Preparing for the Birth

Congratulations on your pregnancy! This is a very exciting and special time. Did you know that during pregnancy, the baby will:

• Grow from 1/200 of an inch in diameter to a full-grown newborn baby. At some points during pregnancy, upwards of 50,000 neurons per second are produced.
• In the first month, go from the fertilized egg to an embryo 10,000 times bigger
• Feel everything the mom feels, since all the mom's hormones move through the baby's tiny body
• In the eighth week, form teeth, fingers, and toes
• In the sixth month, hear sounds and respond to stimuli outside the womb
• At birth,
• recognize his or her parents and even siblings based on sounds heard in the womb
• have a highly developed sense of smell
• feel pleasure, pain, and discomfort the same as we do.

While your baby is growing inside you, you're changing too:

• Your blood volume expands by 45-50%
• Your heart is displaced upwards and appears to increase in size by about 12%
• Your total lung capacity decreases and you begin to breathe faster
• Your kidneys increase in length and width
• Your weight increases, due to many changes including: the developing baby, the uterus, amniotic fluid, the placenta and membranes, changes in the breasts, and the increase in blood volume and other fluids
• Your skin, hair, and gums may change

In addition to physical changes, you may experience many emotional, physiological, social, spiritual, and relationship changes during pregnancy. It may be a time where you need extra support, or you may turn inward. If you've been pregnant before, that experience will profoundly shape what is occurring now. Midwives recognize that every pregnancy is unique. It's important to spend time really getting to know each woman and her story. A woman's well-being affects her physical health.

Diet and Exercise

One thing that midwives discuss in detail is the effect of diet on pregnancy and the developing baby. It is important to eat a healthy diet, rich in protein and full of vegetables and fruits. Good nutrition helps prevent many complications that can develop during pregnancy. Choose foods that are high in iron, calcium, vitamin C, and folic acid. Make sure you get enough water to drink.

Exercise is also important for a healthy pregnancy. Some good exercises to do during pregnancy include: swimming, walking, yoga and stretching, belly dancing, and pelvic floor exercises called Kegels. Near the end of your pregnancy there are exercises you can do to help the baby get into a good position for the birth. Talk to your midwife or care provider for more information.

Prenatal Visits

During your pregnancy you begin to have visits with your care provider. These prenatal visits can begin very early in the pregnancy. This is a time for you and your care provider to get to know each other. At Heartfelt Midwifery Services, we schedule prenatal visits every month until 28 weeks, every 2 weeks until 36 weeks, and then every week until the baby is born. At 36 weeks, the midwife and an assistant do a home visit with everyone attending the birth. This is a chance to familiarize ourselves with your home and birth supplies and to discuss your plans for the birth.

At every prenatal visit we talk about how the pregnancy is going. Nutrition, toxins to avoid, discomforts, and other concerns are discussed. We check your vital signs, measure your uterus, listen to the baby's heart rate, and check the baby's position through palpation of your belly. At a few points in your pregnancy your blood is drawn and/or your finger is poked to check your hemoglobin, blood type, and blood glucose level, and to look for certain antibodies. Partners, children, grandmothers and others are all welcome to attend prenatal visits. This is a fun time to answer questions and get to know the growing baby.

Childbirth Classes

We strongly recommend that you take natural childbirth classes. Clients of HMS are eligible for a discounted rate if you take our classes. If you are interested in natural childbirth, look for classes that discuss: birth plans, avoiding interventions, comfort measures for labor, options in newborn procedures, and breastfeeding.

Belly Art

Some women like to have a cast made of their pregnant bellies. This can later be painted or decorated if you wish. For more information about belly casting and about ceremonies that honor the expecting mother and/or father, contact us.

Consider a Doula

A doula is a labor support person. She can help you and your partner work together as a team during labor. She can also provide labor support for women who are birthing alone. A Doula knows many comfort measures for dealing with pain and is a great advocate for birthing women. She can be your personal cheerleader and can help act as a liaison between you and your care provider. She also helps to make sure that your care provider follows your birth plan and is respectful of your wishes. Studies have shown that with doulas you're less likely to have interventions in birth, such as c-sections, and more likely to have a natural birth. Doulas are great in all birth settings -- hospital, birth center, and home.

Heartfelt Midwifery Services invites clients with doulas to bring them to the 36-week home visit so that we can meet each other before the birth. Doulas are also welcome to attend HMS childbirth classes. We also can provide doula services instead of midwifery services if you are planning a hospital birth and are looking for a doula. Email midwifetanya@yahoo.com for more information.

Have a Happy and Healthy Pregnancy!