Tips from Sunnybrook’s Women & Babies Program:
Breathe deeply. Breathing deeply and slowly is a great way to calm yourself and focus on relaxing during labour contractions, allowing your body to do the work of labour. Deep breathing is also a helpful stress reliever in the demanding days of new parenthood.
Ask questions. This is your birth experience, so share what’s important to you with your caregivers. Having informed consent means that when there is a change of plans or possible interventions are being considered, that it is fully explained to you. This allows you to ask questions and to be part of the decisions made during your pregnancy, labour and birth. Be an informed consumer!
Have realistic expectations. Every birth is unique and your experience may be quite different than you imagined. Being educated about all the possibilities during pregnancy, labour, birth and the postpartum period will help you react to the unexpected with more flexibility. Those with realistic expectations are usually more satisfied with their birthing experience.
Build a support network for birth and beyond. We don’t all have ‘the village’ to help raise a child, so start creating your own supportive village. This may include family, friends, the community as well as professionals (e.g. a doula or lactation consultant).
Mother the mother so she can mother the baby. Supporters should not take over baby duties completely as mom needs to continue to build her parenting confidence. Help to keep her comfortable, well fed and most importantly, tell her what a good job she is doing.
Hold your baby skin to skin. The best place for a new baby is skin to skin with its mother. Baby’s temperature is regulated by mom’s body and being skin to skin is one of the best ways to get off to a good start with breastfeeding. The bonus is that it relaxes both mother and baby.
It’s okay to ask for help. Everyone wants to help a new family! Some new parents may find it difficult to ask for help, so think of specific things to suggest. Meals, housekeeping or offers to hold a baby while mom naps or showers are just a few ideas.
If you can stand or sit, sit. If you can sit or lie down, lie down. If you can lie down or sleep, sleep. The first three months are usually the most difficult, so save your energy and look after yourselves.
Slow down and enjoy your baby time. The time of infancy is so fleeting. Remind yourselves to slow down and just appreciate what you have created and be amazed at the rapid development of your baby.
