Week 22: Time to think about why you should not induce your labor for convenience sake.
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The hazards of inducing your labor early with no medical reason are: 1) Your baby might not be ready to be born, 2) Your labor might be longer and more painful than if it started on its own, 3) It may not work and you'll have a c-section.
Lamaze International
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If you are disposed towards stretch marks, you may begin seeing a few now.
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Letting your body go into labor spontaneously is almost always the best way to know that your baby is ready to be born and that your body is ready for labor. Every day of the last weeks of pregnancy is vital to your baby's and body's preparation for birth.
March of Dimes
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Walk, move around and change positions throughout labor. Moving in labor serves two very important purposes. First, it helps you cope with increasingly strong and painful contractions, which signals your body to keep labor going. Second, it helps gently wiggle your baby into your pelvis and through your birth canal. (Lamaze International)
Lamaze International
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Bring a loved one, friend or doula for continuous support. Studies show that women who have good emotional support during childbirth feel better about themselves and their babies throughout labor and into the postpartum period.
Lamaze International
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Avoid medical interventions that are not medically necessary. Low-risk, healthy women do not require IVs or continuous monitoring to have healthy babies.
Lamaze International
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Avoid giving birth on your back and follow your body's urges to push. Current evidence shows that letting you assume whatever position you find most comfortable, encouraging you to push in response to what you feel, and letting you push as long as you and your baby are doing well are all beneficial practices. (Lamaze International)
Lamaze International
BirthWatch Recommends:
Great Expectations: Your All-in-One Resource for Pregnancy & Childbirth
This book is comprehensive and certainly has that confidence-inspiring language that prevents anxiety from spinning out of control. Do yourself a favor and throw your old "What to Expect When You're Expecting" book on the barbeque and pick up Great Expectations. It's a better bet.