Women are indeed wonderful beings. I don’t say this because I am a woman. The facts are there. We are the ones that carry another human in us for a whole nine months majorly responsible for caring and nursing the child especially in the early years, and everyone knows how such a huge responsibility all these could be.
Imagine accommodating a visitor in your space, for 9 months. The visitor makes terms of what he wants and you have to oblige, even when sometimes you don’t feel like it. That is how pregnancy is.
Now while pregnancy comes with its fair share of morning sickness, cravings, mood swings, and body aches, we can manage because we await the glorious moment which is delivery ( the real deal).
If you are a man reading this post, women aren’t just bluffing when we say that labor is tough, it really is. It takes deep strength to birth another human into this world. Imagine a baby that weighs about two kg or even more passing through the birth canal, that is no small feat.
No wonder women are the real MVPs. Normal vaginal delivery is a tough but enlightening experience and in my opinion, it a time when you are drawn between heaven and Earth. The beautiful thing is that you come out stronger afterward and in a few months, you forget about the pain.
Haven’t you wondered, that even labor is tough, many women keep giving birth year after year. Hmmmmm, It must mean that there are ways to manage labor for smooth and effective delivery.
Below are 15 important normal delivery tips. These tips are super useful for first-time moms and any other moms who want to have smooth childbirth.
1. Be Up-To-Date With Information
Get the best information you can get to keep you updated with knowledge on the right foods to eat during pregnancy, appropriate exercises, things you need to avoid or things to do during pregnancy, what Labour involves, what to do before child’s birth (you may want to check our title on 16 things to do before baby arrives), the kind of work-appropriate during pregnancy and the ones you should avoid, ideas on how to give birth naturally without pains, ways to have an easy normal delivery.
All this information you can get by reading books and researching, and the advice you get from your healthcare provider. Armed with the right knowledge, you are prepared for easy delivery.
2. Attend Prenatal Classes
Prenatal classes are a great way to help you prepare for labor and a great help to have a smooth and easy normal delivery. During those classes, the midwives and nurses expose you to things you should do during pregnancy and delivery tips to help you prepare for labor and have a smooth delivery.
They also give breastfeeding tips and ways how to effectively manage after delivery. The birth classes I took helped me to understand more about pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum.
It also made me connect more with my baby while he was in the womb. I was able to identify changes in my body and what it meant and I always, had the opportunity to talk with health practitioners after the class to answer any questions I had.
So, I became less frightened of the whole process, and I prepared my mind more effectively for labor and I was able to have a normal vaginal birth.
3. Find Ways To Distract Your Mind During Labour
One normal delivery tip most women, will find useful, that will help during labor is finding ways to distract their mind from the contraction pains. It takes a while to fully get dilated.
Use that time to find and do things to distract you from the work at hand and the labor pain. This is one way that you can achieve fast Labour and delivery. You can distract yourself by engaging in an engrossing conversation, or a funny one that makes you forget about labor for the moment.
You can also do some laundry, tidy your home, cook a nice meal or bake If you are up to it. If you can distract your mind with things during labor, chances are that you won’t feel much of the contractions pains, unlike when you are idle.
Plus, It makes the Labour seem to run faster. Because engaging your mind will make you not too focused on the pains and contractions, and before long you will be surprised that you are already ready to birth your baby.
4. Exercise
Labour is a lot of hard work and If you don’t exercise your muscles to strengthen them and stay fit, you may likely tire out easily and want to give up. That is why it is an important normal delivery tip .
Always do the appropriate exercises often before delivery, so that you can be fit and strong for delivery. It can be tempting to relax in one place, especially during the last stages, before the due date, because you feel bloated, tired, and heavy.
But do not always give in to the temptation. Move around, do yoga classes, do some light house chores, walk some distance before driving. All these help you become more active and your baby too. It is also said to prepare the baby’s to descent to the right position for easy delivery.
5. Focus
The mind could wander a lot before delivery. You have feelings of fear, anxiety, the anxiousness that overwhelm you, and sometimes you may feel like you can’t go through with the whole process. Focus is one normal delivery tip every mom should learn.
Focusing on the delivery rather than the many thoughts that run through your mind is worthwhile. If you lose focus, you will find that delivery is more difficult. For me, the hardest part of labor was the last contractions before the birthing of the newborn and it is when it seemed like I wanted to give up.
But with deep determination and focus, I was able to deliver my baby. Focus on the thought that you will scale through the whole process instead of the fear of any complications whatsoever. Negative feelings will definitely overwhelm you, but determination and focus make a difference in the whole delivery process.
6. Be Active
Delivery is not a time when you are stuck up on the bed and manage the pain awaiting the time to deliver your baby. Medics advise women to get active as much as possible during delivery, as it would help them ease the pain and manage the contractions.
During the early stages of labor, you can walk around, talk, and do anything that can help keep you active or busy instead of just managing the pain lying down. Not only does it cut time, but it also makes Labour less painful and easier.
7. Massage
Massages are great for easy normal delivery. It is one normal delivery tip that many women find very useful to relieve the tension and stiffness during pregnancy and in labor. A light rub on the back, neck, and shoulders can do wonders and can make you feel much better.
It worked so well for me during the 9th month of pregnancy and in the early stages of delivery. Also, in my last stage of labor, I had deep intense massages on my back and waist that helped me manage the contractions and pain.
8. Conserve Your Strength
You may likely get tired with worry, stress, and anxiety during the early stage of labor that you end up expending all energy before you get to push. That won’t be a smart move.
One important normal delivery tip for easier labor is to remain focused on maintaining strength level before you deliver your baby. Labour takes a lot of your strength. The real work is during the final stages when you have reached 10 centimeters and are ready to push your baby out.
If you have been groaning and screaming and expending your energy before that time, you may likely tire out and have little strength left to push.
In my first experience in the labor room, I groaned and screamed and shook the whole labor ward when I was just 7cm gone. When it was time to finally deliver my baby. I was so weak. The midwives who were God-sent encouraged me, and in few minutes my blue jet (my little boy) landed.
I would advise that you take few light snacks during the early stage of labor (If it is acceptable by the hospital) as it can help build strength before labor.
9. You May Decide To Have An Epidural
One way you can give birth naturally without pain is by having an epidural. An epidural is a regional anesthetic that serves as pain relief. The anesthetic is administered at your lower back (spinal cord) and numbs the pain from the pelvic region, downward.
So you are conscious of the whole process, but you feel lesser pain and can deliver normally. This is a great option for women instead of a C-section, and especially useful for women who have a low pain threshold.
You can choose to discuss with your doctor to see if an epidural is suitable for you. Having an epidural is a way to have a normal delivery without pain.
10. Try Out These Exercises For Normal Delivery
Doing exercises during pregnancy is helps a lot to strengthen and build your muscles before the job ahead. Of course, it also gives you more ability to handle the stress and the pain, because the physical endurance you have built with exercise, will help you cope better during labor.
There are tons of great exercises you can try out during pregnancy. Cardiovascular exercises like walking or running help build your heart.
Also try Kegels to strengthen your pelvic muscles and other exercises like yoga which helps you learn to focus and concentrate, which is very useful during labor.
11. Find A Good Support Person That Can Help You Through The Labor Process
Your partner will be helpful but maybe inexperienced at the whole birthing thing, that is why it would be a good help if you can find someone who has had a birthing experience, that can be a guide and encouragement through the whole process.
It could be a friend, your mom, or an experienced birthing Doula (a woman who is experienced in helping women in pregnancy, by giving support for successful delivery). A good support person would work wonders and make, the whole process seem easier.
12. Prepare For Labour
Many women, especially first-time mums, are especially unaware that labor is a big deal. They must have heard of it at one time or the other, but are unaware of how tough it could be. Preparation gives a 50% chance of success rate of success.
So as you prepare the baby’s nursery, pack your hospital bags, (you may want to check our article on hospital bag checklists), do a pregnancy photoshoot, and every other thing to do before the baby arrives, prepare for the labor which is the most important thing about childbirth.
Understand contractions, what labor entails, ways to manage pains during labor, and things to do during pregnancy to have effective labor.
13. Use Water As A Delivery Aid
Try water birth, having a shower, or using a pool, a normal delivery tip to ease labor. Water has a relaxing and calming effect on the body, and it eases contractions and tenseness. You may decide to lie in a whirling pool or take a shower during the delivery. It will make things faster.
14. Try Hypnotherapy
This is a form of mindfulness therapy that helps people get relaxed. Using this for labor is very helpful to keep women calm and relaxed. Women listen to positive affirmations, practice deep breathing exercises, they learn to keep calm and master their emotions before delivery so that during labor, they don’t have to stress out much.
15. Set The Pace
You do not have to hurry things up once you notice you are in labor. Never put yourself in anxiety or let anyone rush you, this is one normal delivery tip should never forget.
The whole labor process takes several hours, sometimes even days. So set the pace by allowing things to go gradually. That way you will be able to handle the whole experience smoothly.
Normal delivery and labor is an experience many women opt out from because they are scared of the pains. It could be a whole lot easier when you follow these 15 tips for easy normal delivery.
Save this for later mama!
