HUFFPOST - What women wish they'd known before giving birth
This is a fabulous article by The Huffington Post. Things women wished they had known before giving birth.
I did hypnotherapy with my first and I really feel this helped me have a good labour and birth. It was 7 hours long and with my second he was almost born in the reception area. I had just arrived and within 5 minutes he was born. The midwife actually had to do a rugby style tackle to catch him.
I do feel that so much more could be done to help educate and prepare women for pregnancy and childbirth. The number one being KEGELS.......
I also did perineum massages from 6 months with both mine. Well I say me,....I had my husband do it. Basically, your vagina is going to be massively stretched and if you have not been 'warming it up' by gently stretching the vagina wall muscles leading up to birth they are not 'stretchy' enough. You wouldn't start lifting heavy weights or going for a very long endurance run without warming up your body muscles - This is exactly the same concept. Your vagina muscles need to be prepared. This also helps reduce tearing. Have your partner or yourself gently stretch the vagina wall muscles - use a lube also.
'Too frequently, women have no idea what to expect from birth until they’re pregnant. Sometimes, the truth isn’t even revealed until labour.
Ignorance may seem bliss, but without this knowledge, we’re unable to make informed, life-changing choices about our bodies and our babies. It really is quite staggering.'
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/giving-birth-in-lockdown-advice
