67. Prepping Your Mind For Labor and Delivery
08/28/24 • 23 min
Today is a solo episode from one of your hosts, me, Amy! As a trained doula, Registered Nurse, and mom of three, I feel confident we can provide you with some strategies in today’s episode to help you create a positive mindset around your upcoming labor and delivery. Mindset is aways trainable!
Something we encourage you to do is to learn about the birthing process. We’ve linked some of our previous episodes for you below about the different stages of labor and women’s birth stories. I also share my favorite book and documentaries to watch if that interests you more! By doing this research, you’ll know what is normal and expected during labor but also be prepared to know what options you have as the laboring mama.
The second tip I wanted to cover with you today is about yourSELF. How do YOU like to be encouraged during times of stress? I share with you some positive feedback quotes I learned in my doula training that you can share with your birthing support person if you feel they resonated with you and can help you during your birth. And also choose a couple key phrases to encourage yourself during the labor process.
My third tip to help you work on your birthing mindset is to write a letter to yourself. As if you were writing this to your best friend, detail what your birth plan is and fill it with loving, positive affirmations to yourself. Encouraging your future self that you can do it and meet your baby! Finally, my last tip is to protect this new positive birth mindset you have created. Everyone will have an opinion about your birth plan, and it may not always be encouraging. Step away from conversations or online content if you feel it isn’t beneficial to your mindset.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!
Links & Resources
Expecting and Empowered Episode 24 - Empowering Your Labor and Delivery
Expecting and Empowered birth story episodes: Episode 3, episode 5, episode 10, episode 15, episode 19, and episode 32
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
Expecting and Empowered App - Check out our Labor Day Sale and enter code ‘LABORPOD25’ at checkout!
Today is a solo episode from one of your hosts, me, Amy! As a trained doula, Registered Nurse, and mom of three, I feel confident we can provide you with some strategies in today’s episode to help you create a positive mindset around your upcoming labor and delivery. Mindset is aways trainable!
Something we encourage you to do is to learn about the birthing process. We’ve linked some of our previous episodes for you below about the different stages of labor and women’s birth stories. I also share my favorite book and documentaries to watch if that interests you more! By doing this research, you’ll know what is normal and expected during labor but also be prepared to know what options you have as the laboring mama.
The second tip I wanted to cover with you today is about yourSELF. How do YOU like to be encouraged during times of stress? I share with you some positive feedback quotes I learned in my doula training that you can share with your birthing support person if you feel they resonated with you and can help you during your birth. And also choose a couple key phrases to encourage yourself during the labor process.
My third tip to help you work on your birthing mindset is to write a letter to yourself. As if you were writing this to your best friend, detail what your birth plan is and fill it with loving, positive affirmations to yourself. Encouraging your future self that you can do it and meet your baby! Finally, my last tip is to protect this new positive birth mindset you have created. Everyone will have an opinion about your birth plan, and it may not always be encouraging. Step away from conversations or online content if you feel it isn’t beneficial to your mindset.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!
Links & Resources
Expecting and Empowered Episode 24 - Empowering Your Labor and Delivery
Expecting and Empowered birth story episodes: Episode 3, episode 5, episode 10, episode 15, episode 19, and episode 32
The Birth Partner by Penny Simkin
Expecting and Empowered App - Check out our Labor Day Sale and enter code ‘LABORPOD25’ at checkout!
Previous Episode
66. Minimalism Doesn't Mean Getting Rid of Everything - Just the Right Things with @minimalistmomspodcast
We are so excited to have Diane Boden from the Minimalist Moms on the podcast today. After feeling like she wanted to live more intentionally and simply, Diane pursued sharing her experience through Minimalist Moms Podcast, which has become a top rated podcast and resource for women!
Diane doesn’t want the term “minimalist” to scare you - she really just means living your life more simply, with less clutter taking up space in your mental load and taking time away from really enjoying your life with your kids and your family. She uses a technique where if it can be put away in 1 minute, do it right then so you don’t have to do it later! It really helps the clutter from building up. And if you’re feeling overwhelmed by the amount of stuff in your home, Diane shares what room to start decluttering in and why. And to keep that newly organized space tidy, Diane suggests implementing the “1 in, 1 out” rule. This can be especially helpful for kids' toys!
Besides the physical items cluttering up our home, there can also be a lot of mental clutter when it comes to being a mom. If thoughts keep you up at bedtime, have a pen and paper handy to use as a “brain dump”. You can write all your ideas down and tackle the to-do list the next day without worrying you’ll forget something. And don’t forget to quiet your mind once in a while and relax in a way you enjoy most!
Diane also covers what to do in our closets...we know it can seem daunting, but Diane’s tips about how to handle your pre-baby clothes and maternity clothes can help this task seem less overwhelming.
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @minimalistmoms and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their motherhood journey!
Follow Diane and Minimalist Moms Podcast on Instagram
Diane’s Minimalist Moms Website
Diane’s Podcast, Minimalist Moms Podcast
Grab a copy of Diane’s book, Minimalist Moms: Living and Parenting with Simplicity
Links & Resources
Expecting and Empowered App - Enter code 'PODCAST25' at checkout
Next Episode
68. Everything You Need to Know About Epidurals With @Mackenzie.On.Motherhood
We are so excited to bring back Mackenzie from Mackenzie.On.Motherhood on Instagram. She was with us for episodes 27 and 28 where we talked about what an L&D nurse wants you to know about labor and what actually happens after a hospital birth. So we thought it would be perfect for her to come back and educate us about epidurals! Whether your birth plan will include an epidural or not, this episode will be a great opportunity to educate yourself on the option of an epidural and what that process of having one looks like. It’s better to be over prepared than under prepared!
We start off with defining what exactly an epidural is and Mackenzie walks us through the step-by-step process of how an epidural is placed and who does the procedure. We then go through some of our listeners' most requested questions about epidurals. Can you get out of bed and change positions? Will I still feel pain? What are the risks and benefits? We go through it ALL!
If you enjoyed listening to this episode, we would love it if you could share it to your Instagram stories and tag us, @mackenzie.on.motherhood and @expectingandempowered. As we like to say, knowledge is power, and we just really want to give more people the information that they may need on their childbirth journey!
Follow Mackenzie on Instagram
Mackenzie’s Website
Mackenzie’s Online Courses
Links & Resources
Episode 27 - What a Labor and Delivery Nurse Wants You To Know About Labor
Episode 28 - What Actually Happens After a Hospital Birth
Expecting and Empowered App - Check out our Labor Day Sale and enter code ‘LABORPOD25’ at checkout!
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