Last month one of our beautiful new mummas, Ania gave birth to a beautiful new bubba. Ania has gratefully given her time to share some things that helped her through labour.
- Pregnancy Yoga
During my pregnancy I did pregnancy yoga which I would highly recommend. It’s low impact but really good for stretching and learning breathing techniques which also helped me during labour.
- Massage Techniques
During my yoga classes I also learnt some useful massage techniques which I showed my husband and he did this while I was in pre labour. The massage definitely helped to relieve some of my lower back pain.
- Support from Birthing Partner
Having the support from my husband standing in front of me telling me to breathe while holding onto his shoulders really helped. I know this doesn't sound like much but it really helped me to focus on my breathing - deep into the belly.
- Warm Baths
During my labour I hopped in and out of warm baths with added muscle salts. This helped take the pressure off and soften my stomach which helped me to breathe deeper through the contractions.
- TENS Machine
I’m very thankful I had a TENS machine on hand. I ended up being in pre-labour for 4 days and didn't sleep all day and night. The TENS machine helped me through this tough time as the pulsing helped me to breathe through quite big contractions and at some points it felt like a nice back massage which was such a nice relief.
- An Open Mind
Through my labour I focussed on keeping an open mind and going with the flow through the whole process. I think you never know how everything will turn out - no matter how much you plan or how prepared you are.
- Pack your Hospital Bag early!
One last piece of advice - do pack your hospital bag a month early and have everything ready for the baby - onesies are the best in the first few months and make sure you have lots of nappies and burp cloths!
Little Harper was born at 11:30pm weighing 3.63kgs and both mum and bub are doing well.
Ania