The birth marathon.

Though I would not consider myself an athlete, or a true "runner" for that matter, I did run a 5k race last spring for the very first time. It was completely and utterly exhilarated at the finish.  While a "5k" is a mere 3.14 miles (its okay, you true athletes out there can scoff a little), I did need to prepare myself for this, being that the farthest I had ever run before was about 2 miles. Ha. In the weeks leading up to the race, I tried to run daily, build my endurance, practice my breathing so I wouldn't get a side ache, and pace myself to go the distance. I ran a little farther each day so that I could be ready. When I crossed the finish line (no where close to being in first place, I might add), it felt amazing. I ran. The whole way. Without stopping. I may not have been the fastest, but I still finished. I was very proud of myself for that.  As spring has come around again, I have been thinking that I would love to experience that feeling again of pride and accomplishment, and how good my body feels after doing something like that. It makes me want to challenge myself to run a little longer race this time. Maybe train harder too.

                                                  My friend Hannah and I after the big race!

As I have been talking with some of my clients and other expectant mothers about birth lately, I cannot help being reminded that preparing for the birth process is SO much like preparing for a big race.  Can you imagine trying to run a marathon, without ever having run more than a mile or two in your life? That would be crazy. Yet, I see that a lot of women in our society aren't giving themselves the gift of preparing for birth like they could. Some women count on their doctor for all the childbirth education they need, "A Baby Story" and "What to Expect" as their go to information for birth, and the epidural for complete coping in labor and birth. How much more could they gain by truly taking the time needed to prepare for birth? Even women that have often spent a good amount of time preparing for their first baby, will see how much more valuable that can be for subsequent pregnancies. I don't want ANYONE reading this blog to find themselves in this place. I want you to feel empowered and equipped that if it is your first birth, you have dedicated yourself to preparing for your best birth possible. Then you can have no regrets.

Marathon runners have to prepare even more for their races. When I was looking around on the specifics about what they exactly "do" to train well, it is almost shocking how much it mirrors good preparation for the birth experience. One of the first things highlighted that I found was MOTIVATION. This is key to preparing for the birth process. If you want a beautiful birth, you need to be motivated to make it happen by finding the right care provider, the right birthing environment, and being prepared mentally and emotionally for this great task at hand. You also need to determine your GOALS. What is it that you want out of your birth? What is your birth plan? How do you make that happen?  NUTRITION is huge. If you are eating processed foods, lots of carbohydrates, sugar, caffeine, etc, how do you expect your body to go the distance in labor? You need to strive to feed the "machine" nourishing and vitamin rich sources of food both prenatally as well as during the labor process.  Finally, TRAINING your body physically can be huge. It is important to be in good physical shape for birth. What are you doing to prepare for that everyday? Walking? Yoga? Breathing exercises? Relaxation techniques? Just as it would be difficult to expect a body to run more than 26 miles if it wasn't prepared to do so, it is going to be difficult to handle the emotional and physical aspects of labor if you aren't prepared to do so.

I believe that every expectant mother can make these things a part of her weekly routine leading up to birth! Please give yourself that gift. Your body and your baby will thank you for it, and after the birth you may enjoy one of the most exhilarating moments you have ever had in your life.