If I give one piece of advice for preparing for birth, it is to take a prenatal yoga class. It helps you connect with your baby, set the intention for your birth, and has so many other benefits. The benefits of prenatal yoga I felt were most important:
1) Yoga helps you gain the physical endurance needed for labor and birth. They say that giving birth is like running a marathon and speaking firsthand, I can attest to that. Yoga teaches you how to breathe deeply and consciously relax, birth is all about relaxing your mind and letting your body do exactly what it was made to do.
2) Prenatal yoga primes you for labor and childbirth. Conscious breathing, and focusing on the present moment (one breath at a time) helps you stay calm when you need it most. If you aren’t calm you produce less oxytocin (which helps labor progress).
3) Yoga actually lowers risks for you and your baby. Prenatal yoga lowers:
· your chance of having pregnancy complications
· your pain and stress levels
4) You can find a new momma community.
· You can meet other new momma (one of the most important things to have when you’re a new momma, the learning curve when you have a newborn is big)
· It’s nice to have others holding you accountable to attend