7 Ways To Prepare For Birth 3rd Trimester Easy Birth Prep

I'm currently 31 weeks pregnant so I'm really starting to get into the mindset of preparing my body for birth and I want to share what I'm doing with you. I'm Bridget, I'm a doula, I'm a child birth educator and a mom and a two with a third on the way. I want to preface this video with this advice. With my first baby I focused a lot on my mindset going into labor because I had never done it before and I had fears of the unknowns and uncertainties of giving birth like most women do. Birth is 90% mental so having a strong mind that feels safe and understands birth is the foundation of a happier, healthier, and easier birth. I've seen women who have their body so primed for labor but they have not worked on their mindset and this is detrimental to their birth. So if you're feeling scared about birth make sure you're building up your mind to lead your body in the direction you want it to go and go check out my free mini birth class linked down below. Now with that being said there are things that you can do for your body to prepare it that really aid in the labor process. I'm sharing with you what I'm doing right now at 31 weeks to prepare for birth. Number one, forward leaning. Most of us spend a lot of our time in a reclined position that is actually tipping our pelvis backward and rounding our spine and this encourages baby to be in a back to back position also called OP. So if this is my back baby's back is also against it. Again this is called occipit posterior or OP and sometimes this OP position that baby is in actually makes it harder for baby to get into the top of the pelvis and can potentially make the early part of labor longer and more uncomfortable. Not always but often. So to help avoid an OP position for baby and to encourage the back of their body to turn onto the front of mama's body forward leaning is very helpful. So when I'm watching something or even doing computer work or reading I lean forward on a stack of pillows my birth ball or my peanut ball and I do one forward leaning inversion per day which I explain how to do in the video that's linked up in the corner of this video. Now if baby is OP at the start of labor that's okay don't freak out. Surges are really effective at getting baby to move into a position that helps them navigate the pelvis better. If you want to learn several positions that open up the top of the pelvis to make more room for baby to move on through it I encourage you to take my built to birth course that is linked down below. Number two when I am sitting I sit on a birth ball. I'm not doing it right now but most of the time I am. Birth balls are so great for helping put the pelvis into a more neutral position where it's not tilted back and the spine is able to be long and tall. This again is going to aid in baby's position in the womb. It also encourages more mobility in the pelvis so if you are sitting in a static position all day in a chair using a birth ball will help you find more movement in your hips and pelvis which will be beneficial for labor as well. I'll link my favorite birth ball down below and on their website it gives you the sizing recommendation based on your height so you can find that information there. Number three eating iron-rich foods. It's important to have strong blood as strange as that sounds when approaching birth. There will always be some amount of blood loss during birth but I personally have low iron and in the past I have had low platelet counts leading up to my births so this puts me more at risk for postpartum hemorrhaging but this pregnancy I am really actively managing it by eating more red meat incorporating organ meats like liver, leafy green vegetables, and drinking two cups of Nora pregnancy tea which has nettle, oat straw, red raspberry leaf, and alfalfa herbs that have minerals and vitamins that support healthy blood. I'm also eating copper-rich foods like liver and bee pollen that aid in iron absorption and all of these things are helping me build strong blood for birth. Number four is taking probiotics. At around 36 or 37 weeks mamas are generally tested for group B strep. I want to remind you that this testing is optional whether your provider makes it sound like it is or not. GBS testing is when the opening of the vagina down to the anus are swabbed and tested for the group B strep culture. Around one in five women have it and it's not harmful however for a newborn baby it can potentially be harmful which is why many providers encourage antibiotic use during labor to lower the risk for the newborn baby. Now because of how antibiotic use in labor can impact how mama experiences her birth and the effects of antibiotic use has on the body especially a newborn body many mamas want to avoid it. I'm not going to go into the nitty-gritty of GBS in this video but I will say that taking a probiotic specifically for vaginal health can help prevent GBS in the first place. I have a favorite linked down below for you to check out and it can be taken both orally and vaginally. On top of taking a probiotic supplement I eat fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, and kefir that all support a healthy gut and vaginal microbiome. Number five I get chiropractic adjustments. If you aren't seeing a chiropractor I cannot tell you how much I recommend you do if it's possible. You want to find a Webster certified chiropractor. I've been seeing my chiropractor this whole pregnancy and my body is in much better alignment and balance which not only makes me feel better in this pregnancy but I know is setting myself and my body up for a smoother more straightforward labor as well. Number six exercising. I have a six-week prenatal fitness program that I created to specifically prepare the pregnant body for birth. So I've started that program and after each workout I feel better and I know not only am I building up stamina and endurance for birth but also I'm creating more balance and openness within my body for an easier birth. My program incorporates stabilizing the pelvis and releasing the pelvic floor which are both elements that are really important for birth and that's definitely part of what I'm doing as part of my birth prep right now. And so many women go into labor with a tight and imbalanced pelvic floor that actually impacts their baby's ability to pass through that muscle group. So these are both things that I'm treating through specific exercises and releases in my program and you can get access to that program too to do all throughout pregnancy if you want and that's linked down below. Number seven is meditating. Where the mind leads the body follows and tension and fear in the mind translates to tension and fear and more pain in the body. And even though this is my third birth I'm still a little nervous. I have two kids I'm running after so I definitely have less time to prepare my mind for this birth but one of my favorite ways to do it is meditating and focusing on affirming myself and breathing. So anytime I start feeling anxious I choose to breathe and speak affirmations over myself and often when I'm in the shower some of my only quiet time to myself I focus on deep breathing to just down regulate my nervous system and meditate to strengthen my mind for my labor. I have a hypnobirthing workshop that teaches you how to harness the power of your mind to lead your body in the direction you want it to go along with hypnobirthing tracks that you can use through your pregnancy through birth and through your postpartum season that guide you into deep relaxation and trust in this journey. So those are the seven things that I'm doing as a third time mama to prepare for birth right now at 31 weeks pregnant. If you're feeling stressed or anxious about birth if you're feeling like your body is not ready your mind's not ready it is time to get informed and empowered right now. My birth course is linked down below along with my free mini birth class that you're not going to want to miss out on to help you with your happier healthier and easier birth. So thanks so much for being with me in this video and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!