Natural Childbirth at Home - Page 2

[JunieMoon]

Hypnobirthing

[saratchka]

Read positive birth stories, talk to women who birthed naturally and are glad they did, and know that your body really can do this - including managing the discomfort/pain that's involved.

I was truly astonished at how much the birthing process altered my mindset. It was literally almost like a drug. My perceptions were completely different, and I know that helped me. Being at home really helps, too, as you're not constantly innundated with unfamiliar stimuli from your environment, which can get in the way of that altered perception, IMO.

Make sure you have attendant(s) who truly can calm you. (For me, that's a no-nonsense midwife who's seen it all and won't sugar coat things for me. I know that I can trust her to tell me exactly what's going on and that's soothing to me.) And consider having a doula, if you haven't hired one already. I'd take my doula over an epidural any day! After all the stories of incomplete and ineffective epidurals I've heard I'm confused as to why anyone would want one when you could have a doula give counterpressure, massage, cool cloths, and other things that actually work correctly!

And believe those women who tell you that birth was really not terribly painful. They're not lying - I'm one of them! I honestly believe that fear causes a lot of the pain people experience in childbirth. Ride the wave of your endorphins, trust your body and your attendants, and you'll likely experience only mild to moderate pain.