Here are a few useful tips about pregnancy and birth that I really benefited from. I’m not an expert and these tips are just things that worked well for me or that I wished people had told me. In any case, I’d encourage you to do your on research on these things and make your own decisions.
1) If this is your first baby, about 3 or 4 weeks before your baby is due, start using the Epi-no device. It is a birth training device that is designed to exercise the pelvic floor muscles and gradually stretch the perineum in preparation for the birth. It also strengthens the kegal muscles greatly. The goal is to prevent vaginal tears and to prevent the need for cutting (and therefore stitches after the birth). Personally, I felt that this device was an answer to prayer for me – it has been shown to dramatically reduce the duration of the pushing phase of labour, as well as prevent perineal damage at birth. In Israel, you can purchase one for about 600 NIS (the better model, which I would recommend) from Ilana Shemesh (email: shemesha@zahav.net.il, tel 08-9231719). Ilana recommends that you begin using it daily from week 36. Studies have shown that it is effective if you can use it for at least 11 days before you give birth. You can also use the Epi-no device after the birth to help recover the whole area. If you decide not to use the Epi-no, I strongly recommend at least doing kegal exercises as much as possible before your birth and afterwards too, to strengthen your muscles again. If you don’t know what kegal exercises are, just google it and you’ll soon find out!
2) I recommend blackstrap molasses as a good supplement during pregnancy and after birth, as it is full of B vitamins and iron (although the best sources of the most bio-available forms of iron are from animal sources). Eat lots of iron rich foods after the birth as your body has lost a lot of iron – red meats, nice chicken livers (cook them really slowly in lots of butter and a lot of onion!), molasses, dates, almonds, spinach, avocados, any dark green leafy vegetables. Runny egg yokes also contain a lot of B vitamins that your body will need. You’ll need to pull out all the stops and eat the most nutritious food that you can, especially after the birth, to help speed your recovery.
3) Don’t arrive at the hospital too early. Personally I waited until contractions were about 3 mins apart (I heard that this is fine to do for a first birth, maybe not advised for subsequent births which usually go quicker). Arriving a long time before the birth increases risk of unnecessary interventions at the hospital.
4) Do plenty of walking before the birth and during the labour itself keep as active as you can for as long as you can. Walking during the labour is said to make the labour easier.
5) Lying flat on the back during labour puts extra pressure on the perineum and increases risk of tearing. Try side lying (especially on the left side for increased circulation) if you can.
6) Drink a lot of water during late pregnancy to prevent constipation – try drinking even a lot more than what you would think is a lot! Drink a lot of water after the birth too, to try to avoid urinary infection that is very common after birth, very unpleasant and usually requires treatment by antibiotics. As an aside, here, I’d personally recommend other treatments for infection before you take antibiotics – always leave antibiotics for a last resort. See my article on diet for further information – basically 2 grams (2000 mg) of quality vitamin C (Ester C) does wonders for clearing infections, together with bee propolis drops in alcohol, and echinacea drops. If you are in early pregnancy, however, please do not take vitamin C supplementation (Ester C) – definitely not 2 grams a day, because it is likely to cause miscarriage. Once the pregnancy is established, definitely when your tummy is large at five months and on, this dose is safe and I took it with no problem. Some slight jaundice may be experienced in the newborn if supplementation continues until the birth, but this is a regular thing for many newborns in any case and should not be any problem. Babies recover from their newborn jaundice without any medication or supplementation in a few weeks. Garlic, tumeric, coconut oil and probiotic yoghurt, along with so many other natural things are also great infection fighters. By God’s grace these supplements cleared a Strep B infection for me during my second pregnancy. After the birth you will be breastfeeding (hopefully), which also requires a lot of water from the body.
7) Try avoiding too many sweet things during late pregnancy, as this can avoid putting unnecessary weight on the child, which would make the baby more difficult to deliver vaginally. I was avoiding sugar because I had high blood sugar levels and I’m sure that that was one of the reasons that our baby was born a bit on the small side (3 kilos). I don’t think avoiding sweet things can do any harm because cookies, chocolates, cakes etc don’t provide necessary nutrition – but do be sure and get plenty of good wholesome nutrition for you and your baby.
