Birth is often feared instead of respected but there are things you can do to increase the likelihood of a positive birthing experience.

When I was pregnant,  I had a woman tell me she didn’t have children because she feared the pain of giving birth.

Now, I’m not going to lie. I had a natural birth and it was painful. 

But here is what you should know…

A painful experience doesn’t mean your experience has to be negative. Many women experience painful and positive birthing experiences and you can too.

Instead of focusing on the pain of childbirth, find ways to invest in a positive birth experience.

Here are some tips that can help.

6 WAYS TO INVEST IN A POSITIVE BIRTHING EXPERIENCE

1. Educate yourself

As women, we often prepare for major events in our lives with immense attention given to each detail. From prom to house buying, we do our homework. Yet when it comes to childbirth we don’t invest in education. 

Childbirth education isn’t a luxury commodity that isn’t available to you. If you have access to this post, you also have access to free and inexpensive classes, books, podcasts, blogs, and even social media accounts that all provide valuable information on childbirth.

Educate yourself unapologetically.

Related: 7 Things Every Newly Pregnant Woman Should Know

2. Choose an aligned prenatal support team

Your birth philosophy matters. Finding a team of prenatal professionals and birth workers with beliefs that align with your own is essential to a positive birthing experience.

For example, if having an intervention-free birth is your goal, choosing a doctor with a 90% cesarean rate isn’t a choice that aligns with your goals. Instead, seek out providers (midwives, nurses, doctors) that support intervention-free birth practices. 

Related: How To Choose The Best Prenatal Care Once You Get Pregnant

3. Consider hiring a doula

Doulas are trained to support women before, during, and shortly after childbirth. Their support is non-medical and often comes in the form of emotional support, comforting touch, and education. Their goal is to ensure you have the best possible outcome and a positive birthing experience.

Having someone in the room solely focused on helping the birthing mom has been shown to have a positive impact on birth outcomes (Resource). 

4. Create a pregnancy plan

We’ve all heard of the birth plan but planning for a positive birth experience starts long before you actually give birth. 

Think about the pregnancy you want to have.

• If you want a healthy pregnancy, then it is beneficial to be living a healthy lifestyle 
• If you want a stress-free pregnancy, you’ll want to plans for maternity leave, changes in financial obligations, and post-birth healing and recovery.
• If you want a mindful pregnancy, you’ll want to plan time for meditation, journaling, and other self-care.
• If you want a non-toxic pregnancy, you’ll want to have a plan for removing harmful products from your environment.

None of these things just happen, you need a plan. A plan that covers you, your birth, and your baby. 

5. Believe in yourself

You are fully capable. Recieve that.

There is a system in place that bombards you with messages that sound like:

• “It’s too painful to do without medication.”
• “You don’t know what you want.”
• “You aren’t capable.”

If you’ve educated yourself, surrounded yourself with support, and created plans for your pregnancy and birth, there is no reason you should feel insecure about giving birth. 

Trust your body and trust the support team you’ve gathered around you.

6. Surrender to the process

While plans are valuable, it’s important to understand that not everything will go to plan and most likely, you will need to surrender to the birthing process.

• Are you prepared to listen to your body?
• Are you ready to not be in control?

If you put the necessary amount of effort into the first five steps, you will have succesffuly made space for what actually happens during you birth, not just what you planned to happen,

Your birth experience is unlikely to be completely free of pain but it can still be positive. And beyond just having a positive experience, I pray you have an empowering experience. 

What are you doing to help prepare yourself for a positive birthing experience?

If you want help organizing your pregnancy and preparing for birth, use the pregnancy checklist below. It’s FREE and you don’t need to provide your email, just click below to download.