Prior to the birth of Noah, my wife and I took a birth class which I highly recommend. Here are the high level takeaways
- Take a birth class, being an informed consumer helps reduce anxiety and improves decisions
- A doula is nice birth team member if you can afford it
- The cost can run from $500 – $4000, depending on number of births and experience
- Average is $1000-2000 depending on package, how pre / post visits etc…
- Our doula was amazing from the birth plan, to support with delivery, to helping my wife learn how to breast pump
- Term – Normal term is 37-42 Weeks
- Labor takes a long time, a lot of it is hanging out, which want to do mostly around your house to:
- stay comfortable
- avoid walking around the hospital
- avoid medical interventions
- Go to the hospital when contractions are 5:1:1, and not before (minutes apart:duration of contraction:pattern has been consistent for an hour)
- Mobility
- An epidural stops your mobility since you’re hooked up to it, mobility overall is nice, and not advertised much since the hospital staff by default will have you stay in the bed
- To that end different positions help get the baby out (see illustration above of kneeling)
- Western Doctors are used to catching babies with women on their backs, but thats not the easiest for the woman to deliver in (gravity is not on your side)
- Learn the techniques of massage and lower back pressure relief as these come in handy for the laboring mother
- Knowing more about the stages of birth makes it less scary
- Recovery for the mother takes a full year