How to Prepare for a Positive, Physiological Birth Experience
The Body Ready Method® is drastically changing birth outcomes for moms.
If you want to build confidence within your body, mind, and spirit and set a strong foundation for having a positive birth experience, then you’re in the right place.
Pregnancy is a huge physical journey, momma.
So as an expecting mom, why are you not given the tools you need to appropriately and adequately support your body through this process?
An empowered pregnancy should include specific childbirth education about your pregnant body including support with the core, pelvic floor, upper body mobility, pelvis, and body alignment.
Pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery is a marathon not a sprint. So, momma, prepare yourself for the journey ahead.
Here you'll learn how to optimize your birthing experience and have the physiological birth that you want simply by creating alignment in your body.
Sound like a birth you want in on?
Read on!
What is Physiological Birth?
Physiological birth, according to the New England Women & Infants Hospital, "is characterized by spontaneous onset and progression of labor and includes the conditions that promote effective labor."
A study published in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, & Neonatal Nursing found that there are 6 care practices that can encourage physiological birth, which create safe environments for moms to have a more positive experience in labor, delivery, and early postpartum.
These care practices are:
Avoid medically unnecessary labor induction
Allow freedom of movement during labor
Provide continuous support
Avoid routine interventions and restrictions
Encourage spontaneous pushing in nonsupine positions
Keep mom and baby together after birth without restrictions on breastfeeding
So, momma, if a positive, physiological birth experience is what you're after then you 1.) need to surround yourself with a birth team who will uphold these care practices for you, and 2.) prepare your body during pregnancy accordingly.
How can you prepare for a positive, physiological birth experience?
The short answer: prepare yourself.
Our long answer: The Body Ready Method® (aka BRM® ).
We are proud to be one of three Body Ready Method® professionals trained in the state of Indiana.
This training is unlike anything I have ever been exposed to when it comes to support through all phases of pregnancy, labor, and delivery. As a doula and trained BRM® pro I understand how to help your body create more resilience, strength, and mobility. I help encourage your body to have a more functional pregnancy and efficient birth. I’m well-versed in the pelvic floor, so I can uniquely support you during every stage of labor by helping you balance space within your pelvis and the surrounding soft tissues.
If you take away one thing from all of this momma, let it be that preparing your body prior to delivery can drastically change the birth experience you have.
What is The Body Ready Method®?
BRM® is a movement-based technique that focuses on creating alignment in the body prior to labor, which allows mommas to correct issues that may present during labor ahead of time to optimize your birth experience.
Usually alignment issues that come up are related to how your body has overcompensated or adapted to deal with the physical changes of pregnancy. These can include anterior or posterior tilted pelvis, duck feet, rib flares, etc., all of which can impact how efficiently your birth can go.
With BRM® prior to delivery you can get to the root of issues that might slow down labor or lead to other possible interventions that can interfere with the physiological process of your birth.
Maternity Services that Optimize Your Labor and Delivery
Whether you are choosing an unmedicated or medicated birth, BRM® can prepare you for a positive experience.
Since using the Body Ready Method® with the mommas I serve, I've seen drastic changes in the way their birth has progressed, including:
Shorter active labor times
Decrease in time pushing
Decrease in C-section rates
Minimal tearing
Faster postpartum recovery
Ultimately, when you have the prenatal support and childbirth assistance you need to identify where there might be challenges before labor ever begins, you will find yourself supported and prepared to have the birth that you want!
In 5 of my recent hospital births (June 2023), I witnessed the following changes in my mommas' labor and deliveries:
Active Labor
On average, active labor lasts between 4-8 hours for most women.
With The Body Ready Method®, the average length of active labor with these 5 recent clients was 3 hours and 16 minutes.
Pushing Times
Pushing times can vary between women. Most first time moms can expect to push for a few hours.
With The Body Ready Method®, the average length of active labor with these 5 recent clients was 28 minutes!
The moral of the story here?
Birth is a physiological process, and momma, your body is so wise and so powerful. It knows what to do. Sometimes, your body just needs a little encouragement to be reminded of this.
Through these low risk, easily accessible tools within BRM®, you are able to prepare yourself for birth. And momma, it's through preparation that you can set yourself up to have a positive, physiological birth.
If you're pregnant, my doula advice to you is to create a powerful birth team now. Find maternity services and resources that lifts you up with prenatal support and childbirth education, so you can be empowered to bring your baby into the world the way that you want to give birth.
Xo!
Lauren
