After approximately 40 weeks of pregnancy, the mother begins to feel the signs that she is getting ready for childbirth. During this period, many pregnant women who are accompanied by healthcare professionals receive preparations for the moment of childbirth. There are some ways this preparation can occur, in relation to the physical and emotional issues of the pregnant woman, to ensure her experience is the best possible.

Therefore, we will show the main ways of preparing the pregnant woman for childbirth and their benefits, according to scientific evidence. Check it out!

Good practices for the pregnant woman to prepare for childbirth

According to a text from Tommy’s Pregnancy, there are at least five practices that the pregnant woman should have to ensure good preparation. 

1. Empower yourself

Throughout the pregnancy period, the woman goes through some specific psychological phases of pregnancy. In the first phase, she needs to accept her pregnancy and the difficulties that will arise throughout this process. In this case, the woman can look for books or specific classes for pregnant women about this moment she is going through to feel more confident with the process and more secure in accepting her new responsibility.

2. Prepare your mind

Although the first point is something that comes from mental preparation, be careful not to confuse it. When we talk about mental preparation, it means for the woman to take a more resilient stance towards fears, stories of childbirths that went wrong, and anxiety in pregnancy that may arise. Understanding that, despite living a moment common to many women, there are far more positive cases than negative ones, and understanding that her story is unique and having a positive expectation about what is to come will favor her emotional health.

3. Prepare your body 

Physical activities are a great way to combat stress and anxiety during pregnancy, reducing the incidence of stress hormones like cortisol. This applies to anyone and is no news to anyone. But for the pregnant woman, it also has other benefits.

Childbirth is an activity that demands high levels of endurance and energy to tolerate discomforts and continue with the whole process, and it can be exhausting as it may last several hours. Therefore, this body preparation also includes care with sleep quality, sexual activity, and nutrition.

One form of body preparation is Yoga. But to speak about this practice with authority, we interviewed Ailla Pacheco, a Specialist in Yoga, Psychology, and Neuro Meditation. Check it out!

What are the main contributions of yoga to people’s daily lives?

It is impossible to describe in a few words what Yoga is and all the benefits it provides, as they are numerous and depend on a subjective experience, making it essential to experience Yoga to understand it. 

Yoga is a philosophy of life developed over 5,000 years ago in India, and even today, it is recognized as one of the oldest and most complete systems used for the experience of self-knowledge. The word Yoga represents “reconnect”, “apply”, “union”, “communion” and its practice integrates physical, energetic, mental, emotional, and spiritual work.

Through physical postures (Asanas), breathing techniques (Pranayamas), purification (Kriyas), relaxation (Yoganidra), meditation (Dhyana), philosophical principles (Yamas and Niyamas), and others, the practitioner expands their connection with themselves, their strength, flexibility, health, and quality of life.

These benefits are not the objectives of the practice, but rather the consequences and results that develop over time. Among the greatest benefits experienced in the practice of Yoga, we can highlight: 

– Reduction of stress and anxiety;

– Contribution to mental health;

– Increase in quality of life;

– Development of self-knowledge;

– Encouragement of self-analysis and self-management;

– Increase in focus and concentration.

Can yoga be practiced by pregnant women?

Yes, however, in this case, it is important that the professional is specialized in Yoga for pregnant women and works individually with their students since each one is in a different gestational phase and naturally will have different needs. 

Is there any time during pregnancy when a woman cannot practice yoga?

No. Yoga can be practiced in any gestational phase, however, the first 3 months require special care.

It is always important for the Yoga Teacher to study each student’s clinical case, consulting the medical professional accompanying them, aiming to discover if there is any physical restriction for the student’s practice.

Even when the student has physical restrictions, other Yoga techniques can be explored, such as breathing and meditation. Therefore, it is so important that the teacher is specialized, to understand the different demands that may arise and how to make the necessary adaptations.

Now that this point is explained, let’s move on to the next practice of preparing the pregnant woman for childbirth.

4. Practice relaxation techniques

Another good practice is the use of relaxation techniques with controlled breathing. They have the potential to control anxiety levels and keep the pregnant woman in a greater state of tranquility.

There are three techniques that can be performed for this purpose. 

One of them is Jacobson’s Progressive Relaxation. In this technique, the pregnant woman is encouraged to contract specific muscles of the body and relax, starting with the feet, then the leg muscles, and going in this direction from bottom to top, three times. The important thing is to do this while breathing, contracting while inhaling, and relaxing while exhaling. This allows the pregnant woman to assimilate these muscle contractions at the time of childbirth so that when she feels a contraction, she inhales, and when she relaxes, she exhales.

Meanwhile, Benson’s Relaxation Response has a quick application and requires no prior preparation. It works with verbal suggestions, such as mantras that are repeated constantly to guide exhalation and inhalation. An example of a mantra would be the word “one” which will always be mentioned when exhaling. 

The third and last is Schultz’s Autogenic Training. It is a kind of self-hypnosis practice for the pregnant woman to put suggestions to herself with words, weights, heat, contractions, to control body parts from bottom to top. 

5. Learn more about childbirth planning

Clearing all doubts about the childbirth process is important, even so that the pregnant woman can feel more prepared for childbirth. Furthermore, according to the Australian hospital The Womens, it is important for the pregnant woman to include some of her wishes during childbirth planning. See some suggested questions that can be answered:

• Would you like to have a natural childbirth?;
• Would you like it to be as natural as possible?;
• Would you like some pain relief to be available?;
• Do you have a preference for one analgesic over another?;
• What kind of support would you like to have?;
• Who would you like to be at your childbirth?;
• Would you like your childbirth to be in water (in the shower or bathtub)?;

Hypnosis as preparation for childbirth

According to a publication in the Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, Grantly Dick Read, observing a case of a pregnant woman who did not have pain during childbirth, even without anesthetics, simply by believing that childbirth should not hurt and that she would not feel pain, led him to study the applications of hypnosis for preparing the pregnant woman for childbirth.

In one of his studies, Read found conclusions about the “Fear – Tension – Pain” triad as being responsible for discomfort and pain during childbirth. He states that there will be factors that influence the pain in a woman’s childbirth, as they contribute to intensifying feelings of fear and anguish. These factors can be superstition, civilization, and culture.

From this, he began developing the idea, showing how he could address this triad so that the pregnant woman would not feel pain. One of his statements was about breathing, as it seemed to be an important path to good health. He developed breathing exercises to reduce the physical and emotional tension of the woman, making natural childbirth easier and thus reducing the woman’s body pain.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), with small considerations from the Sociedade Brasileira de Hipnose (SBH), hypnosis can be defined as a state of consciousness [intentionally induced] that involves concentrated attention and reduced peripheral awareness, characterized by an increased capacity for response to suggestion. In this state, the subject is led to experience changes in sensations, perceptions, thoughts, or behavior [goal-oriented].

Based on this concept, hypnosis can be used from the beginning of pregnancy, and it can provide benefits on various levels.

A study by the University of Arizona College of Medicine, titled “Hypnosis to Facilitate Uncomplicated Birth”¹, demonstrated that women who underwent childbirth preparations with hypnosis experienced greater relief from nausea, anxieties, fears, and negative beliefs, as well as a reduced sensation of pain and other discomforts. 

They also had a reduced number of cesarean deliveries, use of oxytocin for labor induction, and reduced use of sedatives, analgesics, and anesthetics. 

¹(Lewis E. Mehl-Madrona MD, PhD (2004) Hypnosis to Facilitate Uncomplicated Birth, American Journal of Clinical Hypnosis, 46:4, 299-312)   

See the table below with the obtained results.

Thus, hypnosis enhances good practices in preparing the pregnant woman for childbirth, promoting results that do not require medication. This shows how hypnosis can be a facilitator in the pregnancy process and in promoting better experiences for the woman. However, it is important to emphasize that it is always necessary for the pregnant woman to consult her trusted doctor about procedures and therapeutic follow-ups at the time of childbirth!

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This publication is also available at: Portuguese (Brazil) Spanish