How is personalised prenatal support an investment to my birth experience (and long term health)?

“As long as I am healthy and my baby is healthy”

I have heard almost every mother say this when we discuss their expectations for birth and usually my response is; “Define healthy. What does healthy mean for you? Mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically?" 

So often we underestimate that if a birth goes physically well then all else will be well, however, how a mother and her newborn are treated and supported will hugely determine the impact it has on a mother’s overall birth experience, wellbeing and recovery. 

Birth is likely to be the biggest, most significant event of your life and it is also likely to be one that will continue to influence you in many ways, for the rest of your life. 

Though we place our trust in external resources and the expertise of medical professionals, our boundaries, expectations of safety and feeling well will be assumed differently by everyone who is involved in our pregnancy, birth and postpartum journey. We can be so quick to assume that our care provider knows or understands what we may want or need and this is where the risk of experiencing trauma, depression, confusion and disappointment increases.

No one can guarantee us a perfect birth and we cannot have the chance of having the birth we want if we do not do not accept the responsibility to find out what that birth looks and feels like for us. 

We need to be able to recognise our own needs before we can voice them to others.

Top reasons to invest in prenatal care:

• To have a safe space to explore what you are feeling through each trimester and to receive validation of your experience as you embody the paradox journey of pregnancy.
• To receive personalised resources and education to help navigate unique decisions that will determine the outcome of your experience.
• To talk through emotions, wants, needs and to get clear on what is important to you. Having this clarity can help decision making during birth feel much less overwhelming and ensures your team are understanding of your expectations and boundaries. 
• Help you to make informed decisions around your prenatal/postpartum care and birth options.
• Receive referrals and information on supportive therapies to ensure optimal health during your pregnancy and preparing you for the safe arrival of your baby.
• Education to normalise birth as a biological process and a healthy, normal state of our reproductive cycle through basic understanding of how pregnancy and birth unfold, so you can develop the confidence in your body and its capabilities of birth.
• To help you feel confident to ask the questions that are right for you around routine medical procedures and requests in individualised care.

How we invest in our pregnancy through prenatal support will ultimately be revealed during birth and our postpartum recovery. Hold yourself accountable to gain clarity of your needs, learn about birth, build confidence in your decisions and speak to the importance of what matters to you.

Birth is not outside of us, it comes from within us.

To invest in your prenatal health and to feel foundationally supported in preparing for your birth, book a session with our Maternal Health Consultant, Vanessa Werner