{"id":1540,"date":"2021-11-21T06:07:57","date_gmt":"2021-11-21T06:07:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/?p=1540"},"modified":"2021-12-05T07:03:29","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T07:03:29","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-delivery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/how-to-prepare-for-delivery\/","title":{"rendered":"How to prepare for delivery"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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You\u2019re close to term now and it\u2019s time to prepare for delivery . There\u2019s a mix of excitement , fear and anxiety , I\u2019m sure . And as is said, being mentally prepared and knowledgable is half the battle won .<\/p>

Take antenatal classes which are available in most hospitals . If they aren\u2019t ,just talk at length with your obstetrician .<\/p>

What is done in these classes is this- a simple preparation for labour and delivery . A wellness specialist will talk to you about exercises such as squats and ball exercises, appraise you about breathing techniques and the right posture and help condition you towards the labour pains. Mind you , contractions are painful but knowing what to expect and how to deal with them go a long way . Most classes are couples classes where your husband or partner can also be your \u201c coach\u201d. Enlightening your partner about how to ease your pain, how to breathe , teaching them positions which can help you reduce the pain ,help a great deal. When you know you have a partner in the whole process of labour , that\u2019s shared responsibility towards the delivery process. Hospitals also have the choice of \u201c doulas\u201d who help you physically , mentally and emotionally in your journey towards delivering your little bundle of joy . Working through contractions and staying in control are strategies which help in a more positive birth experience .<\/p>

\u00a0Discuss with your obstetrician about the signs and symptoms of onset of labour . How Braxton Hicks contractions finally give way to labour pains , how to time contractions , their frequency and intensity which should guide you to head to hospital . There are other signs like leaking of liquor and a blood stained mucous discharge called \u201c show\u201d that you must know of . Your birth plan must be discussed with your doctor . Whether you\u2019d prefer a natural delivery without aided medication , or normal or painless delivery with epidural analgesia or whether there needs to be a Caesarean delivery, should there be complications or risks to you or the baby should all be discussed? You must discuss the pros and cons of epidural analgesia and also other pain relief techniques like the use of an inhalational gas to reduce pain. Talk about episiotomy and its aftercare too.<\/p>

Remember, however, that this birth plan can always be changed or tweaked a bit; for instance, if you can\u2019t bear these labour pains, you can always switch to epidural analgesia from a thought out plan of no aided medication.<\/p>

These classes also take the opportunity of teaching you about breastfeeding and how to prepare for lactation; and the challenges you may expect.<\/p>

\u00a0 Another important aspect is to keep exercising. Walking, stretching, prenatal yoga and swimming are all great ways to keep your muscles and ligaments in shape and toned. They also help in a normal delivery apart from helping release the feel good hormones – the endorphins. You must continue to exercise 5-6 times a week for at least 30 minutes , unless your doctor forbids you from the same for some medical reasons .<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0 Focus on relaxation . Some form of meditation , yoga and pranayam helps to soothe frayed nerves. The long and tedious process of labour can definitely be made easier by maintaining calm and positivity .<\/p>

\u00a0 Sleep well and adequately . Sleeping at least 8 hours in the night and 1-2 hours in the afternoon help you relax . So let go of those late night Netflix shows and WhatsApp chats. Another important piece of advise – please do not scare yourself by all Facebook or Google posts about unpleasant delivery experiences someone may have had . Also try to dissociate yourself from friends with bad delivery tales to recount.Your moms also had their deliveries a long , long time ago and so much has changed since then . Don\u2019t let negative experiences pale your positivity . The best persons to speak to now are your obstetrician , partner and your wellness consultant . Keep that spark alive and clarify any doubts, discuss anything that\u2019s bothering you .<\/p>

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\u00a0 Eat right . Eating small portions of a nutritious diet which contains green vegetables , fruits , lean protein , whole grains,milk and milk products is important . And keep yourself well hydrated . Water, lime water, coconut water, nutritious soups are great ways of keeping yourself hydrated .<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0 Make sure your hospital bag is now packed and ready . Most hospitals and doctor\u2019s clinics have a checklist of all things that are needed for you , your little one as well as for your partner . These are as detailed as instructing you to carry not just your loose fitting gowns, nursing bras, baby\u2019s clothes but also your toiletries and chargers for phones .<\/p>

\u00a0By this time your doctor will have revised your history and have ordered whatever blood work , investigations are to be done and special instructions chalked out .<\/p>

\u00a0\u00a0 Get help and take care of logistics . You may need to get your mom to look after your elder baby or look after your home . You might need to book a \u201cjapa\u201d to help you post delivery . Plan to stock your supplies so that once you\u2019re back from the hospital after delivery you don\u2019t have to fret about the groceries.<\/p>

Also, set up your nursery and home to welcome the baby and make it safe and comfortable for your angel.<\/p>

\u00a0 Birthing is indeed an overwhelming experience but being prepared to handle everything that comes your way and knowing all the choices available definitely help you to be an empowered couple.<\/p>

Wishing you a safe and wonderful journey ahead!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You\u2019re close to term now and it\u2019s time to prepare for delivery . There\u2019s a mix of excitement , fear and anxiety , I\u2019m sure . And as is said, being mentally prepared and knowledgable is half the battle won . Take antenatal classes which are available in most hospitals . If they aren\u2019t ,just… Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1541,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pregnancy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1540"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1552,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1540\/revisions\/1552"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/drshellysingh.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}