Getting ready for childbirth

Around 700,000 babies are born in the UK each year. In historical terms, it’s a great time to become a parent; mothers and their partners have greater access to information than ever before, while current technology and medical expertise can help them to have as healthy and positive experience of pregnancy and childbirth as possible.

However, there are still steps parents can take to enhance their experience of pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Not only can this be empowering, it can also increase your chances of feeling positive throughout the process.

Here at My BabyManual, we have compiled an amazing resource of articles and blogs to help you feel confident about the childbirth experience We recognise that, ultimately, successful childbirth planning is about being able to access the most comprehensive, up-to-date, expert-backed information, which can educate and empower parents-to-be.

Topics we cover include the following:

• What to take to the hospital
• When to go to the hospital
• Planning for a homebirth
• The home v hospital birth debate
• Stages of labour
• Dealing with complications
• Watching out for warning signs
• The role of the birth partner
• Who to have present at the birth
• The role of nutrition
• Exercising for childbirth
• Breathing through contractions

Childbirth – the most natural thing in the world!

Parents-to-be can make a real difference to their childbirth experience by being actively prepared. Yes, labour may be natural, after all, we have evolved to do it very successfully, but it can also be hazardous and frightening. For many women childbirth is actually more challenging than running a marathon; it can certainly last longer. We all know that marathon runners spend months preparing for a race, so it follows that there can be benefits from preparing for what is, by definition, one of life’s great events.

The more physically and mentally prepared you are, the better your chances become of enjoying a positive childbirth experience: fact. You are also more likely to recover in good time too so that you can bond with your baby and feel well during the postpartum period.

Here at My BabyManual we have a site packed full of resources for pregnant women, and their families, to help them prepare as successfully and calmly as possible for childbirth. Read on for help, advice and information from My BabyManual’s writers, and its expert doctors, midwives, obstetricians, nutritionists and more.