Dr. Schuster's eBrief: 10 Steps to Prepare for Birth

I have been working with pregnant women since 1989 and here are 10 suggestions to help prepare mom and newborn for the best birth possible.

1. It has been shown that chiropractic care during pregnancy helps to decrease labor time, keeps women comfortable during pregnancy and keeps baby in the best position for birth. Therefore, I recommended getting adjusted monthly in the first and second trimester, every two weeks during the third trimester and then weekly during the last few weeks of pregnancy.
2. To prepare the body and mind to be strong and flexible for birth, take yoga, guided meditation and or other classes that are specifically geared towards pregnant women.
3. Consider taking birth classes that are outside of the hospital. These are often more comprehensive and offer more helpful tools for both the new mom and new dad.
4. Along with having one’s husband or partner at the birth consider adding a doula or a trusted friend. These people add an element of experience; support and advocacy that can help create a more fulfilling birth experience. Some doulas also come to the home a few days after the baby is born to check up on everything.
5. Pain has been associated with something wrong, with injury to the body. Labor is not injury; a woman’s body is designed to accommodate birth. What causes the “pain” of labor? The ligaments of the uterus and the surrounding muscles are stretching and the baby puts pressure on the cervix, low back and birth canal. Understanding this and then training the mind to describe these feeling of labor as strong sensations can help reduce the fear that is often associated with delivery. Consider taking Hypnobirthing classes and reading books that are written by Ina May Gaskin. These help prepare the mind and body to open up during birth and delivery.
6. Prepare the body for a smoother labor by doing 100 kegel exercises a day. These can be done sitting, standing, lying down, any time, anywhere. To help reduce the likelihood of tearing, massage the perineum and the labia with non-irritating vegetable oil and apply a warm washcloth there as well. This is great to do at nighttime before sleep. Putting a warm compress there during delivery also helps keep the area as pliable as possible. GLA, also known as Evening Primrose Oil can also be used to help soften the cervix.
7. Tone the uterus with red raspberry leaf tea. 1 cup daily during pregnancy and a few cups daily in the last month is recommended. Continue to drink it daily after birth to allow the uterus to get back to normal size in a shorter period of time.
8. If there is any back pain during labor or if there are premature contractions a few weeks before labor there are exercises to help with that. These can be found in the book “Hands of Love” written by Dr. Carol Phillips. These hands on postures can be done by one’s husband, doula or chiropractor. These are very effective in taking pressure off of the spine to help reduce pain, stop premature contractions and to help ease labor.
9. If one is carrying a breech baby then this warrants to get adjusted by one’s chiropractor with the “Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique”. This is a specific chiropractic adjustment that is highly effective in balancing the hips. This helps the baby to be in the best alignment for delivery and often takes between 2 to 6 adjustments for the baby to turn. Adding acupuncture to this technique also helps those who have breech presentations.
10. To help enhance dilation of the cervix during labor, a) stimulate the nipples, b) get intimate with one’s partner, c) walk around, d) massage the jaw, e) use aromatherapy such as the scents of lavender with neroli to create a sense of deep relaxation of the mind and allow the body to open up, g) apply acupressure to the web of the thumb and a few inches above the inner ankle, h) change postures during labor, because certain positions will open the hips up more than others, and sometimes just moving into a different position will get labor back on track, i) get onto ones knees and elbows, this is another way to change the hips and the baby to be in a better position for labor.

May these 10 steps help you or someone you know have the most wonderful birth experience for mom and baby!

In health and happiness,

Dr. Liselotte Schuster
(847)509-9067

drliloschuster@sbcglobal.net

www.liloschuster.com