*Photo Credit Women World
Once I had decided I wanted a natural birth and had chosen a provider that I felt comfortable with I started to think about coping methods. I figured I probably couldn't just let D day (delivery day) arrive and assume I was just going to waltz through labor. They don't just give epidurals for fun.
Gavin's birth began with an induction and as soon as I started to feel contractions I asked for an epidural. I really never experienced labor. At all. So as I approached trying to find a coping method I felt at a loss of what to do because I didn't know what was going to work for me because I didn't know what to expect.
This is what all first time moms experience and even though I had already had a baby I felt as though I was like a first time mom. I realized that I would just have to study the different options and decide which one I felt the most comfortable with.
I came to this realization after I had nearly read all of Hypnobirthing: The Mongan Method. It was a good book and a great resource but in the end I didn't really see myself using hypnosis to cope. Who knows, it may be my method if choice for a later pregnancy but wasn't for this pregnancy.
In the end I decided to create my own method by simply learning and practicing different things that I thought would help me whether that was laboring in a certain position, visualizing something or having the hubs help (back tickling was at the top of the list. love me a good back tickle!). I essentially created a list of coping methods that I felt would be helpful to me.
In the end this strategy worked well for me. Labor for me this go round was actually fairly short and the number of coping methods needed were few but you can read all about what I actually used in Abigail's birth story.
What methods of coping have you studied? Used? Did you find them helpful? What did you like about them?
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