad that we did}!!
- Comparison of Birthing Settings: Home, Hospital, and Birthing Centers
- Considering Homebirth Part 1 & Part 2 {Has good information even if you don’t plan on a homebirth}.
- Stay tuned in this series for more links, information, and books to read on natural pregnancy and childbirth
4) Natural Induction
Induction {whether through the rupture of members, pictocin, or other drugs} is almost never a good idea. Sometimes there are legitimate medical reasons for it but usually the doctor is rushing things faster than they need to do when inducing. Leigh Ann shares why they chose NOT to induce even though it would have been convenient. So what do you do when you find yourself 41 weeks and this baby seems perfectly content to stay another 41?
There are several natural ways that you can choose to try and naturally induce labor without harsh drugs. These are always worth trying, especially if the alternative is pitocin and a greatly increased risk of C section.
5) Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Oh the aches and pains of pregnancy set in so quickly. Just two weeks ago I was telling my husband how surprised I was that my back felt great, I had hardly any swelling, and overall I was feeling good for being in my 3rd trimester with twins. Then the aches and pains set in. Now I can’t find a comfortable position anywhere and forget sleeping! But chiropractic care during pregnancy can work wonders!
Not only can it help with neck, shoulder, and back pain. Seeing a chiropractor can also help turn breech babies! There are so many benefits, but don’t take my word for it…study it for yourself!
6) If You Are High Risk
I am young, have no healthy problems, and it’s my first pregnancy…I went into this thinking I was super low risk. Then we find out it’s twins and WHAM! I’m automatically in the “high risk” category. Yes being “high risk” means certain things {like I’m more at risk for a C section} but there is still a lot you can do to have a natural pregnancy and birth…at least as much as you can control.
But this of course requires more research! Many times with high risk pregnancy, OB’s will do a lot more unnecessary testing and procedures. They do this just to be on the safe side. They may try and push certain things on you and if you are not informed then you won’t know what to do. Here is a little more on twin pregnancies.
7) Morning Sickness
Ug. After the joy and delight of find out you are pregnant…the morning sickness sets in! Everybody gets it to varying degrees, but it is NOT fun! Thankfully there are some ways to combat morning sickness naturally.
- Ginger. Ginger anything: candies, tea, cookies…any kind of ginger helps to settle your stomach
- Eat small frequent meals throughout the day instead of large meals
- Switch your pre-natal vitamins. Many times your pre-natal vitamin is the cause. Even if you were taking them before getting pregnant, your hormones have changed and your body may not like your pre-natals anymore!
- Acupressure is said to help {although I have never tried it}
- Learn more about natural remedies
8) Choosing the right setting for your Natural Birth
Oh this had my head spinning at first! Do you go with a traditional hospital birth, homebirth, or something in between like a birthing center? Ultimately because we are having twins {and the nearest birthing center is too far away :(} we are having our babies at our local hospital. But I am already thinking ahead to our next pregnancy and what we will do! Here are some excellent resources to bring you up to speed on the choices. With any one of these choices it is possible to have a natural birth. But it’s best to know what you are getting yourself into!
- Having a natural birth in the Hospital
- 10 Reasons we opted to give birth at a birthing center
- Chooseing a Homebirth
- Considering Homebirth Part 1 and Part 2
- Options in Maternity Care
- How birth professionals made my births better
- Choosing a Delivery site
- Midwives and Doulas
- Preparing for a Water Birth
- How to Achieve a Natural Birth at a Hospital: A Tale of 7 Natural Hospital Births
9) Develop a Birth Plan
This is vital when planning on a natural birth! Most hospitals make it routine to give IV’s, electronic fetal monitor 24/7, pitocin if too many hours have gone by, shots to your newborn baby, and more. Make sure you are away BEFORE you get to the hospital what procedures are standard and develop a birth plan so that there are no surprises that day! Now…your doctor or hospital staff may ignore your birth plan but having it written out helps you to remember what you need to watch for and be more out spoken when in the hospital.
It’s also a good idea to talk to your doctor or midwife about your plan before hand. For example, my doctor knows that I want to do anything possible to avoid a C section (whereas some people choose to have one over a vaginal deliver). She also knows that I do not want an IV unless absolutely necessary and she has already agreed to that.
Stacy shares her birth plan a Kate gives some more detail on how to write a birth plan.
10) Give yourself some grace
Pregnancy and childbirth is hard!! Don’t let anyone fool you, it isn’t a walk in the park. And many of these decisions are hard ones to make! Some people want to make it seem like everything is totally black and white when it comes to natural pregnancy and labor, but it’s not! Each family has to come to their own decisions and and figure out what you are comfortable with. For example, my husband has said no way on a homebirth. He feels it is too dangerous and isn’t willing to take the risk {I am trying to convince him otherwise for the next pregnancy ;)}. So a home birth is out of the question for our family right now. And you know what? There should be no judgement from other families.
Everyone is on their own journey and ultimately you must do what is right for your family and according to God’s leading in your life. Be patient, do your homework, but remember at the end of the day that God is holding your life in HIS hands. It’s HIS will that is important and He will direct your path if you seek it. Stacy wrote an excellent post on Grace for the Pregnant Mama, please go check it out!
I would LOVE to hear about your journey. What decisions did you make during pregnancy? What kind of birth did you choose?? Please share below so that we can all learn 🙂
This post is part of my Natural Pregnancy & Beyond Series. Catch up on all the posts in this series:
- Introduction
- Young, In Love, and Pregnant: Our Journey To Parenthood
- Our Maternity Photo Shoot
- 7 Reasons We Are Starting a Family Young
- My Dream of Becoming a Stay at Home Mom: How We Made it a Reality
- Crowning Him in Worship: Reflections on Redeeming Childbirth
- 10 Steps Towards a Natural Pregnancy & Birth
