HOW I PREPARED FOR BIRTH + POSTPARTUM
I cannot believe we have a baby! Rivi is officially a week old and it’s been so surreal. I absolutely love being her mama. The newborn phase is so sweet- I want to hold onto these memories forever. I had every intention to have this blog posted before Rivi came, but since baby girl decided to come three weeks early- here we are! ;-)
Forewarning you: this post is as straight forward as it gets. If you’re not into birth or if the word vagina freaks you out, maybe stop reading now. That being said, I wanted to share with you guys the things that I implemented during my pregnancy to help prepare myself for both my natural birth and postpartum. Hopefully you can use this as a resource while preparing for your little one!
BIRTH PLAN
Bryce and I planned for a natural home birth. I have always been intrigued by the more natural side of things, so after doing our own research, we decided this was the best decision for our family. When preparing for birth, be informed of your options and make the decision that is best for you. Your birth is YOUR choice.
I’m a big environment person- I’m a feeler and feed off of the energies in the room. This was one of the main reasons we chose a home birth. I wanted to be able to control my environment and bring our baby Earth-side into a peaceful and calm setting. I knew I wouldn’t be able to achieve this same tranquility in a hospital.
While I’m usually an open book, our birth plan is the one thing in this post I am going to keep private. Mama Natural has a great free downloadable template you can find here that you can use for your birth plan. Whatever setting you are birthing in- hospital, birth center or home; you can fill it out and give it to your provider. Remember, this is YOUR BIRTH + YOUR BABY. I encourage you to make sure you and your birth team are all on the same page. You have the right to make whatever choice you believe is best for you and baby. Follow that mama gut!
SUPPLEMENTS, FOODS & EXERCISE
Everything I ate during pregnancy was with the intent to nourish baby. My main goal during pregnancy was just to listen to my body- your body will tell you the nutrients it’s needing. Of course, I still had my indulgences! I made sure not to restrict myself or worry about how much weight I was to gain due to my past mentality with food and my eating disorder. Real Food for Pregnancy was a great resource for me in regards to food and nutrition.
The supplements I took were all tailored towards my body/my needs and were discussed between my Midwife and I. We prepared an optimal plan through both pregnancy and postpartum, which I am still following. I won’t go into full detail, but the main supplements I took during pregnancy were my prenatal vitamins, a DHA, vitamin C, probiotics and digestive enzymes. Don’t slack on that gut health! Baby’s receiving all the great benefits of probiotics too in their little gut.
Dates- There are TONS of benefits to eating dates! I started incorporating dates into my diet around 36 weeks (3 a day) in hopes to take them for a month before baby came. But, since she arrived at 37 weeks, I only ended up eating them for a week. Mama Natural also has a great blog post on the loads of benefits of eating dates towards the end of your pregnancy. I was adding them to my smoothies, or my personal favorite- filling them with peanut butter + topping with a chunk of Hu Chocolate as a late night snack ;-)
Placenta Encapsulation- I had my placenta encapsulated through North Dallas Doula Associates. They offer a wide range of services in regards to encapsulation and you can really tailor your capsules to your preference! Your placenta is full of amazing nutrients and benefits- it can help with hormone balance, reduce postpartum bleeding, increase milk supply, reduce baby blues, replenish iron levels and even increase energy!
Borage Oil- Insert two, vaginally, starting at 37 weeks to help begin soften your cervix and perineum. I ended up starting Borage Oil a few days before baby girl came- more on that when I share her birth story with y’all!
Spinning Babies- This was a great resource for me and something I starting introducing when we found out baby girl was breech. I purchased the Helping Your Breech Baby Turn ebook through the website in hopes to get her to turn and did these exercises religiously with Bryce every day until she did. Sure enough, she turned head down! I did The Fantastic Four 2-3x a week after she turned, just to ensure she stayed in optimal position for birth and as a comfort measure for me. The third trimester aches and pains are no joke.
Exercises- squats, deep squats + hold, tailor sitting, kegals, pelvic tilts, relaxation practice, walking. These were my main exercises during the last few weeks of pregnancy. My workout routine drastically changed and transitioned into more of a birth prep for my body towards the end rather than an actual workout.
PRACTITIONERS I AM SEEING
BundleBorn Midwifery- I am under the care of Teri Mitchell with BundleBorn and I could not recommend her enough if you are here in the DFW area seeking a midwife. I absolutely love Teri! After interviewing a few options as my provider, I knew Teri was the perfect choice for us. At the end of pregnancy, I was seeing Teri weekly since we were so close to meeting baby girl! She and my birth team came to me on delivery day (so freaking convenient). We already had all birthing supplies + birthing tub delivered to the house to have ready for the big day at 35 weeks.
Doula- I chose to use Shelly with Birthing…Naturally. I knew what I wanted in a doula and found exactly that with her. She was actually recommended to me by my Midwife- they had done multiple births together, which I loved, because it was so important to me for my birth team to be comfortable with each other. I loved having her on my team and to have her support during labor. I 1000% recommend hiring a doula! If you’ve thought of hiring a doula, I would encourage researching and interviewing different options to find the best fit for you, your personality and your birth.
Chiropractor- Chiropractic care was so good for me during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester. There is so much happening to your body towards the end of pregnancy! I was seeing my friend and chiropractor, Courtney Kahla at Free to Be Chiropractic, 2x a week during the last few weeks of pregnancy. She’s the best! Seeing Courtney played a huge role in how I felt physically while also encouraging an optimal environment + position for baby for birth. I am planning to have Courtney adjust me and baby both here pretty soon!
Prenatal Massage- I was seeing Lilie at Lilies Healing Hands. I started going monthly around 20 weeks and absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, I had to stop my visits due to Covid-19, but she is now open again. I had planned on doing an induction massage if I didn’t deliver early, but since Rivi was just so excited to enter the world, we didn’t have to entertain that option! I’m also planning on having both myself and baby girl receive postpartum + infant massages soon.
books for pregnancy + postpartum
FOOD & snacks PREP
Bryce and I are so lucky to have both sets of parents so close to us for help with after baby! I had planned to have some freezer meals/snacks ready beforehand to help make things a little easier on them while they were helping us here- yeah, didn’t happen with her early arrival haha. My mom is here helping us this week and it is such a HUGE HELP (love you mama)!
I’ve heard from my fellow mamas that you are constantly hungry while breastfeeding so I wanted to make sure I had plenty of healthy and nutritious options already ready to go when I need them! Again, didn’t happen, but nothing a quick SAM’S run can’t fix! My parents were so sweet and bought us tons (literally tons) of groceries + healthy snacks this past weekend to eat off of throughout the week. We are so lucky! Here’s what I was planning to have prepared:
Lactation brownies for milk supply
Gluten Free Muffins/baked goods
Healthy snacks- stock up on my favorites so I have some quick, on-hand things during feedings
Freezer meals- easy to throw in the crock pot or the oven + heat
The First Forty Days has some great meal ideas on how to nourish mama and baby during postpartum. I plan on choosing some of these recipes to make- lots of warm broths and soups healing you from the inside!
birth bags
Since we planned a home birth, we had the ability to grab whatever we needed here. However, we knew that birth is unpredictable so we had prepared bags for the hospital, if necessary. We had them ready if any type of emergency arose and we couldn’t birth at home.
I did have a pile of items set aside at our home birth to have ready:
Nursing Pillow
Breast pump
Nursing pads
Swaddle/receiving blanket
Onesie/Knotted gown
The only item we actually used on the birth day was the swaddle/receiving blanket for baby girl. We didn’t need anything else. We’re a straight up nudist colony over here currently so a simple onesie didn’t even make the cut. Rivi and I both love our skin to skin time and it makes life SO much easier with all of these diaper changes.
making sure home is ready for BIRTH + BABY
This was a big one for me- I’m definitely the type that wants to entertain everyone when we have people over. I knew this did not need to be my role during birth, and especially once baby girl arrived. It is COMPLETELY OK to ask for help once your baby is here. Lean on family and friends during this time. Your main focus should be on that new sweet baby and healing yourself. You can’t take care of your baby if you don’t take care of yourself. Postpartum recovery takes a toll on you so take full advantage of the help people are willing to bless you with.
I did have these things ready before the big day:
Birthing supplies + tub delivered
Birthing environment is set up- candles, essential oils + diffuser, portable speaker for music, salt lamps, birth affirmations, visual affirmations
Make sure nursery is ready
Pantry and fridge are stocked- snacks for labor, postpartum/breastfeeding snacks, freezer meals, baked goods
Carseat installed
House cleaned- I will have a cleaning company come deep clean the entire house before baby + family arrives
Diaper station set up in our bedroom- changing basket, gathre Micro mat (my absolute favorite), diapers, wipes, diaper balm
postpartum products
Depends- Yup, not attractive but definitely needed for the first few days/weeks. I lived in these the first couple of days
Cotton Briefs- I didn’t want to wear depends the whole time while recovering so I bought these to wear once the heavy bleeding stopped. I just replace my pad every bathroom trip now- I’ve loved them so far and don’t feel like I’m wearing a massive diaper
Honey Pot Pads- Regular + overnight absorbency. These have been my favorite because they’re pesticide-free and infused with essential oils
Peri Bottle- You won’t be able to wipe for a while after birth so the peri bottle is your best friend. I’ve been filling mine with warm water to promote better healing. My midwife gave me one at birth, but I like this one better because you can hold it upside down—worth it in my opinion if you’re willing to spend a little bit more for convenience
Herbal Sitz Bath- You can make homemade “padsicles” with this or you can use it to soak in a hot bath with- this has been so nice/refreshing when Rivi naps
After Ease- For cramping
Arnica- I use this topically for soreness and aches
BIRTH SNACKS + PRODUCTS
Pain Relief:
Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl
Labor Snacks:
Honey Sticks- Keeps energy levels up
Fresh Fruit- Strawberries, Oranges, Bananas
MINDSET: FEAR-FREE BIRTH
I want to touch a bit on mindset. I truly believe this was one of the main reasons I was able to deliver at home, unmedicated. Your mind plays a HUGE role during birth—more than you realize. Your thoughts can literally help or hinder your progress. No matter what setting you are birthing in, med-free or not, your mind should be in a positive place. This is the time for you to RELAX, REST and focus inward. Envision a healthy and wonderful labor! You should be excited because you’re meeting your beautiful and perfect baby soon!
Growing up, I’d always envisioned birth as this terrifying thing. Your water breaks, you immediately rush to the hospital and then you’re screaming at the top of your lungs till baby arrives—it doesn't work that way. I believe our culture has taught us to fear birth. To see it as this painful, horrific experience that will “ruin your body forever.” Birth is one of the most natural and beautiful things there is. Our bodies as women are literally DESIGNED to birth babies. Your body knows how to birth, just as it knew how to grow your baby. Remember that! I choose to view birth as a gift rather than something to fear. Every woman has their own unique perception of what birth should be—as women, let’s support each other and the way we choose to birth. Your birth is YOUR BIRTH! If there is any category that should be listed as judgement free, this is it. Birth is wildly unpredictable and doesn’t always go according to plan. Focus on what you can control, stay positive and release all those fears, mama!
Things that helped my mindset:
Visualizing- I’m a very visual person so I would take about 5-10 minutes a day and focus on how I saw my birth going. I envisioned myself working through contractions and seeing my baby for the first time. It got me so excited for the real moment!
Journaling- I wrote down all my fears and replaced them with positive affirmations. I kept them in a journal and spoke them out loud and over myself DAILY.
Prayer- I would cover myself, Rivi and my birth in prayer every single day whether on walks or while I was stretching or during my quiet time. I would speak LIFE over Rivi and favor over our birth together- her birth into the world, and my birth as a mama.
Christian Hypnobirthing- There’s a track on my birth playlist (linked above) that I listened to every day while stretching + tailor sitting outside- (get in that vitamin D)! I listened to it so much that I would have dreams about my affirmations haha!
Speaking OUT LOUD fears/concerns to Bryce- This was so helpful. Bryce was adamant about me being over communicative with this (he knows I tend to bottle things in). This helped release any fear that I would unknowingly store by speaking negatively. Your words have power over you, even if you don’t necessarily think you’re believing them.
I hope this post helps you feel a little less anxious and maybe more prepared + excited for baby’s arrival. These are all just ideas to do, you by no means have to incorporate all or any of them into your daily routine. Do what is best for you, your baby and your body. I’m here if you need anything or want more information on anything—feel free to comment below with any questions! I would love to hear if you are expecting a little one here soon + how you are preparing. I love hearing how other’s prepare for baby!
I’m also no expert. This is my first time doing all of this too, so I’m right here in it with you mama- we got this! Here’s to a fear-free, healthy and wonderful delivery and baby! xx
