Pregnancy to Labour

1. As you approach 37 weeks most care providers ask you to register your birth in the hospital by now and ensure that your baby’s growth is ok. They might want to do vaginal checks or swabs. You have the right to refuse a check if there has been no complications during your pregnancy and you are completely informed about its benefits & risks. You can also choose to opt out of an ultrasound if you feel it is unnecessary as there is no conclusive evidance that it does not harm the foetus. Some hospitals and doctors only intervene at the end of the birth as the major role is played by a midwife in the hospital. This is infact very a very good practice.

2. Your care provider may call you for a routine induction that usually happens around 38 weeks, this is a routine protocol in most hospitals, if there is no complications then you are not required to be induced as the risks are more than the benefits unless medically necessary. The best time to birth your baby is after 39 weeks because most part of the development happens during the final weeks of your last trimester.

3. During your last few weeks nearing your labour, you might notice a mucus plug just like that of a vaginal discharge, it is transparent might be tinged with blood or might be greenish yellow, it might come out altogether or but by bit but it is still not yet time to go to the hospital. However It is an important indicator that your labour is near and you can start preparing for it by having dates, birth ball exercises, relaxation, breathinga and preparing your hospital bag.

4. If you notice a gush of water or trickle timely it might be wise to wait it out before rushing to the doctor, this means labour can begin any moment or your might be already having the contractions but they have not become closer and regular so you can still wait at home till they become closer and intense. But if you feel no movement of your baby then it is best to go to the hospital and continue your labour there.

Labour has begun, Labour to Birth

The contractions have become closer and more intense and you are in your first stage of labour. You will be able to walk, talk and eat during this time as time progress you will doon reach the transition stage which is the most difficult yet the shortest. Your previous emotional baggage can manifest im you during this stage, this is why it is very important to solve and leave behind any negativity before you begin your labor preparation. Your husband is your pillar of support. Communicate and collaborate to make this labour and your birth a beautiful dream experience.

Birth to Breastfeeding (till Established)

Now that you have had a dream birth, an Empowered mom is born! Your baby’s umbilical cord can be cut only after it has stopped pulsating and the final push you give, is to push our your placenta. It is best to keep the mom and baby close, providing skin to skin contact and initiate breastfeeding within the first hour of birth. This will help reduce many upcoming challenges in breastfeeding that most moms face when the right timing of skin to skin contact is not practiced.

Allah has beautifully designed the birthing and breastfeeding process, when you have faith in your lord you are able to birth a human uneventfully and confidently!

Trusting your instincts is vital during pregnancy, labour, birth and postpartum. You may not see any milk come in the immediate hours of giving birth because it’s only drops and it is colustrum, even drops of it is enough for a newborn. Your hospital might want to substitute with formula (for no medical reason) which can harm the gut of your baby and also be addictive for a newborn who can eventual refuse your breast if this is initiated. The trick is to just check if your baby urinated and pooped and the color of the black meconium changes gradually to yellow. That’s it! There is no need fo regular sugar tests or this or that to be sure if baby is thriving, the baby will thrive if the above practices are not interrupted!

Now you have got that little one home, you and your husband are excited, thrilled, elated yet a whole new responsibility prevails majorly over you, being prepared for sleepless nights, changing continuous diapers, eating really well are your top priority in your list. Your husband and family are your expected biggest support system who can make or break your confidence to breastfeed exclusively up until your baby reaches 6months old. It is important to plan and communicate your feelings, plans, what to expect after birth before you give birth so that your family is prepared to support you deserve. Breastfeeding counselors and lactation consultants are in your hand reachable whenever you need. It becomes easy when you can understand your baby’s behavior uptill 3months as this will reduce postpartum depression to a large extent.

A husband who has the knowledge can make informed decisions and advocate for his wife during the above stages of her pregnancy and postpartum and help make her Motherhood an extremely cherished experience that she will want to have many dream births in the future.