1. Choose your place of birth carefully

Not all hospitals are the same.  What type of care does yours provide? Is it evidence based?  Is there a Midwife Led Unit on site or a Homebirth scheme? Would you prefer to birth at home with a Self Employed Community Midwife? Or would you prefer to choose a private home birth care provider?

If you are unhappy with the care you receive, you can opt to change hospitals or request a new care provider.

2. Move your body in pregnancy and in labour.

Exercise in pregnancy helps improve focus and build endurance, reduces the risk of complications, helps to prepare for labour, benefits baby and gets those feel good, happy hormones flowing.

3. Take an independent antenatal class

Taking an antenatal class outside of the hospital environment will often provide evidence based research, which might not be in line with your hospitals policies and procedures.  You are gaining independent, impartial, positive feedback, which you can compare with the information given during your hospital class.

4. Hire a Doula

A Doula gives support, help, and advice during pregnancy, birth and postnatally. Having a Doula present at birth shortens labour, lessens the need for pain relief, reduces caesareans and instrumental deliveries and results in less likelihood of postnatal depression and a higher incidence of breastfeeding.  Mothers are also less likely to rate their birth experience negatively. A Doula also provides support in the home in early labour and in the days after birth.

5. Avoid the negative Nellies

Sometimes people feel the need to share their negative birth stories.  We need to tune these out and surround ourselves with positive birth images and stories.  Find your tribe - supportive, encouraging people who realise that you are vulnerable in pregnancy and do everything in their power to lift you up, increase self-belief and keep you focused on having a positive birth. Find like-minded groups, both in person and online.

6. Partner Preparation

Your focus on your baby’s birth day is you and baby.  Your partner’s role is everything else! They can negotiate with the hospital staff, facilitate on your behalf and use the comfort strategies they have learned to help decrease anxiety.

7. Written Birth Preferences

Write down your birth preferences – what would you like, dislike? View it as a communication tool, helping you focus on the kind of birth you would like to achieve.  It’s about personal choice and it helps inform your midwife of your wishes ahead of time.

8. Labour in Water

Warm water immersion shortens labour, reduces pain and allows for greater freedom of movement.

9. Build Your Labour Toolkit

Make use of a birthing ball or a CUB to help with upright positioning. A tens machine, acupressure, music and mental strategies can all be useful forms of natural pain relief. Know what pain relief is available to you and how each one might affect you and baby.

10. Focus On What Can Go Right

Your mindset heading into birth is hugely important.  Train your brain in pregnancy to prepare for a calm, positive birth, whatever direction that birth takes.

GentleBirth is a birth preparation programme, which combines brain science, birth science and technology to empower positive birth.  Our first weekend workshop takes place at The Baby Room on 22^nd and 23^rd October.