Joy in Birthing

Natural Childbirth

Here are some questions parents might want to explore before they make such a life-altering decision as having a child.

1. Do I live consciously?

How often do you say: “I can’t believe I did that?” or, “That wasn’t me!”

If you find yourself saying that over and over again, you obviously check out, and behave from a place that is outside your self. Conscious living is a prerequisite for conscious procreation.

2. Why do I want a child?

We all know of couples whose relationship is on the fritz who decide that a child might just be the solution. Other procreate because they feel they are getting too old to wait any longer, others yet want to manifest the fruit of their love through procreation. While some of these reasons seem immediately wrong, other may seem quite romantic. Having a child to seal the love of two people is certainly a great reason to have a child, but not without preparation.

3. How is my relationship today? If you choose to have a child on your own ask yourself how healthy is my relationship with myself?

Come together with your partner and look into your relationship. A healthy pregnancy, labor and delivery, and healthy parenting must stand on strong relationship foundations. Even if the relationship is with oneself.

Self-examination and self-healing prior to do anything as significant as getting married or conceiving a child can be done using the Nine Basic Human Rights, as described in my book Painless Childbirth or using the Nine Basic Human Rights workbook, consider getting A Conscious Conception self-hypnosis CD to anchor positive reinforcement, also available at www.joyinbirthing.com.

Once the inner work is done, it follows to look at the practical application of conception.

Conception Elements

Know thy cycle?

The more you know about your menstrual cycle, the easier it will be for you to pinpoint your most fertile days. You may find it useful to start keeping a menstrual calendar, noting the day on which your period starts, the day when it ends, any pre-ovulatory symptoms you notice, and so on; and to learn how to monitor your three key fertility signals: the quantity and quality of your cervical mucus (you’re most fertile when your mucus is abundant and egg white in texture), the position and feel of your cervix (it’s located high in the vagina and is soft and fleshy during your most fertile days) and fluctuations in your basal body temperature (your temperature will jump once ovulation has occurred). Familiarizing yourself with the ‘feel’ of your cervix will help you be in control of your labor later on.

Make love on the right days?

This may sound like a no-brainer, but mistimed procreation can wreak havoc on your plans to conceive. You’re at your most fertile during the five days leading up to and the 12 hours following ovulation. If you miss this window of opportunity, it’s game over for another month.

Have unbelievably great sex?

This is one part of the procreation prescription you won’t mind filling! While it may sound too good to be true, there seems to be some hard science to back up this bit of advice. Researchers have found that a suction effect is created when the female partner achieves orgasm, something that causes the cervix to draw sperm into the vagina more efficiently. Since this can help to transport sperm from the highly acidic vaginal environment as quickly as possible, it may help to ensure the survival of the maximum number of sperm. Consider exploring the ancient art of Tantra, discover your g-spot and teach your partner how to pleasure you.

Don’t get too much of a good thing?

Not only can attempting to make love each day during your most fertile period be physically and mentally draining: it doesn’t do much to increase your odds of conceiving. And if your partner has a marginal sperm count, your doctor is likely to recommend an “every other day” procreation regime anyway.

Create a sperm-friendly vaginal environment?

Avoid vaginal sprays, scented tampons and artificial lubricants, all of which may interfere with your procreation plans.

Don’t hop out of bed right away

While it’s not necessary to elevate your bottom with pillows or go to other extreme measures to give the sperm a head start, it’s a good idea to remain in a horizontal position for at least five minutes after you’ve finished making love. After all, gravity is a pretty formidable adversary for sperm.

Remember that conception is a numbers game

You can do everything “right,” but still not manage to conceive the first time around. Studies have shown that it takes normal, fertile couples an average of six months to conceive, and most doctors consider anything up to one year to be well within the range of normal.

Preparing to Get Pregnant

See your doctor

It’s a good idea to meet with your doctor if you have tried to conceive for a year with no results. That way, any health problems that could impact your pregnancy can be dealt with before you become pregnant, also you will need to know what to address in an hypnotherapy sessions.

Make sure that any medications you’re taking are safe for use during pregnancy your doctor may want to fiddle with your dosage or switch you to another drug that’s safer for the developing baby.

Have a pap smear

The ideal time to schedule a pap test is before you start trying to conceive. That way, should anything abnormal show up, you and your doctor would be able to deal with the problem prior to, rather than during, your pregnancy.

Deal with any workplace hazards

If your job requires a lot of heavy lifting or exposure to dangerous chemicals, you might want to talk to your employer about modifying your work arrangements before you start trying to conceive.

Get to a healthy weight

Studies have shown that women who are significantly over- or underweight face an increased risk of infertility and that overweight women face an increased risk of requiring a cesarean delivery or experiencing other pregnancy-related complications.

Start taking folic acid

Your baby needs a whole cocktail of nutrients in order to grow and develop, including folic acid — a “miracle nutrient” that has been shown to dramatically reduce the incidence of such neural tube defects as anencephaly and spina bifida if taken in the months leading up to and during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Kick any bad habits

It’s best to avoid both alcohol and cigarettes from the moment you start trying to conceive. Ditto for street drugs: they’re just plain bad news for babies and mothers-to-be.

Go slow when it comes to caffeine

Research has indicated that excessive caffeine consumption can impair a woman’s fertility and may increase her risk of miscarriage. If you can’t swear off your morning coffee entirely, you might want to limit your consumption to one to two cups per day.