Own Your Birth

“Own Your Birth”?

You may be asking yourself, what the heck is she talking about? Well, it is exactly what it sounds like. Own your birth. So many times have we heard stories of women being pushed into a certain birth that they didn’t want or don’t have their wishes in labor met, or don’t know that they have options at all. When I say to own your birth I am telling you to know that you do have options and that this is your birth so only you can make the decisions. Don’t feel pushed into a specific birth by anyone; not your care providers, spouse, mother, no one. Let everyone know the type of birth you want and ask them politely not to try to convince you otherwise, but to support you in your decision. You should make sure your care provider knows all of the specifics that you want during your labor, whether it is soft music playing, the use of aromatherapy, no interventions, no medications, etc. They should be on board with the birth that you are envisioning and if they can’t support you then you may want to look into finding a different care provider who will. Many women think that they can’t switch providers after they have reached a certain point in their pregnancy, but the truth is that you can. Just check with the care provider you are switching to in order to be sure that they will (or can) take you at the time.

Educate Yourself!

Read articles, books, blogs, attend childbirth classes, breastfeeding classes, hire a doula, and listen to others’ birth stories that are similar to what you are hoping for. Use all of these in order to educate yourself on what your options are and what you can do in order to ensure that you and your baby receive the care that you deserve. Knowledge is power. It is so vital that I cannot stress it enough! It’s amazing how much just being knowledgeable can empower you in life, and especially in your birth. How can you make decisions when you don’t have the information or know that you even have options. To know that you know all of your options and you have an educated decision rather than relying on someone else to decide for you. It is uplifting to be able to make the decisions for your birth and have more control over what you experience. Take the opportunity to learn what birth really is and what it can be (hint: It’s not just a medical procedure they way it is often treated).

For some great information you can visit this website for evidence based information.

Be Confident!

Be confident in your decisions. The more knowledge you have the more confident you will be. See point #1 for more information.

No one knows what you and your baby need better than you do so don’t let others push you into making decisions that go against your intuition. You know what you want for yourself and for your baby and although some of the people may mean well and are only concerned for your and your baby’s health. Just be open and honest with them and offer to give them information to backup your decisions to help them better understand.

Get Together Your Support Team!

I know, it sounds so simple, right? You want your partner, mother, sister, whoever there with you. You may want it to just be you and your partner or have a whole room of people. But you should put a lot of thought into who you will have in the room with you when you give birth, whether it is in a hospital, birth center, or at home. Will there be enough people there to support you? Will there be too many people in the room? Are they all on the same page? I would personally suggest not having too many people in the room because it has been shown to have a negative affect on you during labor, but make sure that you have enough people. In my own personal opinion I would suggest having no more than 3 support people in the room with you, especially if you have a hospital or birthing center birth where there will be nurses and staff coming in and out of your room. The smaller the distractions, the better!

To ensure that your support team will actively support you during labor you should talk with them about your ideal birth vision and how they can help you achieve it. Recommend books or articles for them to read, if needed. Also, be sure to talk to your care provider about your wishes and get on the same page and if they are not supportive you can look into finding another one. Don’t be afraid to switch care providers to ensure you have the best experience you can. Lastly, hiring a doula can be very beneficial to your labor. According to Evidence Based Birth, when women are supported continuously by a doula they experience

• 31% decrease in the use of Pitocin
• 28% decrease in the risk of C-section
• 12% increase in the likelihood of a spontaneous vaginal birth
• 9% decrease in the use of any medications for pain relief
• 14% decrease in the risk of newborns being admitted to a special care nursery
• 34% decrease in the risk of being dissatisfied with the birth experience

Source: The Evidence for Doulas

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