How I'm Preparing for Childbirth During Pregnancy and How You Can Too

How I'm Preparing for Childbirth During Pregnancy and How You Can Too

If you're anything like me, you've probably looked up so many things to ensure you are doing what you can throughout your pregnancy to help prepare for childbirth. Especially if this is your first time, like it is mine! I have compiled here in this article what I have done during my 35 weeks of being pregnant so far, along with things I plan to do. I have come across so many resources and I just know that this information can be very helpful for you during your journey as well. We must first innerstand that to accomplish true preparation for the arrival of our children, a wholistic approach needs to be taken regarding this matter. This approach requires not only physical preparation, but mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial. I will share resources that can help you in each of these aspects. Be mindful to not overwhelm yourself and take it easy during this condition. Be reasonable with what you decide to do and take small steps within this approach by seeking to accomplish at least one thing in each category daily if referencing this article for the preparation of your own pregnancy journey.

Mental Preparation

As you know, all is mind! Everything is mental. We engrain habits, feelings, lifestyles and so much more into our subconscious and conscious fields of the mind daily. While pregnant, what you think of consistently not only shapes the present moment and future for you but also your baby. Energy flows where your mind goes, so it is super important to prioritize mental preparation throughout this journey. I've done this in a variation of ways, utilizing a ton of resources through the following actions:

  • Keep a mental state of gratitude. Through the Ups and Downs.
    • I've made it a habit to interrupt my complaining with reasons I am still grateful, and it definitely helps to keep my mind right. I've also had a practice of keeping a small gratitude journal and writing down what I am grateful for daily. I've had my consistent days although I admittedly didn't stay completely disciplined.
  • Affirmations
    • I personally believe there's more power to affirmations that you create vs. simply copying other affirmations out there. I wrote down affirmations to say in general and affirmations for my birth. Recording the affirmations on the Podcast app, Anchor, and adding frequency music to the background is my typical go to. I'd listen to it and speak my affirmations along with my recording 3 times.
  • Read books!
    • The main 3 books that I've read so far have been very informational and I feel much more prepared after reading the material that I have. I got one from the library, bought one off of amazon, and a lady gave me the other one for free. I highly recommend getting them in whatever way you can as it is truly informational. You can find them and their descriptions here:
  • Watch YouTube Videos
  • Follow informative Instagram Pages
Physical Preparation

It is so evident that during this journey, us as wombmen are affected in every possible way. Among the ways we are affected, physical affects become the most apparent due to the stretching of our bodies to form these huge bellies carrying a lifeform to full term. The back pains, inner body adjustments, shortness of breath and much more physicality's that we endure puts an emphasis on just how much work we have to do in the physical arena of preparation. Below is a list of things I have done and a few things I will do going forward to make sure I am good in this area.

  • Lots of Water!
    • Water is vital for a healthy and successful pregnancy. It helps prevent preterm labor and ensures your baby reaches optimal health before their entrance to earth. It can seem hard to intake the amount necessary, but this pregnancy water bottle right here helped me make sure I did. I highly suggest it! Belly Bottle Pregnancy Nutrition...https://amzn.to/3xujbrn
  • Prenatal Yoga
    • Yoga is a life changer! It's so therapeutic and good for your body and your baby. When I was most consistent with my yoga was when I set a goal of at least 5 minutes a day. This resulted in me doing yoga every day for a couple of months with the exception of a few days. This Yoga app was among my greatest investments during pregnancy. I believe they'll offer you a free trial, but I highly recommend investing into it. https://downdog-prenatal.app.link/share
  • Prenatal Workouts
    • Working out makes it so much easier to labor. This app was perfect for me while doing prenatal specific workouts that were more challenging. https://mbsy.co/67w7T3
  • Prenatal Chiropractor 
    • Going to a prenatal chiropractor has made me feel confident in making sure baby is in the proper place for birth. It also helps to keep your baby in alignment.
  • Kegel Exercises
  • Perineal Massage
    • This is something you can also do to help prevent tearing throughout the third trimester! You can reference a video I saved to the YouTube playlist I shared above to get in depth knowledge on how to properly do it.
  • Walking
    • I'm sure you know how beneficial walking is in general, but it is especially beneficial during pregnancy. I enjoy walking at parks, doing a small hike, or simply walking around my apartment. 
  • Yoga/Birth Ball
    • Utilizing this can help get baby in the proper position, help with labor poses and even help with back pain! There are also more videos on the playlist I shared above that goes in depth on how to utilize a yoga ball for birth preparation.
  • Pregnancy Pillow
    • There are various days and nights where my pregnancy pillow seemed to have really saved my life due to how much pain I'd feel for sleeping on my left side so much. You can find them at many places in-store and online. I've also seen plenty of people give some away. This is what I had purchased:
  • Tea
  • Dates
    • Dates are known to help your womb prepare for childbirth as it can help provide elasticity. It is suggested to eat between 2-4 daily. I like to add mine to smoothies so that it tastes good to me. You can find these at most grocery stores as well.
  • Supplements
Spiritual Preparation

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23 This is a scripture my Memmaw made me repeat daily before bed growing up until it was rooted enough within me to cite it without looking at the scripture through memory. I've kept it with me throughout my spiritual journey despite whatever title I had. I still believe it to be true. These fruits feed spirit daily and it is important we keep feeding our spirits these good fruit throughout our pregnancy. I've done the following to maintain the nurturing of my spirit within my journey thus far:

  • Practiced maintaining a meditative state
    • Meditating and being in the present moment truly connects you to Spirit within
  • Spoke to and reverenced Spirit guides
    • It may be prayer to you, or simply manifestation. However, you identify it, it can truly be powerful. I always speak to and reverence my spirit guides before eating and when feeling in abundant states of gratitude.
  • Breathwork 
    • Intentional breathing is so transformative and directly connects you to spirit. It will also prove beneficial during pregnancy. I encourage researching breathwork as well as downloading an app called OAK that gives you guided breathing sessions you'll love.
  • Applied visualization and belief
    • Having faith in your journey and in your childbirth is very magical and spiritual. It goes beyond what is physically present in the moment and expands to what is spiritually present in the ethereal realm. 
  • Read or watch something that touches your spirit 
    • Whether it is sacred text or spiritual videos there ae plenty of resources I've come across that felt intentional and touched my soul.
Emotional Preparation

Our hormones have us emotional against our personal wishes at times and we can become so sensitive. I experienced this and I am sure many have heard plenty of stories about how much women's emotional state fluctuates throughout pregnancy. After reading books and doing lots of research, an important fact that stood out regarding our pregnancy is that the amniotic fluid changes based on the emotions a mother feels while carrying their child. The baby will literally feel everything that you feel. Knowing this, I took it upon myself to do the following for emotional stability:

  • Listen to frequency music
    • Subliminal music you may purchase and frequency music from YouTube can not only add to emotional and mental stability for yourself but can add to the intelligence of your baby if listening to baroque music.
  • Join communities of women on the same path through apps and Facebook
    • I've joined many groups on Facebook ranging from breastfeeding groups, cloth diapering groups, Pregnant Moms expecting in 2022, plus more. There’s so many out there! I suggest looking for some Facebook groups within your city/state as well. 
    • I’ve also joined these 2 apps for aspiring Moms, soon to be Moms, and seasoned Moms. Seeing that you’re not alone can be helpful, and many give good advice. You can find these apps here:
  • Create a song and sing it
    • There is an African tradition where mothers would create a song for their baby to carry with them throughout their lifetimes through the good and hard times. This song would be sung while the baby was in the womb and during the delivery of the baby. It was also sung after baby was born to help keep them calm and to remember forever. I love the one I’ve created. It is very meaningful and wasn’t hard at all. I’m super excited about carrying out this tradition within our family.
  • Talk to baby
    • Talking to your baby reminds you that you aren’t alone and that you have a reason to uphold emotional stability. You now have a little one depending on you. Assuring them and yourself that everything will be fine can prove to be very peaceful.
  • Write in journal or speak to yourself through a personal and private podcast
    • Sometimes you have to let it all out, and who better to innerstand you than yourself? Writing to myself and/or talking to myself through my Anchor app has helped me so many times with my emotions, it can help change your perspective and lift you up much more.
Financial Preparation 

Having a baby is not cheap. At all. This is why it's important to be extra considerate of what you do and how you do things going forward so that you are able to stretch finances as much as you can. My partner and I have already saved so much money doing the following:

  • Take advantage of free giveaways!
    • Downloading this app has changed my life for the better in so many ways. There’s so much things people are giving away that they haven’t used, barely used, or no longer need. What is available is based on the area you’re in. We’re in a pretty nice area around a lot of middle class folk and we have come up on lots of baby items and other beneficial items.
  • Utilize apps like Offer Up, and more!
    • Offer Up has also helped us save thousands of dollars on key quality items. Some sell things they’ve never used or have barely used. Just search for what you’re looking for in search bar and you may find what you need at a very affordable price.
      • Download OfferUp and other apps on your AppStore 
  • Look into any online auctions that may take place in your area.
    • We’ve also been able to save thousands on big and important items for our baby through this auction site called Nellis. Most things are returns and never used, barely used. You can search up online auctions in your area or if in Phoenix or Las Vegas you can access this link: 
  • Consider Cloth Diapering and Elimination Communication
    • These are two practices that can significantly reduce cost throughout the years. Cloth diapering prevents you from buying millions of disposable diapers and offer many other benefits that can be shown on my YouTube playlist that was shared earlier. Elimination Communication is listening and watching for cues from your infant on when they have to use the restroom and taking them to potty to prevent them using restroom in diaper. It’s basically potty training from birth! I also have videos showing this process within the playlist I shared earlier in this article.
  • Have a Baby shower early enough to know what to get later
    • Baby showers are so helpful when you have loved ones willing to contribute to the mass expenses that come with having a child. Choosing to host one sooner than later can help you decide on what you will get in time for baby’s arrival.
  • Consider Freelancing
    • Having a newborn will require more time than what could be available if keeping a previous full time job. Working remotely on your own time can guarantee that you are generating income and providing your baby with enough quality time to help their development.

I feel more confident bringing my divine baby in this world after doing these things and I hope it adds to your confidence as well. Feel free to send me feedback on this article or send suggestions on what could be added to help other expectant mothers in our Wombman community! You can send this feedback to this email: thewisewombman@gmail.com

Sending much love, peace, joy and abundance and best wishes if you are also having a baby soon! 


Author:

Owner and Founder

Klarissa Parker 

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