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Since the first day of your pregnancy, get engaged in regular exercise and meditation. A daily practice of strengthening your body, improving flexibility and circulation, learning how to breathe properly, how to contract and relax your muscles effectively, and how to calm your mind and eliminate stress is imperative in preparing yourself for the coming labour and delivery. Consistent sessions of pregnancy yoga (read our article “Yoga for Pregnant Women”), daily walks in safe and unpolluted areas, quiet contemplation, light gardening, climbing stairs, and swimming are the most recommended activities to build necessary strength and relieve emotional and hormonal tensions, muscle pains, and stress.
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To avoid breech presentation, in which the child is oriented feet first, instead of a headfirst position, learn to relieve the tension in the lower area of your body. Breech presentation occurs in about three percent of pregnant women, and this condition almost always requires caesarean section. Women who experience elevated levels of stress, fear, and anxiety during pregnancy tend to be tight in the lower uterine segment. To prevent or correct breech presentation, you can try acupuncture, bio-energetic breathing, hypnosis, or relaxation techniques.
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Plan to deliver your baby in a place where you feel safe, stress-free, well-supported, and secure. While most modern hospitals can offer the highest level of medical support, some women will feel more comfortable giving birth in their familiar home environment, with a help of a skilful doctor or midwife. Family-centered maternity care centers can provide both excellent medical aid and the comforts of home.
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Consider hiring an experience, caring doula to “stand by” you during the hours of labour and delivery. The help of such person near you while giving birth cannot be overestimated. Studies show that having a “mothering’ doula in the delivery room greatly diminishes the risks of developing childbirth complications and having caesarean section.
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To prevent “sugar drops” during labour, consider sipping small amounts of freshly-squeezed fruit juice with a high potassium content, such as orange juice, enriched with amino acid l-glutamine.
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Some obstetricians, such as Dr. Christiane Northrup in her best-selling book Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom, discourage women from applying to a help of epidural anaesthesia during labour and delivery. Although this issue is controversial, the argument is that both the full-felt sensations and receptive mode are necessary for the most successful uterine functioning during childbirth. Epidural anaesthesia can completely eliminate the pain of delivery, but it also can prolong labour and trigger some complications, such as maternal fever or the baby turning to a wrong position. In addition, the use of anaesthesia can prevent the release of the “feel-good” neurotransmitter beta-endorphin, which is a natural anaesthetic produced by the woman’s body during and after the childbirth.
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