89. Mentally Preparing for Labor and Delivery

Birth can be a beautiful experience, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t without fear and concerns. After hearing from our community, it’s evident that some women feel ready to go! While others feel excited to meet their baby but anxious about the labor and delivery process. We want you to know that ALL of those feelings are valid and so normal! Today’s podcast is going to be all about mentally preparing for labor and delivery. We’ll be going over some tips to help you feel more confident when it comes time to meet your baby! Our first major tip is to run towards your fears instead of away. Educating yourself with as many resources about your fear can help you feel empowered and prepared. Whether your fear is pain during birth, fear of needing a c-section, or fear you may not receive enough support from your partner, we will go over ways to approach these fears head on. Our second tip is to decide on the person who will be your continuous support person through the labor, delivery, and recovery process. Sometimes this is your partner, but for others that can be a person like your mom, sister, close friend, or doula. This support is not only huge for creating a positive experience, but it is backed by science to have improved outcomes for mom and baby! The final tip is to write a letter to yourself, express how you feel with your upcoming birth, and tell yourself how much you believe in yourself! We believe in you too!If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!Links & ResourcesSave on our Labor & Delivery Course with code PODCAST25 at checkout!Amy’s book recommendation: “The Birth Partner 5th Edition: A Complete Guide…”E + E Podcast Episode 16: Preparing Your Mind and Body For Labor + DeliveryExpecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout Expecting and Empowered WebsiteExpecting and Empowered InstagramThis episode was brought to you by the Pivot Ball Change Network.