1. Care with a Midwife- No other decision I made will ever come close to the importance of this decision for me. My prenatal appointments lasted 45 minutes, I didn’t have to wait in a waiting room, when my appointment was at 1pm, I was seen at 1pm. The nutrition counseling, holistic health approach and personal care I received made me feel connected with my birthing team. They were always there for me from the beginning and are still there for me now. How many Ob’s host family get together parties for their birthing families, will answer questions via text message at midnight and greet you with a hug when you see them?
2. Chiropractic care- Using a chiropractor recommended to me from my midwife who is trained in working with pregnant woman I was able to free myself from any back, hip and leg pain in pregnancy. Going every 3 weeks or so she was able to keep my back, hips and ligaments in the proper place, even though the growing weight of my belly worked hard to undo it all!
3. Hiring a newborn photographer- It is true what they say, they grow so fast! One of my favorite decisions was to hire a newborn photographer to come to the house to do her photos. It takes planning, commitment and a bit of an investment but the photos are irreplaceable. Babies only have that “curly” stage for a week or so and capturing it through a professional eye is a moment that cannot be replicated. It was so easy to have the photographer come to the house, because when your baby is that little you sure don’t want to venture out into the world just yet! She brought all the props and took photos right in our living room.
4. Putting me first- Some people suck, bottom line. Life stresses come your way if you are pregnant or not. It is how you choose to deal with those stresses that make the difference. I use to be a bit high strung, but once I was become pregnant I made a conscious decision that my baby came first, I came second and everyone else came third. This helped me put things into perspective on the importance of those daily stresses and choices. Without I don’t think I could have forced myself to eat a cup of cottage cheese and 2 cups a milk every day (48 grams of protein!).
5. Semantics- Changing the words we use is a powerful tool in accomplishing what we set out to do. Have you ever heard a marathon runner say they are going to “try” to run a marathon? Why do pregnant woman say they are going to “try” for a natural birth, or “try” to breastfeed? It is true that not everyone who starts the marathon finishes but the runners set them up for the best possible outcome by changing their language to reflect their desires. Hypnobabies encourages woman to use the word “birthing time” instead of labor, “pressure waves” instead of contractions and many other less fear inducing words. Terms like “guess date” instead of “due date” help ease the anxiety of when baby will arrive. Changing these words in my head helped me reduce anxiety and manage my emotions through the intense birthing process.
**I wrote this before I presented in a recent Bradley class about Genevieve's birth. So happy I was able to share the most important aspects of my journey with new soon to be parents!
Ann, I am so proud of you for all you did to make your pregnancy and birth such a positive experience. You are a wonderful mom and Genevieve is so lucky to have you.
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